Jesus and his close disciples have just descended from the Mount of Transfiguration. This is where Jesus’ divine glory is shown to the inner circle of apostles and Moses and Elijah have appeared to speak to Jesus about the Exodus he is to accomplish later at Jerusalem. Jesus has commanded his disciples to tell nobody of what they have seen until after his resurrection.

10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”

The disciples posit the question to Jesus, after seeing Elijah at Jesus’ Transfiguration and being told to say nothing until after the resurrection “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”. It is important to clarify a few things here about what the Jews believed.

The disciples knew their scriptures even if they were, as some scholars suggest, illiterate. The practice of memorizing the Law from a very early age was the standard and further study on the Prophets was common too. The important component for context here is that the Scribes occupied the position of authoritative interpretation of the Law. So the Scribes say, as according to Malachi 4:5-6, that Elijah must come before the day of the Lord. They knew this prophecy from their studies but the authorities of the Law add the gravity to their understanding, they do not interpret scripture by themselves. They have just seen Elijah appear, so obviously, they’re thinking “oh this is it” but Jesus is going correct this in interpretation.

11 He replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things;

Jesus confirms the prophecy of Malachi, Elijah does come and he is going to restore sons to their fathers and all things but the way he comes is not what they just observed.

12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.”

Jesus continues telling the disciples that Elijah has already arrived and he was not recognised when he came. “They did to him whatever they pleased”. This is of course in reference to John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah and was imprisoned and killed. Then Jesus says, “So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands”. Jesus invokes the divine messianic title of his as he says that he will suffer something similar to that of John. He will be arrested and killed.

13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

This explanation that Jesus gives seems to suffice for his disciples to understand that he was referring to St John the Baptist. A rare moment considering usually they are more confused by his explanations.

Jesus has just finished telling the crowds how great John the Baptist is, that he is the culmination of all the prophets up to this point but many in the crowd do not acknowledge John or Jesus as who they really are.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates,

Jesus addresses the crowds surrounding him and asks what he should compare them to. He refers to them as “this generation” which is a term coated with Old Testament connotations as this was the language used to describe the disobedient Israelites in the wilderness who rejected God. Typically thought of as the “wicked generation”. This phrasing can be seen in Numbers 32 and Deuteronomy 1. So although he is referring to his contemporaries he is also comparing them to the wicked generation who rejected God.

Jesus gives a short parable to make his comparison clear. He speaks of children sitting in the public areas around a market who call to their playmates. A little explanation is necessary to explain some of the following verses extending from part B of verse 16. In this time and place, young boys were used to sing, play music and dance at weddings and girls were used in solemn mourning practices of funerals.

17 ‘We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

One group of children calls to another that they “piped” or played something equivalent to a flute and the other children do not dance for the wedding festivities. Another wails for the funeral mourning practices the others do not mourn. Jesus will clarify later that the leader of these little bands are himself and John.

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’;

John is presented as the leader of the wailers who are to call people to mourn and lament, he does this through ascetical practices like fasting and abstaining from alcohol as a witness to his call for peoples repentance but the people do not respond to him as they should, like the little children in the parable, when John wails, the people do not mourn, in fact, they go so far as to accuse him of being possessed.

19 the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Jesus calling himself by the Messianic Title says that he comes as the piping and dancing child but the people do not respond correctly. They again, like John, accuse him of evil things. Considering the pipes and dancing aspects of weddings, its fitting that Jesus applies this part of the parable to himself as scripture does confirm him to be the divine bridegroom. It is supposed to be a sign of joy for the people but instead they spread calumny about him and call him a drunkard. The truly wise will understand these signs but the truly wise are humble whereas the intelligentsia of ancient Palestine were very learned but not humble.

The point is that whether the people are presented with a sign of sombre repentance like John, or a sign of joy like the Messiah, this generation refuses to play ball with either. It isn’t that they reject the way they do their ministries, it’s that they reject those who have been sent by God. Jesus later will say that “this generation” does not know how to understand the times and signs presented to them.

Before these passages take place, disciples of John the Baptist have been sent by John, who is in prison, to inquire of Jesus’ ministry. They to ask if Jesus is the one who is to come or should they wait for another. This perceived doubt is on the part of the Baptist’s disciples, not John’s. We know this since it was John himself who will point Jesus out as the Lamb of God and who must increase whilst he decreases before his imprisonment.

