New Testament Lesson 06 - “They Straightway Left Their Nets”

New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 4

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Why was it important that Jesus call Apostles? (See Matthew 9:36–38; 16:19; Mark 3:14–15; John 20:19–21, 23; Ephesians 4:11–15.) Why is it important that the Lord has called Apostles today?

What do you learn about the powers and responsibilities of Apostles from Jesus’ counsel in Matthew 10? How have you seen latter-day Apostles fulfill these responsibilities?

How have you been blessed by following the counsel of an Apostle?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Show the chart of General Authorities from the most recent conference issue of the Church magazine in your area. Help family members recognize and learn the names of the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Share your feelings about the blessing it is to be led by prophets and apostles.

Scripture Chain: The Calling of an Apostle

• Luke 6:13

• Matthew 10:5–8

• Ephesians 4:11–15

• D&C 107:23

• D&C 107:33, 35

• D&C 112:14

• D&C 112:19–22

Start Lesson

New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 6: “They Straightway Left Their Nets“
Luke 4-6, Matt 10
In just a few short chapters in the gospels, we read of Christ’s birth, and events leading up to that miraculous birth. In just one verse we find that Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding. With the exception of his trip to the temple at 12 years of age, we know nothing from the Bible about his youth, or of the years leading to the beginning of his ministry at age 30.

Suddenly, the quick fly by through Jesus’ life ends, and we get to spend some time in the beginning of his ministry. We read of the preparation for his mission, the calling of the 12 apostles and others to assist him, and see his teachings and miracles touch the lives of those around him.

The Messiah
The first verses of Luke 4 has the Savior going through the temptations we have discussed from Matthew.

Luke 4 ¹² And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

¹³ And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Then we are back to Galilee

Luke 4 ¹⁴ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

In the ancient synagogue there was a traditional set of events that occurred. A synagogue service required at least ten men to be present. During the service, the Shema would be recited:

Deut 6 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Next, would come a series of prayers, including the Tephillah, a series of praises/songs that were worn on the body (wrist or forehead), and included readings from Exodus 12; Exodus 13; Deut. 6; and Deut 11.

Exodux 12 ² This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Exodus 13 ¹¹ And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,

Deut 6 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Deut 11 ¹⁸ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

These were called “tephillin” or prayers. These prayers were often sung in a sing-song fashion, and many passages in the Old Testament are written in this form.

Once the prayers were sung, a section of the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) was read. Then the reading moved to a section from the Prophets. The service then ended with a closing prayer. It was probably during the section on the Prophets where Jesus stood to read from the book of Isaiah. Unlike most sermons, his is very brief. He read Isaiah 61:1-2 which reads:

Isaiah 61 ¹ The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Back to Luke 4

Luke 4 ¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

¹⁷ And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

A very straightforward reading, until verse 20.

Luke 4 ²⁰ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹ And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

We are no longer in a routine ceremony. But do those in attendance recognize it?

Many of those in attendance don’t have as much knowledge as we, the readers, have.  The first hearers would have heard a claim for a divinely directed ministry, but may not have realized that at his baptism Jesus had been anointed, not just for a prophetic ministry, but as the Messiah.

Without the knowledge of his baptism and other elements of his mission, they likely heard, as noted in verse 18, preaching to the captives, the poor, brokenhearted, the blind, the wounded in body and soul.  We take it for granted that they heard what we read.

But to us, Jesus announced his Messiah-ship! The acceptable year of the Lord was the year of Jubilee. Jubilee occurred every 50th year in the Law of Moses. Anyone who had acquired a debt prior to that year, whether in the first or 49th year was released from that debt. This was tied in with the Sabbath of years (every seventh year), wherein anyone who was enslaved during the previous 6 years would be freed with his children and family. Those in debtor’s prison were released. During the Jubilee, lands that were taken or purchased were returned to their original owners, ensuring the lands remained under the control of those who inherited it.

Jesus came to establish a new Jubilee. The Jews had not fully honored the Jubilee of Moses for years. It was a major event during the period of the Temple of Solomon (approx 950BC to 600BC) that during the period of the 2nd Temple (approx 500BC to 70AD) was conveniently ignored, or nominally observed. Freeing slaves and returning property was not good for business. Isaiah had condemned the wealthy of his day for this exact purpose:

Isaiah 3 ¹³ The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

¹⁴ The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵ What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.

Now the Lord would bring forth his own version of the Jubilee. He would bring sight to those who were physically and spiritually blind. He would free those who were imprisoned by ignorance, in chains of tyranny, or were taken captive by Satan and his devils.

In him as Messiah, he would not just deliver the Jews from Roman captivity, he would free the world from Satan’s grasp.

Luke 4 ²² And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

²³ And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

²⁴ And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

Most scholars agree that Jesus was known for teaching and healing. Josephus noted, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of amazing deeds, a teacher of persons who receive truth with pleasure. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks” (Antiquities 18:63). (Holzapfel, Making Sense of NT)

Then the Savior why He was sent to these.

Luke 4 ²⁵ But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

²⁶ But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

²⁷ And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

And the reaction to this reading and teaching by the Savior indicate that they may have understood more than it seems. 

Luke 4 ²⁸ And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

²⁹ And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

³⁰ But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

One of the main areas of contention Jesus had with the authorities was: What actions were permissible on the Sabbath?  The Gospels all agree that Jesus observed the rites of the Jewish religion.  His ministry began in the synagogue on the Sabbath. In fact, there is a synagogue in Capernaum that is likely the remains of this first century synagogue. 

This 3rd century synagogue was likely built over the synagogue where the Savior began his ministry.

Some artists have sketched this Synagogue as an accurate representation of the 1st Century synagogue based on the ruins.

