Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(A)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,^(B) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter^(C) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,”^(D) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.^(E)

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.^(A) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.^(B)

The Cost of Following Jesus^(A)

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.^{(B) 19} Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(C) has no place to lay his head.”

²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me,^(D) and let the dead bury their own dead.”

The Calling of Matthew^(A)

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”^(B) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”^(C)

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a](D) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”^(E)

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(A)

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life^(B)?”^(C)

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”^(D)

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,^(E) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’^[a](F) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”^(G)

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,^(H) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,^(I) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(J) Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.