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Jesus begins with “truly” but he actually says “amen”, which is a residual trace of the Aramaic that Jesus was speaking. By prefacing His statements with “Amen,” Jesus emphasizes His own authority to declare absolute truth.

Then he says that among those “born of women” no one has risen greater than John the Baptist. This phrase represents life in the natural order, under the conditions of sin and death inherited from Adam and Eve. Eve receives her name because she is the “mother of all the living”.

The word (meizon) means “greater” or “superior” and can indicate preeminence in various ways, such as dignity, importance, authority, or moral excellence. The context of the passage suggests that John’s greatness is not material or worldly but spiritual and tied to his role in God’s plan as the forerunner of Christ. The verb egeiro, (“has risen”) often connotes being raised up by God, emphasizing divine commissioning that was extended to the Prophets before him rather than individual human sanctity.

All the prophets up to this point in salvation history have played their part in a timeline, the greatest of these will be John since he is the one that proceeds the Messiah, the greatness is that of proximity to the Christ who every other prophet and patriarch as been oriented toward.

Jesus juxtaposes all of these prophets including John, being the greatest, with the least in the New Covenant. The least in the New Covenant, the Kingdom of Heaven, will be greater than John was. This speaks to what Paul was referring to in Galatians 4:7 “So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.” The Old Covenant relationship was that was of servitude, in the New Covenant our very nature is transformed by Christ through Baptism, we are no longer born of women but born of the Spirit. We are now Son’s of God, occupying the trifold office of Prophet, Priest and King in Jesus Christ, so even the least, is higher in the state of order than John. This is not to say John and the prophets of old are excluded from Heaven just in the order of time that it arrives.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force.

This verse can be really confusing and there are a lot of varied interpretations of it. In the time period between Johns ministry “until now” which is typically perceived as a two year period as we are in approximately the second year of Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and men of violence take it by force.

“Suffered violence” ( biazetai in Greek). This verb can be understood as either passive (“is being subjected to violence”) or middle voice (“is forcefully advancing”). If it is passive then the kingdom is under assault by external forces but if the middle voicing is used then the kingdom is advancing with forceful effort. The same with the phrase “Men of violence” we have biastai which similarly could mean those who attack the kingdom, like the Pharisees for example or it could mean those who zealously fight for it like the Apostles. The nature of the word choices make the interpretation very difficult, both views are acceptable and are true.

Personally I am inclined toward the forceful advancement of the Kingdom by the Apostles, this comes from the context of the previous Chapter of Matthew where the disciples are granted authority to exorcise demons by Jesus. They begin their part in the divine conquest of the Kingdom of Heaven just before this episode with John’s disciples approaching Jesus begins.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John;

Now Jesus positions both the Prophets and the Law as the prerequisite to John himself, although many prophets lived to see the immediate and lesser fulfilments of their prophecies, like Jeremiah, the true fullness of Salvation history pointed toward Christ which they did not see and neither did Moses who was the writer of the Law but it still points toward Jesus. John on the other gets to see the person that is the fulfilment so the prophets and the law only prophesied until John, they only got to look forward to what would happen whereas John sees it.

14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

Jesus here posits John the Baptist as “Elijah who is to come”. Elijah was expected to return to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah and the final judgment. His role was one of reconciliation and restoration.

Malachi 4:5-6 says “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

The Jews knew that the forerunner would be Elijah and Jesus says “if you are willing to accept it” referring to the spiritual blindness of his contemporaries, that John is the fulfilment of this expectation. Earlier in the Gospel accounts, John is described as being dressed like Elijah and coming in his spirit.

15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

In verse 15 Jesus uses a phrase he has used elsewhere. All people have ears to hear, at least most people do, so Jesus is referring to a type of hearing that requires a disposition change. Considering the context of other moments this is used, like the parable of the sower and in John’s Revelation, it is obviously a type of spiritual hearing, particularly that of humility.

Todays Gospel readings from the lectionary are the conclusion of Matthew Chapter Eleven. Proceeding this, Jesus has heard of the imprisonment of his cousin John the Baptist. He questions the crowds of why they even went out to see John in the wilderness if they did not believe him to be a prophet and if they did, why did they not hearken his message? Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1 ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.’. Positioning John as a forerunner and he himself as the Lord. Jesus then proclaims his woes on the cities he had done works in but who did not repent. He then thanks his Father for revealing what has been revealed the humble and not the wise. He concludes with:

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden. The Hebrew people have been heavily bound by the Mosaic Law in general and it offers no rest or salvation.