Luke 4 ends with teaching on the Sabbath and the following miracle.

Luke 4 ³⁰ But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

³¹ And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

³² And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

³³ And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

³⁴ Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

Luke tells us that not only do mortals recognize the Savior, but also spirits .

Luke 4 ³⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

³⁶ And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

³⁷ And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

Was this work?  This is the type of Sabbath activity that will bring him continually into conflict with the Jewish authorities. 

He then heals Simon’s mother.

Luke 4 ³⁸ And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

³⁹ And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

⁴⁰ Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

Remember the theme we established for Luke’s works.  “Jesus the Savior of the World”.  But not openly.  Not like John where most miracles are trumpeted to everyone.

Luke 4 ⁴¹ And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. (emphasis added)

⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

⁴³ And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

⁴⁴ And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Luke 5

The account of the teaching from a boat on the Sea of Galilee in Luke 5 gives us evidence that we do not have a record of everything that Jesus said or taught.  Luke lets us know that Jesus spoke to a group from a boat on Lake Gennesaret (a freshwater lake in Galilee).  Reading the sermon takes only minutes so is thus only a synopsis of what was said. 

Luke 5 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

² And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

³ And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Luke 5 ⁴ Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Verse 4 gives us a nice double meaning, both in launching the boat in to deep water, but also to launching themselves into deeper water…

Which brings to mind Joseph Smith in D&C 127

D&C 127 ² …But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me;…

Luke 5 ⁵ And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

⁶ And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

⁷ And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

Giving us a great and powerful metaphor on bringing people to the gospel, something the apostles would, and do, spend their lives doing.

Luke 5 ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

⁹ For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

¹⁰ And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

¹¹ And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Naturally bringing to mind D&C 4 ⁴ For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in storethat he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

The Calling of the Twelve
Many Bible scholars argue that Jesus did not establish a church in his day, that the Christian church actually was developed later by James the Just among the Jews, and Paul among the Gentiles. However, for those who understand priesthood authority, which Christ gave to his apostles, we understand that anywhere there is proper authority of God, there is the Church of Christ.

Christ called 12 apostles, and later the 70, to serve as missionaries and preach his gospel. This shows organization and an established order. After the death of Judas Iscariot, the 11 living apostles gathered and prayerfully selected Judas’ replacement, Matthias (Acts 1). If there were no Church, such restructuring would not have been necessary.

We are intimately familiar with restructuring.  On most Sundays, some presidency or another is being restructured and it always follows a familiar pattern.  Someone is released, someone is called and they are set apart with the keys needed to perform that calling.  Like waves on a shore, the cycle repeats itself by the thousands throughout the church, following the pattern of the Savior.

Apostles are prophets that are established in a quorum or council. Together they hold the keys or special rights to establish and run God’s work here upon the earth.

D&C 107 ²³ The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

Whether in the early years after the resurrection of Jesus, or today, we have witnesses that Jesus really did resurrect and is the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Such a witness was very important anciently among the Sadduccees, who did not believe in resurrection, and today among atheists and others who are uncertain of life after death.

In this chapter of Luke we feel this pattern being set, being called, finding ourselves drifting into deep water and attempting to follow the Savior. 

Luke 5 ¹² And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

¹³ And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

¹⁴ And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

¹⁵ But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

¹⁶ And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

This brief episode and it’s retelling in Mathew 8 and Mark 1 suggest that Matthew and Luke relied on Mark for some details of the story.  The healing was likely discussed that day and in days going forward.  In the various oral traditions the story eventually took shape into the version we have today. 

Here’s Mark’s version.

Mark 1 ⁴⁰ And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

⁴¹ And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

Note how Mark gives us Jesus’ inward feelings. In both Mark and Luke he is charged to not say anything about the miracle.  That is not the focus in the synoptics, as opposed to John. 

Matthew 8 ³ And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Note in Matthew, Luke and Mark, Jesus heals with touch each time.  This is quite remarkable.  Leviticus 14 outlines the process whereby a leper can become clean.  It is long and complicated.  Some blood of a sacrifice will be placed on the healed leper which may have required the priest to touch him, but it doesn’t explicitly say so.  There are so many negative connotations to leprosy, it is remarkable that the Savior healed with touch.  Many times he healed with a word, or a requirement to do some act.  But in this case, in the synoptics, he touches the leper.

Next we get the famous story about the palsied man that is lowered into the building where the Savior is teaching in order to heal him.

Luke 5 ¹⁷ And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

¹⁸ And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

¹⁹ And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

²⁰ And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

And here he will run afoul of some Pharisees that are present.

Luke 5 ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

²² But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

²³ Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

²⁴ But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.²⁶ And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

Next he calls a publican to be an apostle, Levi, called Matthew. Levi, a publican, a tax collector, is an official member of Herod Antipas’s royal bureaucracy. Many times a publican would have been forced from (excommunicated) the synagogue.  Immediately Levi leaves the employment of Antipas.

Luke 5 ²⁷ And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.

²⁸ And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

³⁰ But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

³¹ And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

And there is the heart of the gospel.  It is to heal the sick, the broken-hearted.  Those that are whole need very little. 

Luke 5 ³² I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

³³ And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

³⁴ And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

³⁵ But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

In 35 we get overtones of the crucifixion, when the Savior would no longer be with His people. 

Luke 5 ³⁶ And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

³⁷ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

³⁸ But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

³⁹ No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

These three mini-parables contain three comparisons.  Fasting and feasting, new and old cloth, and new and old wine skins. 

