Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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 death for his sake; but also to the honor of saving souls from death, and establishing a church that shall continue to the end of time. Little did they know what awaited them when they left their unmended nets to rot on the beach, and followed the unknown and unhonored Jesus of Nazareth. So we know not what awaits us when we become his followers; but we should cheerfully go when our Saviour calls, willing to commit all into his hands – come honor or dishonor, sickness or health, riches or poverty, life or death. Be it ours to do our duty at once, and to commit the result to the great Redeemer who has called us. Compare Mat 6:33; Mat 8:21-22; Joh 21:21-22.
Follow him – This is an expression denoting that they became his disciples, 2Ki 6:19.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 20. They straightway left their nets] A change, as far as it respected secular things, every way to their disadvantage. The proud and the profane may exult and say, “Such preachers as these cannot be much injured by their sacrifices of secular property – they have nothing but nets, c., to leave.” Let such carpers at the institution of Christ know, that he who has nothing but a net, and leaves that for the sake of doing good to the souls of men, leaves his ALL: besides, he lived comfortably by his net before but, in becoming the servant of all for Christ’s sake, he often exposes himself to the want of even a morsel of bread. See on Mt 19:27.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When Christ calls, men shall obey; when he calls, he draweth. It is not of indispensable necessity that men who exercise the ministry should have nothing else to do, Pauls hands ministered to his necessities; but nothing but a providing for ourselves and households can excuse ministers in entangling themselves with the things of this life. Churches that are able ought better to provide for their ministers, and ministers so provided for sin if they do not wholly give up themselves to their work, 1Ti 4:15.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. And they straightway left theirnets, and followed him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they straightway left their nets,…. That is, as soon as he had called them, they left their worldly employment, and followed him; they gave up themselves to his service, and became his disciples; they not only left their “nets”, but their fishing boats, and fishing trade, and all that belonged to it, even all their substance; and also their relations, friends, and acquaintance, see
Mt 19:27 which shows what a mighty power went along with the words and call of Christ; and what a ready, cheerful, and voluntary subjection this produces, wherever it takes place.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “And they straightway left their nets,” (hoi de eutheos aphentes ta diktus) “Then immediately (without delay) they left the nets they were casting;” They left the known, to follow the unknown. Such required absolute trust, complete faith in Jesus Christ, Luk 9:23.
2) “And followed him.” (akolouthesan suto) “And they followed him,” where He led them, Luk 2:11. Of this break with fishing it is said they “left all” or “forsook all”, to follow Jesus. As a soldier must commit first allegiance of all to his country to be a good soldier, so must a child of God put the will and work of God as first allegiance in his life to please the Lord. Such surrender leads to a well done” and rewarding hour from the Lord, Mat 19:27; Mat 19:29.
CALL OF JAMES AND JOHN TO FULL TIME SERVICE V. 21-25
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
20. Straightway left their nets They had been previously disciples of John. The preaching of Jesus had divinely impressed their hearts. The miracle performed upon the present occasion, as detailed by Luke, had filled their hearts with awe. Straightway they left their nets, their boats, their father, and their father’s house, surrendering all to follow him, with a quickness that renders them the very model of a prompt obedience.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And they immediately left the nets, and followed him.’
The response is seen to be brief and to the point. They immediately left their nets and followed Him. They needed no second bidding. From now on their lives would be dedicated to His service, and their nets would be left to others. Fishing nets would be of no use in the fishing of men. We are given no background of any other arrangements that were made for their departure. They mattered nothing to Matthew. What mattered was their instant response and obedience to the King, and their leaving of all to follow Him, a response required of all men. Nothing else was now to matter to them but to serve Jesus.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
Ver. 20. And they straightway left their nets ] As the woman of Samaria did her pitcher, Matthew his toll book, and blind Bartimeus his cloak when Christ called for him. Look we likewise to this “author and finisher of our faith;” and for love of him cast away every clog, and the sin that doth so easily beset or surround us. , Heb 12:1-2 Divorce the flesh from the world, and there is no great danger. Admire not overmuch, rest not in, dote not on, cleave not to, the things of this life (those nets and snares of Satan, whereby he entangleth and encumbereth us), that we may attend upon the Lord (or sit close to him) without being haled away or distracted by these lusts of life ( , 1Co 7:35 ). The deeper any man is drowned in the world, the more desperately is he divorced from God, deadened to holy things, and disobedient to the heavenly call, as the recusant guests in the Gospel, Mat 22:5 .
