The arrest of John the Baptist, mentioned at the beginning of the Gospel, was a moment of transition for Jesus. As long as John continued to preach and baptize, Jesus stayed out of the spotlight. But when John was arrested, all that changed. The last and greatest prophet had been silenced, and the moment had now come for Jesus to take center stage.
Matthew tells us that when that moment came, Jesus moved to Capernaum. It was there that he called his first Apostles. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had all met Jesus before when they were still disciples of John the Baptist. They had spent time with Jesus. They had seen him perform the miracle at the wedding in Cana, turning water into wine. They had started to get to know him. In John’s Gospel we’re told that they had even come to believe that he might be the Messiah.
But that’s not enough for Jesus. He has more to show them, and more for them to do. So at this critical moment, when he’s ready to begin his full-time ministry, Jesus goes to these men as they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. He calls them by name and invites them to help him build the Kingdom of GΘD hear on earth.
Jesus didn’t start his mission alone, and he doesn’t continue it alone. He wants our help. He established his Church and began his work of salvation with the help of these chosen Apostles, and today he continues his work in the same way, calling normal, everyday people, like you and me, to become his apostles.
Interrupting Our Daily Routine
It's interesting to note how Jesus issues this invitation. These future Apostles are on the lake fishing—they’re in the middle of their work, their business. Jesus comes to meet them there. He walks out to the lakeshore. He enters into their environment. He literally walks into their everyday lives.
Up until this point his only contact with them had been during social activities, like weddings and the Jewish holy days. But now he drops by their workplace. He could have come to their houses after work. He could have talked to them after the Saturday synagogue services. He could have even met them in town on their day off. That would have been easier on them—less of an interruption, less of an inconvenience. But Jesus doesn’t do that. He wants to be part of their lives. He doesn’t want to be on the fringe. He wants to be involved.
He deals with us in the same way. He’s always coming out to meet us, walking along the shore of our lives. He’s always thinking of us, watching us and calling out to us through the Church and through our conscience—regardless of how inconvenient it may be for us at the time. He wants us to follow him more closely today than we did yesterday, to follow him more passionately tomorrow than we’re doing today.
We just need to listen to him, to pay attention, and, when necessary, to leave behind our nets, our relationships, our boats—anything that hinders us from hearing and obeying his call in our lives. How overjoyed Jesus must have been when he saw these men, who had everything to lose, put it all on the line for him! How it must have thrilled his heart to find friends who were willing to trust him completely!
Jesus Invites Each of Us to Help Him
Jesus doesn’t work alone. He calls us to work with him. And we respond to that call by following his commandments and obeying the teachings of his Church. We respond by keeping our prayer life in shape and by receiving the sacraments of the Church on a regular basis. We respond by looking for all the opportunities to draw others closer to Christ by our courageous, but respectful, words and by our tireless example of humility, faith and selfless concern for our neighbor. We respond by listening for the small inspirations the Holy Spirit sends us each day—inspirations that almost always lead us out of our comfort zones for the sake of our neighbor’s well-being.
Jesus calls us, and we have to respond, leaving behind the boat that we love and the nets that we depend on. Are you brave enough to do this? Are you brave enough to help the King of the Universe build his Kingdom here on earth? I hope so!