“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. The first disciples are called while Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee — a detail that communicates the ordinariness of the setting. No temple court, no synagogue, no place of public religious significance: the disciples are found at work, casting nets. Simon and Andrew are not aspirants to discipleship; they are fishermen doing their job. Elisha was plowing when Elijah called him (1 Kings 19:19–21); the disciples are fishing when Jesus calls them. The call to follow comes into the middle of ordinary life rather than in the space of religious withdrawal.
Church Fathers on Matthew 4:18
bede e, and John his brother, in a ship with Ze bede e their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
Catena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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