Jesus will go on to say later in Matthew 23:4 “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people ‘s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”. He is talking of the Pharisees who had the right to bind and loose the religious observances of the Jews and they did not make it easy. The whole point of the observance of the Law was to bring people to God but as Jesus will say elsewhere, the Pharisees in their legalism and misunderstanding will lead many to hell.

Jesus is positioning himself as the avenue to be closer to God, the mystery of the Incarnation itself is that of “God with us”. The Greek word for rest is Anapauō which in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures carries a divine tone. The Sabbath rest on the seventh day of creation, when the Lord gave the people rest in Joshua 21:44 and David in the Psalms speaks of the rest that the Lord will give.

It may seem like Jesus is talking about the busy work day and in the anagogical he is but in the literal sense, Jesus is promising that in his person is the eschatological Sabbath rest in God. He is not offering rest in a particular maxim or law but in his person. “I will give you rest”.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus offers his “yoke” or zygos in Greek. This was essentially a wooden device that would fit around a beast of burden like an Ox in order to plow a field. Its spiritual usage was in that of oppressive laws, for example the yoke of the Pharisees or the yoke of slavery. A slave might not literally have any chains at all but he is still legally owned and bound by another individual. The same would go for observant Jews who do as the Pharisees say, as they sit in the seat of Moses. They might not be physically attached to a yoke but the oppressive Laws placed upon them by the Pharisees were like a spiritual yoke.

Jesus in contrast to the yoke of worldly slavery, the yoke of pharisaic legalism and the troubles of the times offers his yoke and by doing so, learn from him for he is gentle and “lowly in heart”. Lowly in heart means he is humble. It is in this yoke of gentleness and humility of the person, Jesus Christ that our Souls will find the eschatological Sabbath rest.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus tells us that his yoke is “easy”. The Greek word here is chrēstos which does not really translate very well. It properly means “fit for use” or “virtuous” so essentially we could see it as his yoke is the correctly ordered one for us. After contrasting again his yoke with those of his time he also contrasts the burdens. His burden is light. Again it is in the person of Jesus that this light burden is found. It is still a load that we have to carry but it is lighter than what the world extends to us.

We are in Chapter 18 of Matthew which is considered the Church Chapter. It contains many sayings of Jesus which are considered to be the instructions to the Apostles about how they are to act and manage the New Covenant community when Jesus is gone. He has spoken about how they must become like a little child and that anyone who misleads these littles ones should be thrown into the sea. He also laments the temptations people have to sin but especially to those who are the cause of temptation in others.

12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

In this time period agriculture was the way of life so Jesus tells a parable with imagery of a shepherd and his sheep. These are common things to his listeners and he uses the common elements to teach things that are maybe not so common to them.

He announces a common scenario where a shepherd loses one of his sheep. Jesus uses this as an ontological leverage point to demonstrate how God perceives those who are lost from his fold. The man loses one of his sheep and he will willingly leave his other ninety-nine in the safety of the mountains in order to pursue the one who is lost. From the perspective of his audience this is obvious, of course the shepherd would do this but Jesus uses this to teach them how God functions.

13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

When the man finds it, he will rejoice over the lost sheep being found more than he does over the ninety-nine that never left. The reason why finding the sheep causes him to rejoice, as Jesus audiences knows, is because sheep are valuable to the owner.

14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus closes the lever of the parable, pointing to what it was ontologically referring to. Just as the man rejoices, so it is not the will of God the Father should lose a little one, because they are valuable to him. This could mean literally littles ones as in children but it could also mean those new to the faith. Since this takes place in the “Church” chapter of Matthew, it would make sense that it applies to both. Jesus is teaching his disciples the necessary pastoral approach they are to have to children literally and to children in the faith when they go astray. They are all valuable and God the Father wishes us to find every single one of them regardless of how we may personally feel about it.

The Gospel reading for today, Matthew 9:35; 10:1, 5a, 6-8, is not a continuous passage but a selection of verses. This reflects a common lectionary practice aimed at emphasizing key themes. Here, the compilers focus on Jesus’ ministry of healing and proclamation, followed by the commissioning of the Twelve. While the omitted verses provide additional context, the selected portions highlight the continuity between Christ’s mission and the disciples’ role in extending it. This method invites us to focus on the theological and pastoral significance of these verses within the liturgical framework.

