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17 [a]From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,(A) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Call of the First Disciples.[b] 18 (B)As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:17 At the beginning of his preaching Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist (Mt 3:2) although with a different meaning; in his ministry the kingdom of heaven has already begun to be present (Mt 12:28).
  2. 4:18–22 The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Mt 17:1; 26:37).

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(A) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(B)

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(C) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(D) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(E) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

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