Our reading today is from Matthew 4:12-20. In this passage we read about the call of Peter and Andrew—the first disciples (followers) of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied of a time when the message of repentance would be heard by those with a willing spirit in the Galilean region. Peter and Andrew lived in that area and were the first (of many to follow) to hear the call to follow Jesus. Jesus would make them into new men by training them for life in the kingdom of heaven, as they would leave their nets and become fishers of men.
For years, decades, and the centuries to follow, the church universally would find in this passage echoes of her mission and model for ministry. Calling people to follow Jesus who—in turn—would remake their entire lives. The prayer, “make us” is the prayer of the willing spirit who hungers and thirst for righteousness, and it is our prayer today.
