Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - May, 2005

Bible Study - Commentaries
Verse 4:18-25

from Kaniyamparmabil Achen, the Great Teacher of Malankara

Verse 18-25 “Four men are called as disciples”
(Mark 1:16-21, Luke 5:1-11)

Why disciples were called before the public ministry?

First of all, it was necessary for them to later say with absolute conviction, “It is impossible for us not to state what we saw and heard.”

Since Lord called them from their work, it shows that the most dignified thing to do is to follow the Lord. The kind of work they did was foretelling about their nobility in the future to their goodness in the future. The fisherman does not know what kinds of fish they will catch until after they catch it. Similarly, the net of God’s message, when spread, does not know who all will come to the Lord. Chrysostom says, “whoever God makes his hear???? move, will stand true in the faith”. St. Augustine says, “Lord did not select great kings, philosophers, or great administrators to catch the ordinary people. But he used fisherman to catch great people”. St. Gregory states, “Andrew and Peter followed the Lord, not because they saw any miracles by the Lord or they heard??? Lord stating about the eternal life. One who does not save anything is the one who rejects most. However small our wealth be, that is enough for the Lord. Lord evaluates our giving by not measuring how much we gave, but from what we gave.”

St. Peter (Simon) and St. Andrew 

Simon and Andrew are brothers. St. Chrysostom compares this great selection to the selection of brothers Moses and Aaron. 

Simon:
Simon means one who obeys. Lord called him Cephas (Kephas; Aramaic Kepha- rock). The circumstances why Lord called him Cephas is in John 1:42 and reason for it is in Mathew 16:18 and the responsibilities entrusted to him is in John 21:15-17. His tribe was Naphthali and was the son of Jonah. He was from Bethsaida of Galilee. Simon settled in Capharnaum, after marriage, where he was living with his mother-in-law or in his own house. Andrew was his younger brother (Ber-Sleebi). Peter, Andrew, Jacob, John, etc. were all disciples of John the Baptist. Peter was with our Lord during the most important times. Peter is referred in Epistles many times, which is not repeated here. But Eusebius says, “In AD 37 he went to Antioch and established his See (Feb 22). He ordered that the faithful pray facing east.” He established churches in Sur, Sydron, Caesarea, Beruth, Jabala, and Trippoly. He also appointed episcopes in all these places. In AD 51, he spoke as the chief of the apostles in Jerusalem synod. He was in Antioch between AD 53-60. There, with the help of Apostle Paul, he consecrated St. Evodius and Ignatius noorono (The Illuminator) as his successors to the See of Antioch. The church fathers have recorded that St. Evodius administered the converts from Gentiles and St. Ignatius administered the ones who came from Jews, and after the death of St. Evodius, all were under the leadership of St. Ignatius. He visited Corinth during his apostolic journeys. In AD 67 he reached Rome to be with the Christian persecuted by Roman Emperor Nero, where the apostle was crucified with his head downward so that he could die kissing Lords feet as per his wish (Origen). In AD 61, he sent his disciple Mark to Alexandria for spreading the gospel and established the See of Alexandria.

Andrew :
Apart from the areas mentioned in the Gospels, he traveled to Scythia, Asia Minor, Cappadocia, Bithynia, Galatia, Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Achaia, Patrae and Byzantium (Constantinople). The Roman Governor, Aegeas or Aegeates, at Patrae in Achaia, crucified him for converting many to Christians in Patrae. His martyrdom took place during the reign of Nero, on November 30, A.D. 60. Seeing the miracles at the time of his death, the governor’s wife, Maximilla, became a believer and she helped to bury the body with all of the honors befitting the Apostle. 

James:
James (the son of Zebedee and Salomee - she was related to St. Mary) is from Zebulun tribe and is from Bethsaida. He is known as James the Great to distinguish him from James the Less, and James the brother of the Lord (also called by Eusebius, James the Just). He worked in Judea, Samaria, Spain and back to Judea. There, he was put to death by the order of Agrippa I, who ruled between AD 41 to AD 44. He was a grandson of Herod and Mariamne, and son of Aristobulus. The guard who was with him believed his witness and St. Clement of Alexandria says that both the guard and the apostles were killed together. Encyclopedia Britannica says he was buried at Compostela in Spain (9th Ed Vol. 13 Page 32). Another tradition believes the relics of the Apostle are kept in the church of St. Saturnin at Toulouse (France). 

St. John:
Son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James. He was also a disciple of John the Baptist. When St. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God”, it is believed that John is the one who went?????? St. Andrew following Jesus. The two brothers received from Christ the honorable title of Boanerges, i.e. "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). There are numerous references about him in the epistles. In Ephesus (Asia Minor), he exercised his apostolic office in various provinces there. He appointed Paulose Thimothious (Paul Timothy) as the episcopes of Ephesus. 

He established churches in Pargamos, Philadelphia, Lavodesia, and Smyrna. 
Mor Jacob of Sroog says that he ministered in Antioch, too. During the persecution of Emperor Dalmatian (AD 81-96), the Apostle was banished to Rome and after many of persecutions, to Patmos Islands. He came back up to Ephesus in AD 96. By that time, Timothy had died, and John was evidently an old man in Ephesus. He had to be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples. At these meetings, he was accustomed to say no more than, "Little children, love one another!" After a time, the disciples wearied at always hearing the same words, asked, "Master, why you always say this?" "It is the Lord's command," was his reply. "And if this alone be done, it is enough!” 

[While John was living in Ephesus, John had with him Mary, the mother of Jesus]

He wrote his epistle in Greek in AD 98-99 against heretics who denied the Godhood of Jesus Christ. 

New Testament books accredited to John are the Gospel of John, along with 1st, 2nd and 3rd John, and Revelation. 

Looking at those called by the Lord for ministry:

1. In the Old Testament God called Jacob, Moses, David, etc. They were shepherds. In the New Testament Peter, Andrew, etc. were fisherman. The commonalty was that in both cases, ordinary people were selected. The shepherds looked after just one type of animal but the fisherman caught many types of fishes. In the Old Testament times the call was only for the Jews but in the New Testament, for all types of people. 
2. Those who were called, followed immediately (e.g.: apart from the list above, Mathew, John, Zakkai, Paul) 
3. They had different personalities 
4. They were also called for different reasons 
    a. God called Adam to remorse about his sins 
    b. God called Noah to be saved and to save others
    c. God called Abraham
        i. to separate ( Gen 12:1) 
        ii. submit to 
        iii. inherit ( Heb 11:8; Isa 51:2)
    d. Called Moses to lead His people ( Acts 7:34)
    e. God called Prophets to convey the prophecy to people 
    f. Lord called Apostles 
        i. to be with 
        ii. to spread His words ( Mat 4:18) 
        iii. to serve Him (Mat 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 1:16,17; 2:14; 3:13-19; Luke 5:27; 6:13-15; John 15:16)
    g. Lord called Martha and Marcum to comfort 
    h. Lord called Jerusalem for repentance.
    i. Lord calls even today. But no one hears. There is music and speech, but no one hears

St. Christotom says, “Those who come to Lord should discard three things: 1) worldly acts (the net) 2) worldly things ( the boat ) 3) The family ( father ). They discarded their boat to lead the church. To become everyone’s spiritual fathers, they left their own father, too.