Before this passage, Matthew 9 narrates several key moments in Jesus’ ministry. He heals the paralytic, calls Matthew the tax collector to discipleship, and engages with questions about fasting. These events showcase Jesus’ authority to forgive sins, His outreach to sinners, and His teachings on the newness of His mission. Following this, He performs miracles, including raising a girl from the dead and healing two blind men, demonstrating His compassion and power.

As we enter verse 35, we see a summary of His ministry: teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom, and healing. This sets the stage for the commissioning of the Twelve in chapter 10, where Jesus extends His mission to His disciples, empowering them to carry it forward.

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.

Matthew gives us a summary statement, that “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages”. What has proceeded this is the notable highlights of Jesus healing and teaching ministry. The Gospel Author does not tell us every single event that occurred but only those that enough to make the point of who Jesus is and his mission. Saint John in his Gospel will say “But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”. We can probably assume Saint Matthew felt the same way.

This tour of towns and villages included teaching in the synagogues. Synagogues are a local Jewish gathering place used primarily for communal prayer, the reading and teaching of the Torah, and community activities. Synagogues emerged as central institutions for Jewish religious and social life, especially during the Second Temple period. Jesus would also preach the good news of the Kingdom. It’s important to note that Jesus is not preaching “believe in me and you will be saved” he is preaching the coming of the Kingdom. Along with teaching he is also supernaturally healing in these central bustling hubs of first century Jewish life.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

Jesus sees the thousands who are following him around because of his signs and wonders and “felt sorry for them” or in other translations “moved with pity”. The second translation adds more inertia to his statement to his disciples and also Matthew’s narration, that they were “like sheep with a shepherd”.

By Matthew using this language he invokes a common agricultural metaphor but more specifically for the audience who know their Old Testament, this is referencing the themes of Ezekiel 34, where God describes the bad leaders of Israel as bad shepherds, not taking care of their flocks, the people of Israel. God will then go on to say that He himself will come to be their shepherd and Matthew here is positioning Jesus as this divine shepherd, God guiding his people.

The notion of being harassed and dejected is due to the sheer amount of people in this crowd, it is such a large multitude that it is uncomfortable physically to be there, it is not referring to people being abused in an oppressive sense.

He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

Jesus summons the twelve and gives them authority over “unclean spirits”. Akathartos being the Greek term for unclean, it is typically used in a ceremonial, moral sense of uncleanness but considering it proceeds “spirits” or Pneuma in Greek it’s other sense comes into play which is that of demons or fallen angels.

The disciples are given authority by Jesus over these spirits, and given power to cast them out and to cure the sick. Jesus’ authority extends even over the demons who hate him and Jesus has extended that authority to his disciples. They’ve basically just received a promotion in the spiritual warfare battlefield and actually are able to use power from Jesus in order to cast them out, This is not language of wishy-washy positive thinking, this is divine spiritual conquest playing out in this text.

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Jesus “sent out” the disciples. The Greek word here is apostello which means literally to be sent or ordered to go to a place. This is why he will call them “Apostles”, it originates from that term. Jesus tells them to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, this would include not only Jews but the Samaritans who are descended from the ten northern tribes but intermarried with gentiles. The twelve are to go to the House of Israel first, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near.

They are to heal, raise the dead and exorcise demons along the way. Although all the recipients of these deeds are going to be extremely happy there multiple purposes for these actions with the primary one being to act as signs for those listening. If you turned up at someones door proclaiming something divine, they like any good first century Hebrew, would ask for a sign of such divine activity. So Jesus sends out his twelve in a divine conquest against demons that also acts as the divine sign of why the people they are proclaiming to should listen to them. It proves their point.

Jesus then tells them to do all of this free of charge because they themselves received this authority without charge. It also serves as a further sign to those hearing them proclaiming the Kingdom of God, they are fixing all their problems and refusing to be paid for it. They must be on a mission of a higher purpose.

Jesus is in the early part of of his ministry in Capernaum. Capernaum is an ancient fishing village located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, in modern-day Israel. It is situated approximately 4.3 miles northwest of Tiberias, a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. He has been doing healings including three of the most famous. The healing of the paralytic, the woman with the haemorrhage and the raising of the young girl from the dead. It is important note how these healings take place in this chapter as they’re all displaying a different method and gravity, an expression of Jesus’ power. He is not limited in how or what he can heal.

