lded by Jesus over these
busy fishermen. But that influence is no less remarkable, and becomes
more explicable, on taking John's supplemental account into
consideration. It tells us that one brother of each pair--namely Andrew,
and probably John--had sought Jesus on the Baptist's testimony, and in
that never-to-be-forgotten night had acquired the conviction that He was
the King of Israel. It tells us, too, that Andrew first found his own
brother, Simon; from which we may infer that the other one of the two
next found his brother James, and that each brought his own brother to
Jesus. The bond of discipleship was then riveted. But apparently, when
Jesus went up to Jerusalem on that first journey recorded only in John's
Gospel, the four went back to their fishing, and waited for His further
call. It came in the manner which Matthew describes. The background,
which John enables us to fill in, shows us that their following was no
sudden blind impulse, but the deliberate surrender of men who knew well
what they were doing, though they had not fathomed the whole truth as to
His kingdom and their place in it. They knew, at any rate, that He was
the Messiah and that they were called by a voice, which they ought to
obey, to be His soldiers and partisans. They could not but know that the
call meant danger, hardship, conflict. They rallied to the call, as
soldiers might when the commander honours them by reading out their
names, as picked for leaders of the storming-party.

Was this the same incident which St. Luke narrates as following the
first miraculous draught of fishes? That is one of the difficulties in
harmonising the synoptic narratives which will always divide opinions.
On the whole, I incline to think it most natural to answer 'no.' The
reasons would take us too far afield. But accepting that view, we may
note through how many stages Jesus led this group of His disciples
before they were fully recognised as apostles. First there was their
attachment to Him as disciples, which in no degree interfered with their
trade. Then came this call to more close attendance on Him, which,
however, was probably still somewhat intermittent. Then followed the
call recorded by Luke, which finally tore them from their homes; and,
last of all, their appointment as apostles. At each stage they 'might
have had opportunity to have returned.' Their vocation in the kingdom
dawns on them slowly. They and we are led on, by little and little and
l