These also contrast the mission of the Savior compared to John the Baptist.  John is shown as physically rigourous  in his obedience, his rought clothing, living in the desert.  Jesus on the other hand lives in a house, went to dinner with friends, owned an expensive coat (John 19:23), and is accused of being a winebibber and a glutton (Matt 11:19, Luke 7:34) which suggests that he attended banquets frequently.

Further, John’s message was an anticipatory one.  Jesus speaks of a “postponement” or a time when the Good News will be preached.  Luke 5:39 highlights that change is hard.  People prefer the old bottles. 

Matthew and Luke follow Mark through these passages.  95% of Mark is found in either Matthew or Luke. 

Luke 6:1-11 highlights the continued and escalating antagonism towards Jesus as it highlights another Sabbath-day controversy.

Luke 6 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

² And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

³ And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;

⁴ How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?

⁵ And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

⁶ And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

⁷ And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

⁸ But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

⁹ Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

¹⁰ And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

¹¹ And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

Then we get to Jesus calling of apostles.

Luke 6 ¹² And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

¹³ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

¹⁴ Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

¹⁶ And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

Interestingly, the Gospels only mention the specific callings of six of the Twelve (Simon [Peter], Andrew, James, John, Levi [Matthew], and Philip), although the names of all are given in the Gospels. Of the Twelve, it is likely that Peter, James, and John constituted an inner circle with Peter as spokesman. Some scholars have suggested that the inner circle of three implied Davidic connections (see 2 Samuel 23:8–23, where David has three especially loyal bodyguards, “mighty men with David”). (Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament).

Many scriptural commentators have wondered why 12 were called. Likely it was to remind Israel of its origins (the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel).  It also hints at a restoration of Israel to it’s earlier form. 

Luke 6 ¹⁷ And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

¹⁸ And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

One of the problems for the Savior’s ministry as a whole was the large amount of followers that continued to throng him throughout his ministry. 

We now have the Beatitudes.  Matthew and Luke share four of them.  The title comes from Latin, beatus, which means blessed, which shows the continuing influence of the Latin Vulgate Bible translated by Jerome in the 4th century.  Overall the New Testament contains 40 similar pronouncements, with 28 in Matthew and Luke and seven in Revelation.  These are the most well known. 

Luke 6 ²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

²² Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

²³ Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

²⁴ But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

²⁵ Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

What is often not realized is how shocking some of these statements were.  The merciful do not always receive mercy, at least in this life. 

Here are directions on how to live, far removed and simpler than those of the Old Testament. 

Luke 6 ²⁷ But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

²⁸ Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

²⁹ And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

³⁰ Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

³¹ And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

³² For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

³³ And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

³⁴ And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

³⁵ But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke’s version of this is interpreted in light of forgiveness so “judge not…” is followed by “…shall be forgiven”. 

Luke 6 ³⁷ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

³⁸ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

³⁹ And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

“Judge not” if followed by conditions on judging that suggest that “judge not” was not absolute, that one could actually judge but had to utilize certain principles.  Within these principles judging is not reserved to God only, but judging must be done righteously. 

Luke 6 ⁴⁰ The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

⁴¹ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴² Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

⁴³ For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

⁴⁴ For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

The Sermon on the Mount ends with a caution and a warning against false prophets coming in sheep’s clothing.  Prophets (and churches) are judged by the FRUIT they bring, not simply on what they say they represent.  This is amply testified after the death of the Savior through the apostasy years. 

Luke 6 ⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

⁴⁶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

⁴⁷ Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

⁴⁹ But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

The gospel is clearly one of action, one of hearing AND doing.

 

 

Bibliography
Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament

Early synagogue service:http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Luke/Overview-Jesus-Ministry
Tephillah: http://www.angelfire.com/adazio/page59.html
Jubilee: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=18&letter=S
The Living Christ: http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,90-1-10-1,00.html

New Testament Lesson 05 - “Born Again”

Lesson 5: “Born Again”

New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 4

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Jesus told Nicodemus that “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). What does it mean to be born again? (See the scripture chain in this section.)

Read and ponder Alma 5:14–31 as if Alma were speaking to you. What do you need to do personally to be “spiritually … born of God”? (Alma 5:14).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he could give her “living water” (John 4:10). What do you think “living water” means? (See1 Nephi 11:25; D&C 63:23.) How can we obtain living water? How has this living water blessed you?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Give each family member a drinking glass. Pour water into each glass, and invite family members to drink the water. Ask family members if they think they will ever need another drink of water. Then read John 4:1–15, and discuss the questions in the third paragraph of this section. Testify that if we will come to Christ and live his gospel, we will receive “everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Scripture Chain: “Born Again”

• John 3:3–5

• John 3:16–17

• Mosiah 5:1–7

• Mosiah 27:25–26

• Alma 5:14–16

• Alma 22:15–18

 

Start Lesson

New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 5, Born Again
John 3-4
Born of Water and Spirit

John contrasts light and darkness at the beginning of his Gospel: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5). This theme may continue in this story because Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (3:2), and when Jesus tells him that he must be “born again” (3:3), this senior Jewish leader fails to comprehend him (3:9). (Making Sense of the New Testament, Holzpafel)

John 3
Jesus went forth proclaiming faith and repentance to the Jews. Beginning a new Jewish sect that offered a Messiah to save them and condemned the works of the current Jewish sects.  This often made an uproar among the people and its religious leaders.

John 3 ¹ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews (probably a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews) came to Jesus at night. This was largely because he feared losing his position in his own sect, and as a leader. in the Sanhedrin the Pharisee and Sadduccee sects shared power.

The Sadduccees held power in the temple,while the Pharisees were popular among the people. They often had an uneasy peace between the two sects. They were, however, quick to protect their turf by challenging other sects, such as the Essenes and Zealots.  For a new sect of Judaism to arise, especially during turbulent times, meant a new challenge that risked their power and the status quo.

