365 Days in the Gospels and Spirit of Prophecy
From Fishermen to Followers — February 15 [Description]
Bible discovery
Matthew 4:18-22 365D 46.1
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 365D 46.2
19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 365D 46.3
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 365D 46.4
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 365D 46.5
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 365D 46.6
16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 365D 46.8
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 365D 46.9
18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 365D 46.10
19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 365D 46.11
20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 365D 46.12
1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 365D 46.14
2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 365D 46.15
3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 365D 46.16
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 365D 46.17
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 365D 46.18
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 365D 46.19
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 365D 46.20
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 365D 46.21
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 365D 46.22
10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 365D 46.23
11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they [a] forsook all and followed Him. 365D 46.24
Spirit of Prophecy Reading
The Desire of Ages pp.244-251: 365D 46.25
This chapter is based on Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11. 365D 46.26
Day was breaking over the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, weary with a night of fruitless toil, were still in their fishing boats on the lake. Jesus had come to spend a quiet hour by the waterside. In the early morning He hoped for a little season of rest from the multitude that followed Him day after day. But soon the people began to gather about Him. Their numbers rapidly increased, so that He was pressed upon all sides. Meanwhile the disciples had come to land. In order to escape the pressure of the multitude, Jesus stepped into Peter's boat, and bade him pull out a little from the shore. Here Jesus could be better seen and heard by all, and from the boat He taught the multitude on the beach. 365D 46.27
What a scene was this for angels to contemplate; their glorious Commander, sitting in a fisherman's boat, swayed to and fro by the restless waves, and proclaiming the good news of salvation to the listening throng that were pressing down to the water's edge! He who was the Honored of heaven was declaring the great things of His kingdom in the open air, to the common people. Yet He could have had no more fitting scene for His labors. The lake, the mountains, the spreading fields, the sunlight flooding the earth, all furnished objects to illustrate His lessons and impress them upon the mind. And no lesson of Christ's fell fruitless. Every message from His lips came to some soul as the word of eternal life. 365D 46.28
God takes men as they are, and educates them for His service, if they will yield themselves to Him. The Spirit of God, received into the soul, will quicken all its faculties. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the mind that is devoted unreservedly to God develops harmoniously, and is strengthened to comprehend and fulfill the requirements of God. The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness. Continual devotion establishes so close a relation between Jesus and His disciple that the Christian becomes like Him in mind and character. Through a connection with Christ he will have clearer and broader views. His discernment will be more penetrative, his judgment better balanced. He who longs to be of service to Christ is so quickened by the life-giving power of the Sun of Righteousness that he is enabled to bear much fruit to the glory of God. 365D 46.29
Men of the highest education in the arts and sciences have learned precious lessons from Christians in humble life who were designated by the world as unlearned. But these obscure disciples had obtained an education in the highest of all schools. They had sat at the feet of Him who spoke as “never man spake.” 365D 46.30