WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 31, 2019
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CALLED TO FOLLOW
(The ministry of JESUS begins)
(Matthew 4:12-22)
As I stated
in the lesson a couple of weeks ago, the arrest of John the Baptist by King
Herod Antipas triggered the beginning of JESUS’ three years of ministering here
on earth. After John’s incarceration JESUS went to Galilee and began preaching
GOD’s Good News, announcing that the Kingdom of GOD was near, and urging people
to repent and turn from their sin (Matthew 4:12).
However, instead
of going to HIS hometown of Nazareth, JESUS traveled to Capernaum in the region
of Zebulun and Naphtali. This move by JESUS was done in order that the prophecy
of Isaiah (Isaiah 9:1-2) would be fulfilled. It is as if JESUS already knew
that HIS preaching and teaching would be rejected in the familiar surroundings
of the place where HE grew up.
One day as JESUS
was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee HE came upon two commercial
fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, going about their work, fishing with
nets in their boat just off shore. JESUS shouted out to them, and invited them
to come and let HIM teach them how to fish for the souls of men. As if through
divine discernment, they immediately came to shore, left their boat, and began
to follow JESUS (Vs. 18-20).
A little farther
up the shore they came upon Zebedee’s sons, James and John, who were sitting in
their large boat with their father and several hired men, mending their torn
fishing nets. JESUS called them out of the group and invited them also, to come
and follow HIM. And just like Simon and Andrew, they immediately left their
father, Zebedee, in the boat with his men, and began following JESUS (Vs.21-22).
People commonly
believe that JESUS was just calling these men from their jobs. However, what
was happening here in this passage was that, JESUS was actually calling them
out of the Church, which had been contaminated by the teachings (yeast) of the
Pharisees and others for years, so that HE could teach them the pure undiluted
Word of GOD, and then send them back into the Church to fix it, and make it a
righteous and holy place of worship, teaching, and prayer again.
Here JESUS was
calling these men to a greater occupation (fishing for men) that would require
them to, not just use their physical and mental prowess, but rather, for this
task that they were called to, it would take all of their hearts, all of their
souls, all of their minds, and all of their hands to accomplish.
Peter (also
called Simon), James (son of Zebedee), John (son of Zebedee), Andrew (Peter’s brother),
Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (also called Levi), James (son of
Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot (who later
betrayed JESUS), are the original twelve disciples who were called on by JESUS
to follow HIM.
With the
exception of John, who lived to be a ripe old age, all of the other disciples,
except Judas (who died a shameful death because of his betrayal of JESUS), are
believed to have died a martyr’s death. James (son of Zebedee) was the first to
die, as he was ordered to be killed by the sword by King Herod Agrippa (Acts
12:1-2).
Jewish tradition has
it that Peter died in Rome on an upside down cross. He requested to be nailed
upside because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as CHRIST did. Andrew,
according to Roman Catholic tradition, was crucified on “an x-shaped cross” in
Macedonia, while James (son of Alphaeus) was crucified in Persia, where he did
most of his preaching.
Bartholomew,
perhaps died the most horrified death of all of the disciples as he was, first,
decorticated (skinned alive), and then beheaded, on the orders of King
Astriagis in India. And then there’s Thaddaeus, who was stoned to death by a
group of magicians in the city of Suanir, in Persia.
Matthew is
believed to have been killed (manner of death unknown) in the city of Nadabah,
in what is now present-day Iran, in A.D. 60. Thomas, like Bartholomew, was also
martyred in India (manner of death unknown), and was buried in the city of Mylapore,
now a suburb of Madras.
Many scholars
believe that Matthias, whom the disciples chose on their own, to replace Judas
Iscariot, was later disqualified and replaced by James, the brother of JESUS. They
base their argument largely on what is written in Galatians 1:19 and 2:9,
however, nothing in Scripture suggest that Matthias ever left the group.
To be called by
GOD is a serious undertaking. Long before we realize HIS calling, GOD is
already preparing us for HIS glorious purpose. JESUS is also calling each of us
to follow HIS magnificent lead into Eternal Life. When we choose to follow
CHRIST, and then, begin to practice HIS examples, we receive HIS heart, and
thus, our lives will fade into HIS. We become more like HIM, and thus, we
become more like GOD HIMSELF, WHO is our CREATOR. We began to desire to come as
close as we can to being “functionally perfect” in the biblical sense (striving
to sin no more), while we live out the rest of life here on earth.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY
D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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