John 3 ³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Even though he was trained as a religious leader, Nicodemus could not understand Jesus’ requirement for salvation: a man must be born again. He imagined going again through the womb as an infant, but this is not what the Savior had in mind. Nicodemus was being lazy in his thinking, as he was very aware of John the Baptist’s baptisms and preaching of Christ, in which John baptized with water, but the Messiah would come baptizing by water and fire.

John 3 ⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

As the Lord explained to Adam, Enoch and Moses:

“58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
“59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
“60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified” (Moses 6:58-60).

Symbolism is extremely important to the Lord. Symbolism was placed everywhere in the ancient temple of Solomon, and in the law of Moses, “every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:14).

Baptism in water does not save us. It is a symbol of our accepting the atonement and sacrifice of Christ. But that symbol is necessary for us to receive, as we must be born again of water (baptism), spirit (Holy Ghost) and blood (atonement of Christ). The water symbolizes our covenant with Christ. The Holy Ghost changes us so we believe and desire to follow Christ, while Christ’s blood cleanses us of our sins.

In the Book of Mormon, we find that the “Doctrine of Christ” is the concept that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are “one God” and we must become one as well through:

1) faith in Christ, 2) repentance, 3) baptism by water (ordinances), and 4) receiving the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 31-32, 3 Nephi 11-18). This unity we seek is greater than just being united in purpose. The Godhead is one in all things except their physical persons, and to become Christ-like means we must also become one with Christ and his disciples, so that we may become one with the Father.

Being born again is not a one time event, as some Christians believe. Instead, it is a daily event. We must continually grow in our faith and faithfulness. As we spiritually approach Christ, we spiritually discern that we fall short. Our faith leads us to repent of sins, and we are then ready to make a new covenant with God through the ordinance of baptism, the Sacrament (communion), and other ordinances we receive. Then, we receive the Holy Ghost, which justifies us to a higher level of faithfulness and righteousness. At that point, we are ready to develop greater faith, and repeat the process. It is through this process of the Doctrine of Christ that we are then able to perfect ourselves, going from grace to grace, receiving grace for grace (D&C 93).

The Gospel of Nicodemus
One old Christian text, entitled the Gospel of Nicodemus, describes events after the resurrection of Christ. It details the story of two deceased sons of the chief high priest, who resurrect and enter into the city of Jerusalem. They are questioned by the Sanhedrin (of which Nicodemus is a member) regarding how they can be alive when previously dead.
They tell of being in a Spirit World where they were held by the being Death. With them were the prophets of old and all good people, but they were trapped by Death. Satan showed up and boasted about his victory over Jesus, having slain him. When Death heard this, he protested, saying he did not have the power to hold Jesus. When the Lord arrived, the gates of Death were broken down, and all within were resurrected. For Latter-day Saints, this story relates rather well our belief in a Spirit World, the place where all the dead go while they await the resurrection.

Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus

John 3 ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

And then perhaps the most famous verse in Chistendom…

John 3 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And further explanation of Christ’s mission

John 3 ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John further distinguishes Light from Darkness.

John 3 ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

“Condemnation” can be read as “Judgment”

The CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) has it as: ¹⁹ “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked.

The NIV (New International Version) has it as: ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3 ²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Verse 22 shifts to Jesus and his disciples arriving in Judea, baptizing after the manner of John the Baptist.  The Baptist’ followers assumed that he would continue for some time.  they were not aware of his coming arrest and subsequent execution.  At this point there is jealousy that is forming against Jesus due to his fame.  John would always try to place his mission in context to the larger work of God, particularly pertaining to the coming Messiah.

John 3 ²² After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³ And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴ For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶ And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John clarifies his mission while speaking to his followers

John 3 ²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.

Some scholars believe that the last verses (31-36) of this chapter may have been an addition by the author instead of a continuation of John’s response, something similar to Mormon’s commentary when he interjects himself into the narrative.  He is making an observation of the significance of the story

John 3 ³¹ He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³² And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³ He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Living Waters at the Well in Samaria

John 4

The chapter begins with a comment about baptisms by the Savior’s disciples.

John 4 ¹ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

² (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Remember the focus of John.  “Jesus the Man from Heaven”.  John is not part of the synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke).

Once the Savior is aware that the Pharisees have knowledge of his baptisms and increase in followers, he immediately leaves Jerusalem and heads north.  Why does he leave so abruptly.  One possible answer is that he knew crowds would come, that had been coming to see John and would press for answers the Savior may not have been ready to give at this point.

John 4 ³ He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

⁴ And he must needs go through Samaria.

⁵ Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

⁶ Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

Jacob’s well is a deep well hewn of solid rock that has been associated with Jacob for 2000 years.  (Remember Abraham has Isaac who has Jacob.  Jacob has his name changed to Israel and then has 12 sons, the 12 tribes of Israel, who are then captured in Egypt). 

Genesis 33 ¹⁸ And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.

¹⁹ And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

This ties the Patriarch Israel (renamed from Jacob) to this place.  It has long been venerated.

Travel. The distance from Judea to the Galilee is around 70 miles, 2.5 days of travel. 

Samaria in Jesus time was located north of Judea, and covered much of the original territory of the original Kingdom of Israel after the split of Israel into the two kingdoms in Rehoboam’s day. However, 700 years before Christ, the nation of Israel was carried off by the Assyrians, leaving just the poor in the land. Assyria brought many from other lands to dwell in Samaria, leaving it with a mixed genealogy.  Thus the Samaritans were of mixed lineage and not considered “pure” in the eyes of the Jewish nation.

