Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 4:18-22

"And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left the nets, and followed him. And going on from thence he saw two other brethren, James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they straightway left the boat and their father, and followed him." — Matthew 4:18-22 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Before He spoke or did anything, Christ called the Apostles, so that neither His word nor His deed should be hidden from their knowledge. This was so they could later say with confidence, “What we have seen and heard, that we cannot but speak” (Acts 4:20).

Rabanus Maurus: The Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Tiberias, and the Salt Lake are all one and the same.

Glossa Ordinaria: He rightly goes to the fishing places, as He is about to fish for fishermen.¹

Remigius of Auxerre: He “saw” them, not so much with the physical eye, but by spiritually perceiving their hearts.

St. John Chrysostom: He calls them while they are working at their trade to show that following Him should be preferred to all other occupations. They were, at that moment, “casting a net into the sea,” which corresponded with their future office.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He did not choose kings, senators, philosophers, or orators; instead, He chose common, poor, and uneducated fishermen.²

Had a learned man been chosen, he might have attributed the choice to the merit of his learning. But our Lord Jesus Christ, wanting to bow the necks of the proud, did not seek to win fishermen through orators, but won an Emperor through a fisherman. Great was Cyprian the advocate, but Peter the fisherman came before him.³

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The tasks of their secular trade were a prophecy of their future dignity. Just as one who casts his net into the water does not know what fish he will catch, so the teacher casts the net of the divine word upon the people, not knowing who among them will come to God. Those whom God stirs will abide in His doctrine.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord speaks of these fishermen through Jeremiah: “I will send for many fishers... and they shall fish them” (Jeremiah 16:16).

Glossa Ordinaria: “Follow me”—not so much with your feet as in your hearts and your life.⁴

Pseudo-Chrysostom: “Fishers of men” means teachers, so that with the net of God’s word you can catch people out of this world of storm and danger. In this world, people do not walk but are instead carried along, with the Devil drawing them into sin through pleasure. Here, people devour one another as stronger fish devour the weaker. Rescued from this, they may live upon the land, having been made members of Christ’s body.

St. Gregory the Great: Peter and Andrew had seen Christ work no miracle and had heard from Him no word of the promise of eternal reward. Yet at this single command from the Lord, they forgot all that they seemed to possess and “straightway left their nets, and followed Him.” In this deed, we ought to consider their wills rather than the amount of their property. He who keeps nothing for himself leaves much; he who renounces his sinful desires along with his possessions parts with much.⁵

Those who followed Christ gave up enough to be coveted by those who did not. Our outward goods, however small, are enough for the Lord. He does not weigh the sacrifice by how much is offered, but by how much it is offered out of. The kingdom of God cannot be valued at a certain price; whatever a person has, whether much or little, is an equally sufficient offering.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: These disciples did not follow Christ out of a desire for the honor of being a teacher, but because they desired the labor itself. They knew how precious a person’s soul is, how pleasing their salvation is to God, and how great its reward.

St. John Chrysostom: They trusted in so great a promise and believed that they would catch others by the same words with which they themselves had been caught.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: These were their desires, for which they “left all and followed,” teaching us by this that no one can possess earthly things and also perfectly attain heavenly things.

Glossa Ordinaria: These first disciples were an example to those who leave their property for the love of Christ; now follows an example of others who put earthly affection second to God. Observe how He calls them two by two, and later sent them out two by two to preach.⁶

St. Gregory the Great: By this we are also silently admonished that he who lacks affection for others should not take on the office of preaching. The precepts of charity are two, and there can be no love between fewer than two people.⁷

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He rightly built the foundations of the Church’s brotherhood on love, so that from such roots an abundant sap of love might flow to the branches. He did so upon natural human love, so that nature as well as grace would bind their love more firmly. They were also “brothers,” just as God in the Old Testament laid the foundations of His building on two brothers, Moses and Aaron.

But since the grace of the New Testament is more abundant than that of the Old, the first people were built upon one pair of brothers, while the new people are built upon two.

They were “mending their nets,” a proof of their extreme poverty; they repaired the old ones because they had no means to buy new ones. And what shows their great filial piety is that, in this deep poverty, they did not desert their father but carried him with them in their boat—not so he could help with their labor, but so he could enjoy his sons’ presence.

St. John Chrysostom: It is no small sign of goodness to bear poverty easily, to live by honest labor, to be bound together by bonds of affection, to keep their poor father with them, and to toil in his service.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: We should not dare to consider the first disciples as more ready to preach because they were “casting their nets,” and the latter as less active because they were still only preparing. For it is Christ alone who can know their differences.

But perhaps we can say that the first were “casting their nets” because Peter preached the Gospel but did not write it down, while the others were “mending their nets” because John composed a Gospel.

