Matthew 4:22
Matthew 4:22 is the twenty-second verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. After recruiting Simon Peter and Andrew as disciples Jesus encountered the brothers James and John and their father Zebedee. In this verse they also join him.
The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:22
This verse is quite similar to Matthew 4:20 where Simon Peter and Andrew choose to follow Jesus. Like that verse the immediacy and renunciative nature of their becoming disciples is emphasized. The sacrifice is enhanced in this verse, however, as James and John are not only giving up worldly goods but also abandoning their father. This renunciation of family ties is also emphasized in Matthew 8:21-22. Carter feels this is evidence that Jesus is rejecting the traditional patriarchal structure of society where the father had command over his children. Instead all will be equally brothers under God the father. Carter notes that the breaking of family ties were not absolute, however. Throughout the Gospel John and James are described as the "sons of Zebedee" and in Matthew 8:14, when the disciples visit Peter's family.