When the Jews returned from their Babylon captivity, the Samaritans wished to help them build the new temple. The Jews refused to allow it, as they were not pure blood of Israel. Josephus tells us that the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Archaeologist Yitzhak Magen has been excavating the site for 25 years, and has found signs of its existence.

Jesus travels from Judea to the Galilee

Notice on the above map the logical route from Judea (Jerusalem) to the Sea of Galilee.  Directly north through Sychar (a city in Samaria).  But the direct route is not the one that was travelled by the Jews.  They would go east and cross the Jordan River and take the route through Perea.

This would add hours to their route but would allow them to not even set foot on a parcel of Samaritan land. 

Travelling directly through Samaria could also be dangerous. 

Hosea 6 ⁹ And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.

But you don’t even realize this is referring to Samaria.  Here is the NIV.

Hosea 6 ⁹ As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,
so do bands of priests; they murder on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.

Shechem is about a mile from Sychar.  Maybe not the best way to go.  But go the Savior does. The Samaritans were treated as second class citizens by the Jews. They were not allowed into the temple at Jerusalem and their form of worship for God had changed over the centuries.  It was a mixture of Israelite faith and pagan belief.

In this environment, Jesus Christ, a Jew, went north to Samaria and sat by a well to speak with a Samaritan woman.

John 4 ⁷ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

⁸ (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

⁹ Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

She was shocked that a Jew would talk with her. She was likely shocked that he was there at all.  It is also remarkable that any Jew would touch any form of earthenware (a cup or a plate) as these were considered unclean once a Samaritan had touched them.  His response was wholly unexpected:

John 4 ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Thinking he talks of actual water she replies…

John 4 ¹¹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  ¹² Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

The Lord then explains to her that he is the living waters that save the soul. The Samaritan faith system was flawed and needs repair. In speaking of these things, the woman notes that Samaritan belief looked forward to the Messiah, who would teach them all things. At this moment, Jesus noted that he was the Messiah, even the Anointed One, they sought.

John 4 ¹³ Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

¹⁴ But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The Samaritan woman is convinced of the Savior…

John 4 ¹⁵ The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

¹⁶ Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

This is a pretty sensitive situation.  Jesus is speaking to a woman in public at a well, alone, without disciples and her without a husband or escort. 

John 4 ¹⁷ The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

¹⁸ For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

¹⁹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

²⁰ Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

The Savior replies that they will not always be restricted from places of worship.

John 4 ²¹ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Before the 16th century, this chapter, John 4, was connected with John 3.  They were read together.  The story of Nicodemus flowed directly into the woman at the well.  This was to contrast the Jewish male coming under the cover of darkness and having no understanding, but the Samaritan woman of questionable repute, coming in the noon-day sun does understand.

Nicodemus: Jewish male leader, religious, came to the Savior in darkness and left in darkness.

Woman at the well. Samaritan woman of the lowest class (first she is a Samaritan, second she is living with a man to whom she is not married) comes to the Savior in the light of day and left in light. 

An interesting contrast.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

“God is a Spirit”
In talking with the Samaritan woman, the Lord explained to her:

John 4 ²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Verse 24 contains one of the few verses used by traditional Christianity to express that God is [a] Spirit. From this comes the development of the belief in the Trinity, established with the Nicene Creed three centuries after Christ. Then and now, it is a contentious issue. There are vastly differing views on the Trinity/Godhead.

Discussing religion often in their later years by letter, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams discussed how they viewed Christianity. Both were Christian, yet differed greatly from certain traditional beliefs. Jefferson was a Deist Christian, believing God wound up the universe and then pretty much left it alone to wind down on its own. Adams, known as a strong Christian of his day, still questioned certain issues. He wrote Jefferson once saying, “Ye will say I am no Christian” because he disagreed with the concept of the Trinity. He noted that Jesus said “God is [a] Spirit” and agreed with it. But then asked, “what does that mean?” The concept of Trinity expands further than what the Lord states in John’s Gospel. For John Adams, it meant that God is real, He lives, and he is our true God.

That God is a Spirit is true. The Bible also tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and a “consuming fire” (Deut 4:24, Hebrews 12:29), This does not mean either of these statements is the only thing God is, but only descriptive of some of his attributes. For we also know he is the “father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9), and Christ commanded us to call God, “our Father which art in Heaven.”

It is interesting to see the contrast in the NIV:

KJV John 4 ²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

NIV John 4 ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The article is missing in the NIV.  He IS spirit, not A spirit.

John 4 ²⁵ The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

²⁶ Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Remember the focus of John.  “Jesus the Man from Heaven”.  This is a clear declaration by the Savior.

His disciples then return and, apart from questioning why they are in Samaria in the first place, wonder why Jesus is speaking to a woman, alone at a well, in the noon-day sun.

John 4 ²⁷ And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

What does Jesus answer them?  He doesn’t. 

John 4 ²⁸ The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

²⁹ Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

³⁰ Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

³¹ In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

³² But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

³³ Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

He takes a moment to teach his disciples…

John 4 ³⁴ Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

³⁵ Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

³⁶ And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

³⁷ And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

³⁸ I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Verse 35 has echo’s of D&C 4.

Many of the Samaritans that the woman brought back, also had more faith than Nicodemus.

John 4 ³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

⁴¹ And many more believed because of his own word;

⁴² And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

⁴³ Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

Now, back in Galilee we will continue on this group of miracles to non-Jewish people who will have enough faith to believe.  Specifically the upcoming Centurion. 

⁴⁴ For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

This is an interesting statement to make when travelling to the area.  It seems to imply an unwelcome reception in a smaller area, a city in the past.

John 4 ⁴⁵ Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

⁴⁶ So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

This story is also found in Matthew and Luke, but not Mark.  The first part of the story is very different between the three version, but the end is almost word for word between the books. 

