Mark 1:17 (GNV)

Passage

Then Iesus said vnto them, Folow me, and I will make you to be fishers of men.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdome of God is at hand: repent and beleeue the Gospel.

Mark 1:16 And as he walked by the sea of Galile, he saw Simon, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, (for they were fishers.)

Mark 1:17 Then Iesus said vnto them, Folow me, and I will make you to be fishers of men.

Mark 1:18 And straightway they forsooke their nets, and folowed him.

Mark 1:19 And when hee had gone a litle further thence, he sawe Iames the sonne of Zebedeus, and Iohn his brother, as they were in the ship, mending their nets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iesus", "said", "vnto", "folow", "make", and "fishers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iesus" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And as he walked by the sea..." into verse 18's "And straightway they forsooke their nets and...", so "iesus" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "iesus" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.