Markus 1:16-18

1:16 As he went along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). ¹  1:17 Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” ²  1:18 They left their nets immediately and followed him. ³ 

Markus 1:29

Healings at Simon’s House

1:29 Now ⁴  as soon as they left the synagogue, ⁵  they entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John.

Markus 3:18

3:18 and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, ⁶  Matthew, Thomas, ⁷  James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, ⁸  Simon the Zealot, ⁹ 

Markus 13:3

Signs of the End of the Age

13:3 So ¹⁰  while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, ¹¹  and Andrew asked him privately,

[1:16]  ¹ sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.

[1:17]  ² tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

[1:17]  sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 16; 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.

[1:18]  ³ sn The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.

[1:29]  ⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:29]  ⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[3:18]  ⁶ sn Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45.

[3:18]  ⁷ sn This is the “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-29.

[3:18]  ⁸ tc This disciple is called Λεββαῖον (Lebbaion, “Lebbaeus”) in D it; see the discussion of the parallel text in Matt 10:3 where conflation occurs among other witnesses as well.

[3:18]  ⁹ tn Grk “the Cananean,” but according to both BDAG 507 s.v. Καναναῖος and L&N 11.88, this term has no relation at all to the geographical terms for Cana or Canaan, but is derived from the Aramaic term for “enthusiast, zealot” (see Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13), possibly because of an earlier affiliation with the party of the Zealots. He may not have been technically a member of the particular Jewish nationalistic party known as “Zealots” (since according to some scholars this party had not been organized at that time), but simply someone who was zealous for Jewish independence from Rome, in which case the term would refer to his temperament.

[13:3]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[13:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and James and John,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.