Matthew emphasizes the faith of the centurion while Luke emphasizes his worthiness.

This again, is a foreshadowing of the gospel being expanded to the Gentiles. 

John’s account coincides in at least 10 points of the story recorded in Matthew and Luke.  It therefore likely represents another version of this tradition.  In this account in John, they are in Cana, in the Galilee region.  Most of the narratives in John are set in Judea, most often Jerusalem.  Only a few are set in Galilee and this is one of them. 

John 4 ⁴⁸ Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

⁴⁹ The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

⁵⁰ Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

The “Royal Official” is likely from Herod Antipas.  He returns home, finds his son has improved and questions his staff on when his son started to recover.

John 4 ⁵¹ And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

⁵² Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

7th hour would have been 1pm, early afternoon.

John 4 ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.

⁵⁴ This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

Unlike the accounts in Matthew and Luke, John has Jesus warning the people, saying, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (4:48). It seems that the people were much more interested in the “signs” instead of where the signs are to lead them—to Jesus himself.

Pictures of Christ and the Samaritan woman

      

Bibliography

Making Sense of the New Testament, Holzepfel, Wayment.
Symbolism in ancient temple of Solomon:http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2010/06/ot-gospel-doctrine-lesson-26-king.html
Gospel of Nicodemus/Acts of Pilate:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelnicodemus.html
The Samaritan Temple, Yitzhak Magen, Biblical Archaeological Review: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=36&Issue=6&ArticleID=2
The Trinity/Godhead in early Christianity, NT lesson 1 in my blog:http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2010/12/gospel-doctrine-new-testament-lesson-1.html
“Ye will say I am no Christian” by Bruce Braden:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Ye+Will+Say+I+Am+No+Christian&x=0&y=0

New Testament Lesson 04 - “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”

Lesson 4: “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”

New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 3

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What message did John preach to prepare the people for the coming of the Savior? (See Matthew 3:1–2.) What does it mean to repent? (See 2 Corinthians 7:9–10; Luke 19:8; Mosiah 7:33; D&C 1:31–32; 58:42–43.)

As you read about the Savior’s encounter with Satan in the wilderness, what do you learn about withstanding temptation? (See Matthew 4:1–11. See also the footnotes to Matthew 4:1–2, 5–6, 8–9, and 11, which contain the Joseph Smith Translation of these verses.)

After receiving a witness that Jesus was the Messiah, how did Philip answer Nathanael’s doubts? (See John 1:43–46.) What can you do to invite others to “come and see” the Savior?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Prepare a lesson to help family members who are preparing forbaptism or to discuss ways to help converts who will soon be baptized. Discuss why Jesus needed baptism (Matthew 3:13–15;2 Nephi 31:6–9) and why we need baptism (2 Nephi 31:5, 10–12;D&C 20:71–73; 49:13–14). Invite family members who have been baptized to tell about when they were baptized and express their feelings about the blessings they have received because they were baptized.

Scripture Chain: Repentance

• Luke 15:3–10

• 2 Corinthians 7:9–10

• Alma 34:31–34

• 1 John 1:8–9

• Matthew 3:1–2

• D&C 58:42–43

 

Start Lesson

New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 4 - “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”
Matthew 3-4, John 1:35-51
Jesus’ baptism
Matthew 3:13-17

John baptizing Jesus
Early Christians viewed the baptism of Christ as a singular event. Many Gnostic Christians, in particular, viewed Jesus’ baptism as the specific event that denoted his becoming Christ. Some early sects used the text in Luke regarding Jesus’ baptism to demonstrate this, as some early manuscripts of Luke have God’s voice stating, “Thou art my Son. Today I have begotten/chosen you.”

Early Beliefs

Matthew 3 ¹ In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

² And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

³ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

⁵ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

⁶ And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

The mission of John the Baptist is one of the few areas where all four gospels converge. 

In comparing the accounts, it is interesting to note that two Gospel authors passed over the story of Jesus’ birth (Mark and John), only two provided a genealogical introduction (Matthew and Luke), and one (John) looked back at Jesus in premortality, but all four of them introduced Jesus’ ministry by introducing John the Baptist. (Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament)

At the time of the Savior and in the centuries following, there were several “types” of Christianity.  Bart Ehrman, a biblical scholar, specifies who these Christians groups were. He indicates the Jewish-Christian gospels, included the Ebionites, the Hebrews, the Nazarenes, the Marcionites and the Gnostics.

Ebionites.  “Ebionite” means “poor” in Hebrew.  The Ebionite Christians saw Jesus as a Jewish prophet more important than Moses, perhaps even the Messiah, but they did not see him as God.  To them we owe the inclusion of the Hebrew scriptures in Christian canons.  They insisted on the necessity of Jewish law and rites.  More importantly for us, to Ebionites (and Mormons) there would be no purely spiritual Jesus.  Issues of the substance of the Savior (and God) and their personalities did not concern the Ebionites (as they largely do not concern us). 

Marcionites.  The Marcionite Christians take their name from a Christian gentile who rejected all things Jewish (except Jesus).  Their efforts were the first attempt to create a Christian canon as they tried to remove all things Jewish. They accepted Paul’s rejection of the Jewish law.  Latter-day saints would agree in general with Marcion that one need not be bound by the strictures of the Jewish law. While they were once widespread, they, like the Ebionites disappeared. 

Gnostics.  The gnostics (“gnosis” is “knowledge”, or “knowing”) shunned the material world (thus an anti-gnostic, or agnostic is one who “doesn’t know”, as opposed to an atheist who does not believe).  They believed in a spiritual Jesus, that Jesus was not flesh at all.  This belief, in a “spiritual-only” Jesus is called Docetism.  Docetism became so connected with the gnostics that they are sometimes not separated as they should be.  Gnostics/Docetists believe that since Jesus doesn’t have a body, it was not necessary to know him in the flesh.  While neither Paul nor Joseph Smith would have denied Jesus’ flesh, both knew him spiritually through revelation. 

Some Gnostics went so far as to believe that Jesus and Christ were two separate beings. The mortal Jesus was baptized, upon which the Spirit of Christ entered into him, and remained with him until the cross. When Jesus exclaims, “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” it is because the Christ has left the mortal to suffer on the cross alone.

For his sacrifice, the dead Jesus is resurrected and given a great responsibility to teach the apostles. It would be due to such heresies that the apostle John and others would warn of anti-Christ's: those who claimed the Christ never was mortal or resurrected.

Today, modern revelation through latter-day prophets show that Christ’s work began before the world began. Nephi saw in vision the birth of Christ by the virgin Mary, and this event was one of two condescension's of God, the other being Jesus’ baptism (1 Nephi 15). Each of these events is a sign of his divinity, as Christ was fully human, but also fully divine. That even God had to receive the ordinances of the Gospel meant that he was not above men. It also meant that as he would later be lifted up on the cross, he would be able to lift up those who followed him.

It is quite impressive to see the wide-ranging beliefs about the Savior in the early years.  In reality, with the large number of sects of our day, we are not that much different. 

Matthew 3 ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The Christianity we have today was, at the time of Christ was one of many forms of Christianity.  It was lined up next to the Ebionite, the Marcionites, the Gnostics…etc.  How you viewed these scriptures depended on which “Christianity” you followed.  Over the first few centuries after Christ, the different schools, merged, evolved, some disappeared, until there was a victor.  It was the Universal Church.  The term ‘catholic’ means “universal” and that was the branch that took over and became “orthodox.  Their view would continue largely uncontested for over a millennia. 

It was the universal church who decided which books to include and which to exclude.  It decided which beliefs were “orthodox” and which were heretical and needed to be purged.  Now, with the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi texts we get a picture of these “other” Christianity's, the exact heresies that were stamped out by the universal church in the first few centuries after Christ and the beliefs that were allowed to go forward.

You will find a bit of Mormonism in the Ebionite beliefs, in the Marcionite beliefs, in the gnostics, etc.  Remember, they all started out with a bit of truth and then took that truth and developed it as best they could.  When the Universal Church consolidated it’s power, all (or most)  of these heresies were stamped out.  So were many of these early beliefs.  They became heresies.  The modern gospel, and living prophets, gives us a way to sort out the truth from these early belief systems that is not available to those outside the church. 

John continues to direct his comments to the Pharisees and Sadducees that have come.

Matthew 3 ¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

¹² Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

And then Jesus comes for his baptism to fulfill all righteousness. 

Matthew 3 ¹³ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

¹⁴ But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

¹⁵ And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

¹⁶ And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

¹⁷ And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Listen to the flow of verse 15-17 in the Complete Jewish Bible…

CJB Matthew 3 ¹⁵ However, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” Then Yochanan let him.¹⁶ As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove,¹⁷ and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”

In the Gospel of John it appears that John the baptist does not know the Savior when he appears, an unusual thing since they were related…

John 1 29 ¶The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

But this is clarified by modern prophets in the JST (emphasis mine)

John JST 1 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said; Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!

30 And John bare record of him unto the people, saying, This is he of whom I said; After me cometh a man who is preferred before me; for he was before me, and I knew him, and that he should be made manifest to Israel; therefore am I come baptizing with water. (this verse combines 30-31 above)

31 (compare v 32) And John bare record, saying; When he was baptized of me, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

32 (compare v 33) And I knew him; for he who sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me; Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

33 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

How you interpret that passage, if you live in the first few centuries after Christ, depends to which school of Christianity you subscribed.  You may have believed that Christ was already God.  Or that Christ became God at that moment.  Or that Christ was purely a spirit and the appearance of him as physical was an illusion.  Or that Christ had a spiritual form and a physical form that merged here at the baptism and then split at the crucifixion. 

In reality, how you interpret that passage, if you live NOW, depends on which school of Christianity you subscribe.  Without prophetic  assistance, we float on a sea of different beliefs, just as does the rest of the world.  Just as did the world at the time of the Savior.

We believe, that In considering Jesus’ baptism, we can see that it was a day in which he was chosen or spiritually begotten, just as all of us are spiritually begotten of God when we are baptized. It officially began his earthly mission, which culminated not on the cross, but at his resurrection.

Matthew 3:16–17 and Luke 3:21–22 record material that Matthew and Luke share but which is not found in the Gospel of Mark. It is possible that both Matthew and Luke used an external source when writing their Gospels, but it is also possible that they drew upon the Gospel of Mark as a source and then drew upon the other Gospel (Matthew drawing upon Luke, or vice versa, depending on which was written first) as a second source; three sections in the Gospel of Mark are preserved nowhere in Matthew and Luke: Mark 1:1; 3:19–21; 4:26–29; 7:31–37; 8:22–26; 14:51–52; 16:14–18. Because Luke so explicitly mentions that he used sources when writing (1:1–3), it is possible that he drew on both Matthew and Mark. (Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament).

Temptation in the Wilderness

Immediately after the Savior’s mission starts with his baptism, he goes to the wilderness for the 40-day fast and confrontation with Satan.

Matthew 4 ¹ Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ² And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Jesus did not go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; righteous men do not seek out temptation. He went "to be with God." Probably he was visited by the Father; without question he received transcendent spiritual manifestations. The temptations came after he "had communed with God," "after forty days." The same was true in the case of Moses. He communed with God, saw the visions of eternity, and was then left unto himself to be tempted of the devil. After resisting temptation he again communed with Deity, gaining further light and revelation. (McConkie)

Matthew 4 ³ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

⁷ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

¹¹ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Lucifer did not transport Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple or into a high mountain. Such is not his power or prerogative. In each instance Jesus was taken to these locales by the Spirit, and then the devil came to tempt him. Nor did Lucifer show him all the kingdoms of the world; such was done by the Spirit; it was after he had seen the vision that the devil made his false offer. (McConkie)

Moses and Jesus both fasted for 40 days, prior to beginning an important mission for God. Moses’ fasting brought forth the Ten Commandments for Israel to follow, Jesus’ fasting would allow him to call his apostles and begin his preaching. While the children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness due to disobedience, and the earth was destroyed by 40 days of flooding; Jesus came to save the disobedient and rebellious. His 40 days would prepare him to take upon himself their sins, even the pains and sorrows of the whole world.

Jesus then experienced three temptations, even the three main temptations any of us face in our own lives: temptations of the flesh, pride, and the riches and power of the world. In each instance, Jesus did not discuss the temptation with Satan. Nor did he evaluate or consider all aspects of it, especially when Satan quoted scripture to him. Instead, the Savior quoted scripture to establish the right. Only in quickly and fully dismissing the temptation was Jesus triumphant, and he shows us that pattern in doing so. Had he stopped to think about it in the moment, rather than making the complete decision before and in its final form, he would have faltered and failed. If we choose ahead of time what our full decision must be, then in the moment of temptation, we will not have to think twice. The decision will already be made.

While Jesus was tempted with hunger (turn stone into bread), we also face the temptation of many other physical appetites: lust, desire, jealousy, anger, doubt, fear. Each of these can crush our spirit, as the physical body seeks to overthrow it, because it wants its appetites sated. But physical appetites never are satisfied. As with a fire, when you add wood, it only grows hotter and higher. Jesus understood that you starve a fever, or any other physical temptation.

In the Book of Mormon, we find that: “Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction” (Moroni 8:27). Pres Ezra Taft Benson, in warning us against pride, noted:

“Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance....Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.”

Satan was hitting Jesus below the belt. He sought to create enmity between God and God, Father and Son, by tempting Jesus to misuse his powers. The temple’s corner was very high, and below it was one of the major market places in the city. For Jesus to toss himself down and be caught by angels would mean all of Jerusalem would quickly know that Jesus had huge powers. Rather than quietly using those powers to bless others, it would have only been used to satisfy his own pride, instantly distancing himself from Heavenly Father, and invalidating his ability to save mankind.

In the third temptation, for Satan to insist Jesus worship him in exchange for great wealth and power was a sign of pure hubris. Nothing belongs to Satan, and everything already belongs to God! Satan was cast out of heaven for trying to place himself above the throne of Heavenly Father, and now sought to place himself above the Son of God, by having Jesus worship him!

Matthew 4 ¹² Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

Traditionally identified as occurring at the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry, John’s imprisonment marks the transition between the rise of Jesus and the fading of John the Baptist, who had prophesied, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Fortunately, we have another source that provides information regarding John’s ministry, including his arrest. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that John the Baptist was “a good man and had urged the Jews—if inclined to exercise virtue, to practice justice toward one another and piety toward God—to join in baptism.” Additionally, he noted, “Herod [Antipas], fearing that John’s great influence over the people might result in some form of insurrection (for it seemed that they did everything by his counsel), thought it much better to put him to death. . . . So the prisoner, because of Herod’s suspicion, was sent to Machaerus, the stronghold previously mentioned” (Antiquities 18:116–19). John’s arrest and imprisonment were a warning to Jesus. Certainly, Jesus understood the implication—he too could be arrested. (Holzapfel)

Matthew 4 ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

¹⁴ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

¹⁵ The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

¹⁶ The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Most scholars agree that Jesus was known for teaching and healing. Josephus noted, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of amazing deeds, a teacher of persons who receive truth with pleasure. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks” (Antiquities 18:63). (Holzapfel)

The quote in vs 15-16 is from Isaiah 9:1-2

Isaiah 9 ¹ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

² The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Then Jesus starts calling his apostles.

Matthew 4 ¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

²⁰ And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

²¹ And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

²² And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

²³ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

²⁴ And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

²⁵ And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

In calling his apostles the gospels of Mark and Luke mimic Matthew pretty closely.  John gives more details (John 1:35-51). 

John 1 ³⁵ Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

³⁶ And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

³⁷ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

He indicates that some of Jesus’ earliest disciples were closely associated with John the Baptist.  Some believed, from the outset, that Jesus was the Messiah. 

John 1 ⁴¹ He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Jesus is also identified as Rabbi. 

John 1 ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Nathanael makes the following comment

John 1 ⁴⁵ Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

⁴⁶ And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Come and see indeed.  Nathanael then has the following discussion with the Savior

John 1 ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

⁴⁸ Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

⁵¹ And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Greater miracles we will all see by following the Savior.

Bibliography
Bart Ehrman, Jesus Interrupted: http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Interrupted-Revealing-Hidden-Contradictions/dp/0061173932
Bart Ehrman, Lost Christianities: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Christianities-Battles-Scripture-Faiths/dp/0195182499/ref=pd_sim_b_4
Ezra Taft Benson, Beware of Pride:http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d8ff27cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____
Karl D’s NT lesson 4:http://feastuponthewordblog.org/2011/01/16/new-testament-lesson-3-kd-matthew-3-4/
Jim F’s NT lesson 4:
http://feastuponthewordblog.org/2011/01/16/nt-sunday-school-lesson-4-jf-matthew-3-4-john-135-51/