And followed him ] Immediately, and without sciscitation. When Christ calls we must not reason, but run, as Paul,Gal 1:16Gal 1:16 ; not dispute, but despatch, with David, Psa 119:60 . Go we know not whither, with Abraham; do we know not what, with Gideon. “If ye will inquire, inquire,” saith Isaiah; “return, come,” Isa 21:12 . God loveth curristas, runners not quaeristas, questioners saith Luther. A quick passage, and full of quickening; like that of the orator, Si dormis, expergissere; si stas, ingredere; si ingrederis, curre; si curris, advola. (Cicer.) Courts have their cito, cito, quick, quick; and courtiers used to observe and improve their mollissima fandi tempora; so must Christians. God is but a while with men in the opportunities of grace. He comes leaping on the mountains, and skipping on the hills: and, being come, he stands at the door and knocks by the sound of his Word and motions of his Spirit. He sits not, but stands: while a man is standing we say he is going, Son 2:8 ; Rev 3:20 . And woe be unto us if he depart from us, Hos 9:12 . God hath his season, his harvest for judgment, Mat 13:30 , and is now more quick and peremptory in rejecting men than of old: for how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation as is now preached?Heb 2:2Heb 2:2 . Our Saviour would not suffer the man that said he would follow him, to let so much time as to bury his father, Mat 8:22 . Excuses he takes for refusals, delays for denials. As Saul lost his kingdom, so doth many a man his soul, by not discerning his time: and troops of them that forget God go down to hell, Psa 9:17 . Quare castigemus mores et moras nostras. How you punish our ways and move us. Let us up and be doing, that the Lord may be with us.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
20. . . . ] i.e. from this time they were constant followers of the Lord. But when He happened to be in the neighbourhood of their homes, they resumed their fishing, cf. Luk 5:1-11 , which occurrence was, in my belief, different from, and later than the one related in our text. See notes there.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 4:20 . he effect was immediate: . This seems surprising, and we naturally postulate previous knowledge in explanation. But all indications point to the uniquely impressive personality of Jesus. John felt it; the audience in the synagogue of Capernaum felt it on the first appearance of Jesus there (Mar 1:27 ); the four fishermen felt it. : in Mat 4:18 . In Mat 13:47 occurs a third word for a net, ; (from , to throw) is the general name; ( ), anything cast around, e.g. , a garment, more specifically a net thrown with the hand; , a sweep-net carried out in a boat, then drawn in from the land ( vide Trench, Synonyms of N. T., 64).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
nets. Plural diktuon. Not the same word as in Mat 4:18, or Mat 13:47.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
20. …] i.e. from this time they were constant followers of the Lord. But when He happened to be in the neighbourhood of their homes, they resumed their fishing, cf. Luk 5:1-11, which occurrence was, in my belief, different from, and later than the one related in our text. See notes there.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 4:20. , straightway) A promptitude and quickness in following our Lord is denoted in James and John, in Mat 4:22, where occurs again. The same quickness is denoted in Mat 4:19, in the case of Peter and Andrew, by the word , whether you read or not. In the very ardour of doing their daily work, they received the call. Thus also Matthew ch. Mat 9:9, blessed moment!-, they followed) Ingenuously, without any immediate stipulation concerning reward.-See ch. Mat 19:27.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mat 10:37, Mat 19:27, 1Ki 19:21, Psa 119:60, Mar 10:28-31, Luk 18:28-30, Gal 1:16
Reciprocal: 1Ki 19:20 – he left Isa 6:8 – Then Mar 1:17 – fishers Luk 5:11 – they forsook
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:20
In leaving their nets they gave up their secular occupation for the sake of following Christ. A similar but fuller statement will soon be made of two others whom Jesus will call.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 4:20. Straightway (the same word as in Mat 4:22). Emphatic; there was no delay. Luke tells of a miraculous draught of fishes, which preceded and prepared the fishermen to obey. His narrative assumes that Jesus was known to them (Luk 5:5), and that they gave up their occupation to follow our Lord constantly.