<h2>Four Fishermen Called</h2><div class="chaptertitle">CHAPTER 23</div>
<div class='cap'>THE PLACE which Jesus chose for his home, after
being driven away from Nazareth, was Capernaum.
This was a large city on the northwestern
shore of the Sea of Galilee. Only one city beside the
lake was larger—Tiberias. That was a new city, built
by Herod, the ruler of Galilee, and named after the
Emperor Tiberius at Rome. But Tiberias was not a
Jewish city. It contained temples to idols, its people
were foreigners, and very few Jews were willing to live
within its walls. Then, too, Herod Antipas lived there
in a palace which he had built, and Jesus did not wish
to be near Herod.</div>
<p>But Capernaum was a Jewish city, and Jesus felt
that his work was to be among the Jews. At least four
of the early followers of Jesus lived in Capernaum; two
pair of brothers, Simon and Andrew, the sons of Jonas;
and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. These four
men were partners with Zebedee in the fishing trade.
They owned a number of fishing boats and had men
working for them. The lake was full of fish, and many
people all around it lived by fishing. The fish in the
Sea of Galilee were good food, and were sent to all the
nearby cities. It is said that one emperor at Rome, not
long after this time, had sent to him every week a barrel
full of fish from the Sea of Galilee, for his table in the
palace.</p>
<p>The people of Capernaum had heard of Jesus, for all
those who went up to the feasts in Jerusalem brought
home reports of this wonderful teacher and healer of the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</SPAN></span>
sick. Wherever Jesus went, crowds gathered around
him to listen to his words, and especially eager to see if
he would do any of his wonderful works.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <SPAN href="images/illus-166-big.png"><ANTIMG src="images/illus-166.png" width-obs="322" height-obs="400" alt="map" /></SPAN> <span class="caption">LOWER GALILEE</span></div>
<p>One morning while Jesus was walking on the beach,
he met some of his followers. Having now come to their
own home, these men had gone back to their old work,
as fishermen, and their boats were lying upon the shore.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</SPAN></span>
The men had been fishing in the night before, and they
were now washing their nets upon the beach. Jesus
spoke to one of his followers, Simon Peter, to push his
boat a little way out into the water. He did so, and
then Jesus sat down in the boat, while a great crowd
stood on the shore, but within reach of his voice. Then
from the boat as a pulpit he talked to the people on the
shore. What he said at that time was not written
down; but it was very much like his teachings as given
in the Sermon on the Mount, which may be read in the
fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the gospel by
Matthew. There is no doubt that in his talks in many
places to different crowds, Jesus often gave the same
teachings over and over again.</p>
<p>After Jesus had ended his speaking to the people,
he said to Simon, who with the other fishermen was
standing beside him:</p>
<p>"Push out into the deep water, and let down your
nets for a catch of fish."</p>
<p>"Master," answered Simon, "we worked all last
night and caught not a single fish. However, if you tell
us to try again, I will let down the nets."</p>
<p>They did so, and now their nets took in a great
shoal of fish, so large a number that the nets began to
break. Then they beckoned to their partners in the
other boat to come and help them. They came, and
helped to pull up the nets and to empty the fish into
the boats. So many were the fish that they filled both
the boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon
Peter saw all this, he was struck with wonder and with
fear, for he felt that this had been done by the power
of God. He fell upon his knees in the boat to Jesus,
saying:</p>
<p>"O Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy of all
this! Leave me, O Lord!"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>But Jesus said to him and to the other three men
with him:</p>
<p>"Do not be afraid; come after me; and from this
time you shall be fishers of men."</p>
<p>He meant that they were now to leave their nets
and their boats, to stay with him; and after learning
from him, they were to go out and show men the way
out of sin into the Kingdom of God.</p>
<p>As soon, therefore, as they had brought their nets
and their fishes to the land, they left them with Zebedee,
the father of James and John, and with the hired men.</p>
<p>From that day these four men stayed with Jesus
and went with him on all his journeys, listening to his
words, until from hearing them often, they learned them
and could repeat them to others.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-168.jpg" width-obs="400" height-obs="320" alt="photo" /> <span class="caption">Pool of Hezekiah at Jerusalem</span></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-169.jpg" width-obs="406" height-obs="600" alt="painting" /> <span class="caption">The disciples let down their nets and took in a great shoal of fish, so large a number that the nets began to break.</span></div>
<hr class="chap" /><p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</SPAN></span></p>
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