In Matthew 4:20, Simon and Andrew accept Jesus’ invitation by leaving their fishing nets. For them, nets were a livelihood, like a hoe for a farmer. Leaving them meant giving up everything, even their basic sustenance.
The calling narrative in Matthew 4 is beautiful. Its beauty is especially evident when verse 20 is read alongside verse 19, where Jesus invites them to become fishers of men. When they respond to Jesus, they leave their fishing nets and replace them with “nets for people.” What is the net for people? It is God’s will and plan. The disciples left the most fundamental human concern—their livelihood—and replaced it with something more fundamental: God’s will and plan for their lives. They did not abandon their provision aimlessly; they left it for a clear direction: God’s purpose. That is more foundational than temporary material needs. Herein lies the beauty of the account.
Following the Lord is not a sporadic calling (aimless and purposeless). Paul said he was not a runner without purpose or a boxer flailing aimlessly (1 Cor. 9:26). He had a clear goal and target: inner transformation moving according to God’s will and plan (1 Cor. 9:27). Paul knew that man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes from God. That Word is His will and plan. Saying that man lives by the Word does not mean disregarding the pursuit of material blessings. Material provision must be responsibly pursued because it is also part of our service to God and others. How can one fulfil God’s will in greater matters if one is not faithful in small (material) things? Yet the pursuit of material provision must not distract us from the true focus. God’s will and plan for our lives are more fundamental and must be earnestly pursued.
Therefore, following God does not make us fantasists or utopians. Rather, one who follows God is realistic. He meets material needs responsibly. But his focus is no longer merely on obtaining more material blessings to live comfortably. He will “change his net.” He will seek to catch God’s will in his daily life. He will carry a holy restlessness—a distress when he cannot find God’s will and plan for his life. Thus, he will not be hasty in deciding, choosing, or acting. He will consider matters carefully—not only in terms of financial ability or practical consequences but also regarding God’s heart. God’s sense is known in intimate fellowship with Him through a blameless daily life and quiet times of prayerful reflection.
One who changes his net may experience discomfort, because changing nets means changing the soul’s taste. The shift from worldly tastes to heavenly tastes painfully cuts the inner person. This process is like someone “near death,” caught between life and death—without certainty or comfort. But no dying state is without an end. One who is near death will either recover or pass on. Likewise, the painful change of the soul when we change our net will end. When our tastes have successfully changed, worldly pleasures no longer bring delight.