Matthew 4:20 Meaning Explained

Matthew 4:20

Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The verse doesn't just say they "left their nets," but that they "left their nets." This emphasis on the nets highlights that they abandoned the very tools of their livelihood – their entire means of survival. It wasn't just a casual departure, but an immediate and complete surrender of their former lives for the unknown call of Jesus.

What Matthew 4:20 means

Jesus encounters fishermen casting their nets by the Sea of Galilee and calls them to follow Him, promising to make them "fishers of men." Without hesitation, these men immediately abandon their livelihoods, their boats, and their families to follow Jesus. This immediate obedience sets the stage for Jesus' Galilean ministry, where He begins teaching and healing, drawing large crowds who are amazed by His power.

The Immediate and Total Response

Imagine being in the middle of your work, your livelihood, and hearing a call that changes everything. What does it mean to respond 'straightway'?

The disciples' immediate departure signifies more than just haste. It reveals a profound willingness to leave behind their entire world – their livelihood, their security, their past – the moment Jesus called.

Leaving the Familiar

Their 'nets' represented not just tools but their profession, their income, and likely their entire economic base.
To leave them 'straightway' meant a complete surrender, trusting that Jesus' call was of greater value than anything they possessed.

The Cost of Discipleship

This wasn't a calculated decision based on guaranteed rewards; it was an act of faith and obedience.
The commentaries highlight that this sacrifice, though seemingly small to outsiders, was 'their All'. They were willing to face uncertainty, persecution, and even death for the sake of following Jesus.

Called to Be Fishers of Men

Jesus didn't just call them to follow; He called them to a new mission. What was this transformed purpose?

Jesus' call to 'Follow me' was not merely an invitation to discipleship but a commission to a new, vital work: 'I will make you fishers of men.'

A Divine Transformation

This phrase is a powerful metaphor, re-framing their existing skills for a spiritual purpose.
Instead of catching fish from the sea, they would now draw people out of the world's dangers into God's kingdom.

The New Vocation

This transition involved a complete redefinition of their lives and work. Their former skills were repurposed for ministry.

Historical context

Written: Likely between 50-70 AD, during the mid-1st century.
Author: Matthew the Apostle, traditionally understood as a disciple of Jesus.
Location: Written likely from Galilee, reflecting events that occurred there.
Genre: Gospel (narrative with theological reflection), featuring parables and direct teachings as a key element.

Historical background

The disciples' immediate abandonment of their livelihoods—their nets, boats, and trade—demonstrates the radical nature of their commitment and the undeniable authority of Jesus' call, even before they fully grasped His mission.

c. AD 28
Jesus Begins Public Ministry
After His baptism and temptation, Jesus starts His public ministry in Galilee, calling disciples.
c. AD 28— this verse
Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew
Jesus encounters Peter and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee and calls them to follow Him, promising to make them 'fishers of men'.
c. AD 28
Jesus Calls James and John
Jesus then calls James and John, who are mending their nets, and they too immediately follow Him.
c. AD 28 - 30
Jesus' Galilean Ministry
Jesus spends the next couple of years traveling throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing.

Key themes

01Immediate obedience to calling
02Radical life change
03Sacrifice for a greater purpose
04Trust in divine commission

Cross-references

Luke 5:11

This passage describes the disciples leaving 'everything' to follow Jesus after witnessing a miraculous catch of fish, echoing the immediate and complete abandonment of their livelihoods seen in Matthew 4:20.

Matthew 19:27

Peter asks Jesus what they will receive for leaving everything to follow Him, directly referencing the sacrifice made by the disciples in Matthew 4:20 and highlighting the cost of discipleship.

Mark 1:18

This parallel account emphasizes the same instant response of the fishermen, stating they 'immediately left their nets and followed him,' reinforcing the theme of prompt obedience to Jesus' call.

1 Kings 19:20

Elisha's response to Elijah's call involves leaving his oxen and farm to follow, demonstrating a similar, decisive abandonment of worldly responsibilities to pursue a divine calling.

John 1:43

Philip's invitation to Nathanael ('Come, and see') leads to a similar process of following Jesus upon encountering Him, paralleling the initial call and subsequent discipleship.

Scholarly commentary

Matthew 4:20: "And they straightway left their nets, and followed him."

Straightway - Immediately - as all should do when the Lord Jesus calls them. Left their nets - Their nets were the means of their living, perhaps all their property. By leaving them immediately, and following him, they gave every evidence of sincerity. They showed, what we should, that they were willing to forsake all for the sake of Jesus, and to follow him wherever he should lead them. They went forth to persecution and d…
barnes

Matthew 4:20: "And they straightway left their nets, and followed him."

Verse 20. - And they straightway left their nets. (For their leaving everything Wetstein, on ver. 19, compares Epictetus, 12, Ἐάν δὲ κυβερνήτης καλέσῃ τρέχε ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἀφεὶς ἐκεῖνα πάντα μηδὲν ἐπιστρεφόμενος, "If the steersman call, run to the ship, leaving all those things, without regarding anything.") The Rheims Version, with its love of archaisms, has, "But they incontinent, leaving the nettes, followed him."
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What Matthew 4:20 means

Historical context

Written: Likely between 50-70 AD, during the mid-1st century.
Author: Matthew the Apostle, traditionally understood as a disciple of Jesus.
Location: Written likely from Galilee, reflecting events that occurred there.
Genre: Gospel (narrative with theological reflection), featuring parables and direct teachings as a key element.

Historical background

c. AD 28

Jesus Begins Public Ministry

After His baptism and temptation, Jesus starts His public ministry in Galilee, calling disciples.

c. AD 28— this verse

Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew

Jesus encounters Peter and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee and calls them to follow Him, promising to make them 'fishers of men'.

c. AD 28

Jesus Calls James and John

Jesus then calls James and John, who are mending their nets, and they too immediately follow Him.

c. AD 28 - 30

Jesus' Galilean Ministry

Jesus spends the next couple of years traveling throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing.