Call for Disciples – JSS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

A disciple is a person who answers Jesus’ call to follow him and help spread the gospel. Jesus called four fishermen first, then chose twelve disciples, who were later called apostles. Being his disciple has demands: a follower must put Jesus first, be ready to give up everything, and not look back.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• narrate how Jesus called the first four disciples;
• list the twelve disciples/apostles;
• state why Jesus chose the twelve and what he sent them to do;
• explain the demands of discipleship.

Lesson outline

• Jesus calls the first four disciples (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:14-20; Luke 5:1-11)
• Jesus calls the twelve disciples/apostles (Mark 3:13-19)
• The demands of discipleship (Matthew 8:18-27; Luke 9:57-63; Luke 14:25-33)

How did Jesus call the first four disciples?

Jesus went to the shore of Lake Gennesaret to preach the gospel. He went aboard a boat and pushed out a little from the shore, where the audience stood facing him. He sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he finished teaching, he asked Simon, who owned the boat, to push out his net into the deep water for a catch. Simon replied that he and his companions had worked all night and caught nothing, but at Jesus’ word he would let down the net.

When Peter did so, they caught an enormous shoal of fish. It was so big that their nets began to tear. They signalled their partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in the other boat, to come and help them. They came, and both boats were filled to a sinking point.

Simon was so surprised that he fell at the feet of Jesus and asked Jesus to depart from him because he was a sinful man. Jesus told him not to be afraid, and added that Simon would now be catching men. Simon and his partners brought their boats ashore, left everything and followed Jesus. The four disciples were Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John.

Who were the twelve disciples/apostles?

Jesus chose twelve disciples to be with him and to assist him in preaching the gospel (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 3:13-19). He called them one by one and told them that he would make them fishers of men. They immediately left their jobs and followed him. Some of them were fishermen, while some were tax collectors.

Four of them were referred to as members of the inner circle, because they were especially close to him. They were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, the sons of Zebedee.

When Jesus was on a mountain, he called the men of his choice after healing some people in Galilee. Out of these men, he selected twelve as his immediate companions and friends. He wanted to send them out to proclaim his message, the gospel, with the authority to drive out demons and heal all kinds of diseases.

The names of the twelve

1. Simon Peter
2. James
3. John
4. Simon the Canaanite
5. Andrew
6. Philip
7. Bartholomew
8. Thomas
9. Thaddeus
10. Matthew
11. James the son of Alphaeus
12. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him

What lesson do we learn from their call?

They all willingly responded to the call of the Master without excuse. The most important qualification Jesus sought was willingness and self-denial. The lesson here is to be obedient to the call of God.

These twelve were to be his messengers, who would carry the message of Christ to all parts of the world and all people. In the Acts of the Apostles, these disciples were referred to as apostles. After the death of Judas, following his betrayal of Jesus, Matthias was elected as the twelfth apostle.

What are the demands of discipleship?

To be a disciple of Jesus has its demands and obligations. Jesus’ encounter with three would-be disciples shows the cost of following him (Luke 9:57-63).

• The first volunteered to follow Jesus. Jesus told him that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man had no home.
• The second decided to follow him and asked for time to say farewell to his relations. Jesus told him that anyone who put his hand on the plough and looked back was not fit for the Kingdom.
• The third, whom Jesus invited to follow him, asked to be allowed to go and bury his father first. Jesus told him to let the dead bury the dead.

There was a time when many people were following Jesus (Luke 14:25-33). He turned and told them that any would-be follower who did not love him more than his father, mother, wife, children, family, and even himself could not be his disciple. Jesus concluded that no one could be his disciple unless he or she was ready to give up everything he or she had.

Evaluation

1. Narrate the call of the first four disciples.
2. Mention the twelve disciples.
3. Mention six disciples of Christ.
4. Explain the demands of discipleship.
5. Mention the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. State the last five books of the New Testament.

Assignment

State three lessons we can learn from the way the twelve disciples responded to the call of Jesus.