Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news  of God, 

The arrest of John the Baptist marked the start of Jesus' own ministry and he began straight away as he moved into Galilee. Jesus may have spent time as one of John's disciples and may have not felt the time was right while he was still with John. But once John had been arrested, it was tile he struck out on his own. Unlike his own disciples, (the male ones, at least) who were to run away and hide when he was arrested, Jesus was undeterred by John's arrest.

v15

and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

Nettleton paraphrase: This was the guts of his message:
"The time has come!
........The reign of God has drawn near.
................Turn your lives around and accept the good news."

NCV: He said, "The right time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News!" 

This is Jesus' message in a nutshell - and it is the message Christians should be talking about now. All of Jesus' other teachings and actions in the gospels were clarifications or practical demonstrations of this message. When we make the clarifications and practical demonstrations more important than the basic message, we are watering down the gospel.

v16
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen.

Jesus went walking along beside the lake looking for likely people to help him in his task. Even Jesus needed companionship and someone to share the load. No leader should think he/she can go it alone. No-one should expect to run a business, a congregation or any other venture all on their own. If Jesus couldn't, no-one can.

Simon and Andrew were ordinary people that you and I would probably not expect to be candidates for changing the world. But Jesus saw their potential and knew what God could do with them. He sees the potential in all of us. Leaders must look for the potential in those they lead and may be surprised at what they find!

v17
And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 

I always have wondered about this invitation Jesus gave and what was so appealing for Simon and Andrew about 'fishing for people'. Jesus knew just what would interest them and 'turn them on'. That same invitation would not have worked for other people in the same way. As far as we know, he did not use it o invite any of the other disciples. Why do we always want a formula for inviting people to church or to consider the Christian faith? Jesus knew the individual people. That is the pattern for us - first get to know people, know their interests, their opinions, their likes and dislikes, their ups and downs. And let them know us. I am sure that Jesus was not a stranger to Simon and Andrew when he called them. They knew they could trust him.

v18

And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 

Simon and Andrew followed Jesus immediately. It seems as if they did not even stop to put their nets away or to deal with whatever they had already caught. I wonder just how immediate 'immediately' was. I am sure it tells us that Simon and Andrew did not waste time in considering Jesus' invitation, weighing up the pros and cons, or in making arrangements for their business to be looked after in their absence so that, if things didn't work out they could come back and take up where they left off. They made their decision immediately and from that time did not look back.

vs19, 20

As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. 

Jesus repeated the process, but we are not told what the invitation was this time. James and John made the same decision as Simon and Peter. They left a thriving business - they left their inheritance. I wonder what Zebedee thought about all this. Did he have other sons to carry on his business? Did James and John have his support in leaving? 

When Jesus calls us, sometimes the decision is not an easy one to make. Sometimes we do not have the support or understanding of our families. Like Simon, Andrew, James and John we need to know that the one we follow can be trusted to care for us as we join him in his great venture of bringing humanity back into a relationship with its creator. 
 

NRSV: New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

NCV: New Century Version © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Nettleton: Australian paraphrases http://www.laughingbird.net