Following the case of John the Baptist is the fourth case in Matthew, the case of the disciples following Christ. The arrangement of the chapters in Matthew is not according to historical sequence, but according to doctrine. Matthew put all the facts together under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for a definite purpose, not according to chronological order.
If we study the four Gospels carefully, we will see that Peter was not the first one who came to Jesus. According to John 1, Andrew came to the Lord first and then brought his brother Simon. However, in Matthew 4 the Lord comes to Peter first, because Matthew is not giving the historical order; rather he is arranging his Gospel according to a certain teaching. In chapter one, we see the case of conceiving and bringing forth Christ. Chapter two records the case of finding Christ, and chapter three tells of the testifying for Christ. Then the fourth case, the following of Christ, is in chapter four. After the conceiving and bringing forth of Christ comes the finding of Christ. After the finding of Christ, there is the testifying for Christ. After the testifying for Christ, there is the following of Christ.
Because Matthew is a book that has been written according to doctrinal arrangement, we need to understand this book in such a way. After John the Baptist was put into prison, Jesus withdrew into Galilee (Matt. 4:12). What does this mean? This simply means that John’s testimony of Jesus coming from God was rejected by religion and the political circle. John the Baptist was first rejected by the Jewish religion and then martyred by those in the political circle. Thus, religion and politics rejected the testimony of Christ. This means that Christ was rejected by religion and human culture on this earth. Therefore, He withdrew. He departed from Jerusalem, the temple, the Jewish religion, and the political center to Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. 4:15).
Hence, if we would follow Jesus, we need to know where He is. We cannot follow Him if we are not in the same place He is. He is not in Jerusalem, the temple, or the political circle. Where is He? He is in Galilee of the Gentiles, a place despised by the Jewish people.
When Jesus departed from Jerusalem to Galilee of the Gentiles, the Bible says that He was a great light springing up in darkness. At His birth He was a little star, but at the beginning of His ministry He became a great light. Just as the star did not appear to those in the Jewish religion, neither did the great light. He did not appear to those in Jerusalem, He did not appear to those in the temple, but He appeared to those in Galilee of the Gentiles. This Jesus whom we should follow does not appear to those in religion or in the cultured world, but He appears to those in a place despised by the people, Galilee of the Gentiles.
While He was appearing as the great light, He came to two brothers, Simon and Andrew, as they were fishing. Immediately He called them to follow Him. “Follow Me,” He said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Again we should remember that this is a book that is arranged in a doctrinal order. It does not say that Jesus appeared to one brother, but that He appeared to two. First of all, we need to realize that we cannot follow Jesus by ourselves. We need others to be our companions. As I look back on my Christian life, I realize how much I have been under the Lord’s mercy. I have always been with others. According to the principle, we do not follow Jesus by ourselves; we need company. After the Lord called Peter and Andrew, He called another two brothers, James and John. The principle of the Body is two by two, not one by one. To follow Jesus is a matter of the Body. It is not an individual matter, but a corporate matter.