Michael 4: 1-22 Analysis

Michael 4:1-21 1It came to pass, that as Jesus Christ was teaching along Lake Gennesaret, the crowd urged Him to share the word of God with them. He spoke with authority that intrigued the people. 2Jesus noticed two boats on the shore of the lake. There were fishermen on the ship preparing to take in a catch. 3They discussed how the Messiah would come to bring salvation to the Jews. 4They wondered within themselves desiring to see the Messiah. 5As they pondered, Jesus stepped in front of a boat asking "Do you mind if I sit here with you? I am preparing to teach. 6Hear what the Spirit has to say and you will have an answer to the questions you have pondered." 7The fishermen let him on to a boat. He got into the boat of a man named Simon,
whose surname was Peter. 8Simon Peter had a brother that was named Andrew. Having got in the boat of Simon Peter, Jesus sat down to teach the crowds from the boat. He preached saying 9"Repent and believe the gospel; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, for in doing so, you fulfill the Law." After preaching, the crowd brought their sick and demon possessed before Him and He healed them. Many believed in Him. 10After He finished speaking, He asked Peter to sail out and let down his nets for a catch. 11Simon Peter answered saying "Master, we have worked all day and have caught nothing, 12 but if you say so, we will try again.”13Taking Jesus' advice, Simon and the men with him caught so many fish that the nets were about to break.14Simon Peter called for help from his partners to get all the fish.15 The boats were filled to the point that they were sinking.16Having realized this, Simon Peter said "Lord, please depart from me; I am a sinful man."17 Simon Peter and all that were with him were astounded at what just happened.18Those that were present wondered in their hearts "Could this be the Messiah? Jesus in His compassion responded "Do not be afraid, from now on, follow me and catch men." 19Simon Peter along with his brother Andrew received the call by Jesus. As Jesus observed them that were with these brothers, He said unto them "Follow me and I will make you to be fishers of men". As these men heard the call, they responded by leaving their nets immediately, and they followed Him. James and John the sons of Zebedee were among those that responded. 20As the disciples walked with Jesus, He turned to the crowd and said "If anyone wants to follow me, you must deny yourself, if any person loves their father, mother, children, or even their own life more than me, they are not worthy of me and cannot be my disciples." 21At hearing this, the crowds were astonished because He spoke as a man with the authority of God.
Appendix
The Gospel of (or according to) Michael was written by a man named Michael.
This gospel was written in 65 AD. Michael wrote about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as told by the Apostle John, the disciple, whom Jesus loved. After speaking with the Apostle, Michael who converted to Christianity, recorded the events that he was told of. However, Michael not only used the words of John, but an additional source to record the gospel based upon His understanding of it. The Gospel of Michael consists of 23 chapters and this passage that has been examined comes from the first twenty-one verses of chapter 4. The two canonical gospels that I have used as sources for this gospel are the Gospels according to Mark as well as Luke. The special, additional source that was used in conjunction with the two canonical gospels was the JR Source. The JR source stands for the Jew's Redemption. The source is a collection of the teachings of Jesus that point to the redemption of the Jewish people. For example, regarding the teachings in the JR source, one teaching emphasized in this fourth chapter of the Gospel of Michael is the golden rule. An additional teaching that this special source emphasizes is the gospel commandment: to repent and believe. The JR source was written by Micaiah in 400 CE. The JR Source was discovered in 1845. This source was hidden by a man named Micaiah, who was an unknown prophet of Jerusalem. He predicted the coming of the Messiah and what He would teach and expect of His people. He recorded his prophecies that he was given by God for future generations to see that they may know his prophecies came to pass. As he continued prophesying these things during his lifetime, the people of Jerusalem refused to believe him and sought to kill him for speaking about the Messiah and making predictions about Him that appeared absurd and insulting to the
Jews. Fearing for his life, Micaiah departed into an unknown land and hid his written prophecies in a deserted territory. Lacking food and water for months, Micaiah died. In 1845, Mike FigNewton, whose ancestor happens to be Michael, found the JR source that Micaiah wrote in this unknown land. The unknown land that Micaiah departed from Jerusalem to happened to be Tallahassee, Florida. The JR source, that Micaiah wrote, was found in a deserted territory that is now known as Florida State University. The changes in this passage involve the disciple's personal encounter with Christ. In the disciple's interaction with the Messiah, contradistinctive features within the Gospel of Michael that differentiate from the canonical gospels are that there is significance in the visitation, advising, and calling of Christ to others. For instance, Christ partakes in a visitation to the fishermen, who would later become His followers as He approaches their boats. Secondly, He advises them even in their areas of expertise that they may come to recognize who He actually is. Lastly, He calls them to a different lifestyle; it is one of self-denial and trust in Him (that is Christ). In this fourth chapter of the Gospel of Michael, Jesus speaks an invitation of discipleship into the lives of the fishermen saying "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He summons these who have dwelled in His presence to a life that is conformed to His word. In doing so, He has called these, who have met Him to give up their own lives to follow Him, the Messiah. Regarding the differentiations to the passage, the teachings and their meanings are what differentiate this Gospel of Michael from the canonical gospels such as Mark and Luke. For instance, in the text above, Jesus asked Peter a question: Do you mind if I sit here with you? In the previous verses, the fishermen, that would turn out to be Disciples of Christ, emphasized how they desired to see the Messiah. Jesus not only asked a question, but He informed the fishermen that He would be teaching and knowing what they desired, He told them that if they heard what the Spirit had to say, they would find a solution to the questions that they pondered in their hearts. The importance of Jesus asking if He could sit with these men is that in doing so, He was fulfilling the desire that they had to meet the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled their desire by sitting with them, thereby brought a sense of fellowship into this divine encounter. In admonishing them to hear what the Spirit has to say, they would find that they have received what they desired. In other words, they would find an answer to the dilemma that had taken their minds and hearts captive. In hearing Jesus speak the word of God, the disciples would find that they had encountered, God's Son, who is Jesus the Messiah.