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”

Jesus’ walks away from the district of the house of the young girl he has just raised back to life. Two blind men followed him crying to him. These men most likely heard the very public commotions of Jesus’ previous healings and are following him in the hope of being healed.

The blind men say “Have mercy on us, Son of David”. Their cries invoke the messianic title “Son of David” referencing the widely held belief that the messiah would be of David’s line. This is established in several areas in the Old Testament like 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:3-4, 35-36, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-10, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 34:23-24. This is a declaration of faith in the prophecies of the messiah who would be a descendant of David.

The Greek word for mercy is eleeō which means “mercy” or “compassion.” and in the context of the Old Testament, when God extended mercy it was to heal those in affliction, a normal man showing compassion might make you feel better emotionally but the two blind men are seeking physical healing through mercy from the messianic son of David. This is an implicit acknowledgement of divinity.

28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

Jesus entered “the house”. The fact that no other detail is given, this is most likely Jesus’ base of operations in Capernaum which would be the house of Peter. So Jesus enters Peters house and the blind men follow him in.

Jesus asks them if they “believe” he is able to heal them. The Greek word here is pisteuō. It was often used to indicate trusting in the reliability or faithfulness of a person or thing. In the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), pisteuō translates Hebrew terms like אָמַן (aman), emphasizing firmness, reliability, and covenantal trust. The Hebrew aman is the root of Amen. The blind men are not being asked if they know something by a rational assertion but have they come to this conclusion through the virtue of faith.

The blind men respond in the affirmative and refer to Jesus as “Lord” or Kyrios in Greek. Kyrios is the word used in the Septuagint for God and has big divine implications. The blind men so far have called him Son of David, the Messianic Title, professed a supernatural faith in his ability to heal them and then implicitly called him God.

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

Jesus touches their eyes with his hands. Jesus heals many blind people and this component of the healing varies. In some cases its done by fiat, by his simple word the blind person is healed, in Mark we have spittle and mud. Here he touches their eyes with just his hands. These are different events but a demonstration that Jesus can heal people in different ways.

Jesus says “According to your faith be it done to you”. The word “faith” is pistis in Greek, which has the same root as pisteuō, this connects us back to Jesus’ question of the blind men. “Do you believe I am able to do this?”. Even down to the etymology Jesus is directly saying “because of what you have, you receive”. They demonstrated a supernatural faith, they receive a supernatural healing.

30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.”

“And their eyes were opened” Should immediately ring some bells in your head. The Greek reads kai ēneōchthēsan autōn hoi ophthalmoi which is near identical to the line in Genesis 3:7. The difference being that because an explicit agent is the cause of the opening (Jesus) the grammar changes slightly. Jesus is already undoing the events of the fall.

Even more explicitly is Psalm 146:8 where we read “the LORD opens the eyes of the blind”. When we look to the Septuagint we see Kyrios, the title the blind men called Jesus and then all the same words used in this event of Jesus ministry. As usual Jesus is fulfilling the Psalms almost like they are a script.

Jesus tells them to not tell anyone. Many commentators make weird assumptions that Jesus is doing reverse psychology but there is no evidence of this. His hour is allotted to a specific time and he must fulfil scriptures but also does not want his fame to spread to quickly because of peoples misunderstandings of who the Messiah is.

31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

The men ignore Jesus warnings and spread his fame through that district. Although Jesus can minimise the spread, he can’t infract on their free will but this also does not seem to effect the timeline in any way. If he had not warned them, they may have spread it even further which could have sped up the timeline of when he was to be killed. Jesus perfectly times this despite it seeming like they ignored what he said.

These readings are at the tail end of Jesus’ Sermon on the mount which occupies Matthew chapters 5-7. Verses 15-18 are warnings about false prophets who externally seem to be obedient God’s law but do not produce good fruit. In Jesus’ context it would be people to proclaim to follow him but do not actually do as he requires.

21 “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus says that not everyone who says he is Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who actually follow out the will of the Father who is in heaven. Those who actually do the will of the Father will in fact call Jesus Lord but Jesus is stressing that just claiming he is Lord is not enough, you must also do the Fathers will. Jesus clarifies in other passages that the Fathers will is his so follow him is to follow the Father. It has become rather mainstream in the man-made Christian denominations to actually stress the complete opposite of this.