He “called them” together, for they were fellow townsmen, bound by affection, sharing the same trade, and united by brotherly tenderness. He called them, then, at the same time, so that they who were united by so many common blessings would not be separated by a separate call.

St. John Chrysostom: He made no promise to James and John when He called them, as He had to the first pair, for the obedience of the first had paved the way for them. Besides, they had already heard many things about Him, being friends and fellow townsmen of the others.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: There are three things that we who would come to Christ must leave: carnal actions, signified by the fishing nets; worldly substance, signified by the boat; and parents, signified by their father. They left their own boat so that they might become governors of the vessel of the Church. They left their nets, as they no longer had to draw fish onto an earthly shore, but men to a heavenly one. They left their father so that they might become the spiritual fathers of all.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The fact that they left their occupation and their father’s house teaches us that when we decide to follow Christ, we should not be held back by the cares of secular life or by the company of our father’s household.

Remigius of Auxerre: Mystically, the sea symbolizes this world because of its bitterness and tossing waves. Galilee is interpreted as “rolling” or “a wheel,” and it shows the changeableness of the world. Jesus “walked by the sea” when He came to us through the incarnation, for He took upon Himself from the Virgin not the flesh of sin, but the likeness of sinful flesh.

The two brothers symbolize two peoples born of one God their Father; He “saw” them when He looked upon them in His mercy. Peter (interpreted as “recognizing”), who is also called Simon (meaning “obedient”), symbolizes the Jewish nation, which acknowledged God in the Law and obeyed His commandments. Andrew (interpreted as “manly” or “graceful”) signifies the Gentiles, who, after coming to the knowledge of God, manfully remained in the faith. He called us His people when He sent preachers into the world, saying, “Follow me”—that is, leave the deceiver and follow your Creator. From both peoples were made “fishers of men,” that is, preachers.

Leaving their boats (that is, carnal desires) and their nets (that is, love of the world), they followed Christ. James is understood as the Jewish nation, which overthrew the Devil through their knowledge of God. John represents the Gentile world, which was saved by grace alone. Zebedee, whom they leave (his name interpreted as “flying” or “falling”), signifies the world which is passing away and the Devil who fell from Heaven. Peter and Andrew casting their net into the sea symbolize those who are called by the Lord in their youth, while from the vessel of their body they cast the nets of carnal desires into the sea of this world. James and John mending their nets signify those who, after sinning, come to Christ in times of adversity, recovering what they had lost.

Rabanus Maurus: The two boats signify the two Churches: one called from the circumcision and the other from the uncircumcision. Anyone who believes becomes Simon (that is, obedient to God); Peter, by acknowledging his sin; Andrew, by manfully enduring labors; James, by overcoming vices; Glossa Ordinaria: and John, by ascribing the whole to God’s grace. The calling of only four is mentioned, as they are the preachers by whom God would call the four corners of the world.⁸

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, it symbolizes the number of the Evangelists that was to come.

Remigius of Auxerre: Also, the four principal virtues are represented here: Prudence, in Peter, from his confession of God; Justice, which we may refer to Andrew for his manly deeds; Fortitude, to James, for his overthrow of the Devil; and Temperance, to John, for the working of divine grace in him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It might raise the question why John relates that Andrew and another unnamed disciple followed the Lord near the Jordan, not in Galilee, and that Peter received his name there. In contrast, the other three Evangelists write that they were called from their fishing, agreeing with one another—especially Matthew and Mark. Luke does not name Andrew, who is nevertheless understood to have been in the same boat with Peter.⁹

There is a further apparent discrepancy: in Luke, it is said only to Peter, “From now on you will catch men,” whereas Matthew and Mark write that it was said to both.

Regarding the different account in John, it should be carefully considered. It will be found that John is speaking of a different time, place, and calling. Peter and Andrew had not seen Jesus at the Jordan in such a way that they remained with Him inseparably from then on; rather, they only came to know who He was and, after marveling at Him, went on their way. Perhaps the evangelist is returning to something he had omitted, for he proceeds without noting any difference in time, saying, “As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee.”

It may also be asked how Matthew and Mark relate that He called them separately, two by two, when Luke relates that James and John, being Peter’s partners, were called to help him and, bringing their boats to land, followed Christ. We may understand, then, that Luke’s narrative relates to an earlier time, after which they returned to their fishing as usual. For it had not been said to Peter that he should no longer catch fish—as he did again after the resurrection—but that he “should catch men.”

Later, the call of which Matthew and Mark speak occurred. At this point, they draw their boats to land to follow Him, not intending to return again, but only being anxious to follow Him when He commands them.

1. ord.
2. Serm. 197, 2
3. Tract. in Joann. 8, 7
4. interlin.
5. Hom. in Evan., v. 1
6. ap. Anselm
7. Hom. in Ex., 17, 1
8. ap. Anselm
9. de Cons. Evan., ii, 17