Matius 4:19

4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” ¹ 

Matius 15:2-3

15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ²  hands when they eat.” ³  15:3 He answered them, ⁴  “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Matius 19:11

19:11 He ⁵  said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given.

Matius 22:40

22:40 All the law and the prophets depend ⁶  on these two commandments.”

[4:19]  ¹ tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

[4:19]  sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 18; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.

[15:2]  ² tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:2]  ³ tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

[15:3]  ⁴ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.”

[19:11]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:40]  ⁶ tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).