The Greek word for “does” is poieō which means “to make” or “to do” in Matthews Gospel it always refers to physical outward actions. For example Matthew 1:24 “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,” or Matthew 3:3 “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

All the context points to this being an external, outward action, a simple intellectual or verbal pronouncement of faith is not enough. You must do the will of the Father as well as acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

24 “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;

25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Jesus goes on to say that everyone who actually abides by this teaching of his and does them will be like “a wise man who built his house upon the rock”. Jesus is comparing the unity of intellectual assent and works of God the sure building practice of solid foundations for housebuilding. This implies that those who only say “Lord, Lord” are building on unsure ground.

He describes a scenario where the rain falls and a flood occurs along with gales of wind that beat upon the house but since it has a solid foundation in both believing and doing, it does not fall. The rock foundation does not promise that the rain and winds wont come but that you will survive them.

26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

To make his point as clear as possible Jesus uses the same scenario but explains what occurs when a person listens to his word but does not do what he tells. They are like man who does not build upon solid foundations, but on sand. Jesus does not pick something slightly less solid than rock, he picks sand one of the most infirm surfaces to build except maybe for water. The house the is built on sand cannot survive the rain, floods and wind. “It fell; and great was the fall of it”. Jesus stresses that the action of just saying “Lord, Lord” isn’t just a minor slip up but something that causes a major fall.

Jesus has just emerged from His time of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. Upon hearing the news of John the Baptist’s arrest, He relocates to Capernaum, a bustling fishing village by the Sea of Galilee. This is a turning point in His ministry:
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:17).

It is after this declaration that Jesus begins to call His disciples. The transition is significant: Jesus shifts from preparation to action, inviting others to join Him in proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

18 As he walked 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 details in this passage are rich with meaning. Jesus begins His ministry not in the temple or among religious leaders but on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where ordinary fishermen are going about their daily work. Simon and Andrew are casting their nets, earning their livelihood.

The Gospel writer clarifies for his audience that Simon is also called Peter—the name by which early Christians would have known him. In Hebrew or Aramaic, Simon’s original name was Shim’on, meaning “He has heard.” This name foreshadows Simon’s pivotal role in hearing and responding to God’s call, ultimately becoming Peter, the “rock” upon which the Church is built.

Andrew’s name, in contrast, is Greek (Andreas), meaning “manly” or “brave.” While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent, some scholars speculate he might have had a Hebrew name, such as Eitan (strong) or Gibor (mighty), that reflected his character. However, the absence of a recorded Hebrew name may suggest Andrew’s cultural identity as someone who straddled Jewish and Hellenistic influences, a reminder of the diverse world in which Jesus ministered.

They are both casting a net into the sea because they are fishermen by trade, this is not hobby but their livelihoods. The Sea of Galilee was renowned for its wide variety of fish and a flourishing fishing industry was present in Caperna-um because of it. It was a natural base of operations for fishermen as there were markets right by it where they could sell their catch.

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

When Jesus tells them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” He uses their trade to describe their new mission like a living parable. Fishing requires patience, perseverance, and a willingness to cast the net even when success isn’t guaranteed. These same qualities will be essential as they go forth to “catch” people for God’s Kingdom. Jesus meets them where they are—using language they understand—but calls them to something far greater.

The immediacy of their response is striking: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” While this might seem impulsive, it’s important to note that this wasn’t their first encounter with Jesus. John’s Gospel tells us that Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist, had already met Jesus and recognized Him as the Messiah (John 1:35-40). Their decision to follow Him now reflects the culmination of previous encounters and a deep sense of trust in His authority.

21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

The pattern repeats: Jesus sees two brothers, calls them, and they follow immediately. However, this time we are given an additional detail—their father, Zebedee, is present in the boat.

James and John are mending their nets, an essential task in maintaining a successful fishing business. The mention of Zebedee suggests a family-run operation, with their father serving as the head. Unlike Simon and Andrew, who appear to be independent fishermen, James and John leave not only their livelihood but also their father behind.

This detail emphasizes the cost of discipleship. In a society where family ties were central, their decision to leave their father and the family business underscores the radical nature of Jesus’ call. It also foreshadows the sacrifices they will make in their ministry.

The names of these two brothers also carry symbolic significance. James’s Hebrew name, Ya’akov (Jacob), means “supplanter” or “heel-grabber,” evoking the biblical story of Jacob and Esau. John’s Hebrew name, Yochanan, means “The Lord is gracious.” Together, their names reflect both human striving and divine grace—two themes that will characterize their journey as disciples.