JESUS, OUR SAVIOUR

LESSON 5
Jesus Chose His Apostles—Luke 5:1–11
Matthew 9:9–13
Memory Verse: Acts 5:31

“Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give
repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”
Since Jesus knew He would not stay long on earth, He chose twelve men to teach and
train to carry on His work.

True or False: Circle T or F for true or false, and underline the words that make the
sentences false. Then write the words in the space at the end of the sentences to make
them true.
T F 1. Jesus saw three ships standing by the lake. TWO
T F 2. One of the ships belonged to Simon Peter. ______
T F 3. The fishermen were mending their nets. ________
T F 4. Jesus entered John’s ship. SIMON PETER
T F 5. Jesus asked him to take his boat a little way from land _____________________
T F 6. Then he taught the people. _________________
T F 7. When he had finished speaking, Jesus asked that the ship be taken further
into the lake. _________
T F 8. Jesus told Simon Peter to let his fishing nets stay on the ship. TO FOLLOW
HIM
T F 9. Peter did as he was told although they had caught no fish during the night.
____________________
T F 10. They caught so many fish this time that the net broke.
_______________________________
T F 11. Peter’s partners came to watch him. HELP
T F 12. They poured the fish into the water. BOTH SHIP
T F 13. The ship began to sink._______________.
T F 14. Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
T F 15. Jesus said to Peter, James and John that from now on they would catch fish.
“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
T F 16. They left and followed Jesus. _________________
T F 17. To “catch” men means to teach them so they will follow Jesus.
______________________________
Luke 5:1-11New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, [a]
the people were crowding
around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left
there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one
belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and
taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down
the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But
because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to
break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they
came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am
a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had
taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”11 So they
pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

How about you? Have you sensed Jesus calling you? What have you done about it? Is he
extending the call again, now, in a deeper way than before? What will you do?
Matthew 9:9–13

T F 18. Jesus said, “Follow me,” to Andrew, who was a publican or a tax collector.
MATTHEW
T F 19. He followed Jesus and invited him to his house for a feast (Luke 5:29).
___________________
T F 20. The Pharisees praised Jesus for eating with publicans and sinner.
CONFUSED
T F 21. Jesus said He had come to call sinners to repentance. _______________________

Read John 14:15–20, 26; John 16:7–14. Match these phrases to make true
statements.

Match these phrases to make true statements.

1. Jesus said He would a. that He go away so the
give C Comforter could come.
2. Jesus said it was b. to their memory all Jesus
necessary A had taught them.
3. The Comforter is D c. His apostles another
4. The Holy Spirit shall F Comforter.
5. The Holy Spirit shall d. the Holy Spirit
bring B e. them into all truth
6. The Holy Spirit shall f. teach them all things.
guide E g. taught people and wrote
7. This the reason the the New Testament
apostles G without errors or
 mistakes.

Acts 26:9–17
After Jesus had gone back to Heaven, He called ________ to be an apostle to the
______________, those who were not Jews. He was later called Paul. He received
knowledge of God’s word by Jesus Christ revealing it to him (Galatians 1:12). He wrote at
least thirteen books of the New Testament as the Holy Spirit directed him. He wrote
Romans through Philemon, and may be the author of Hebrews.

Matthew 9:9-13New International Version (NIV)

The Calling of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s
booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came
and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go
and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the
[a]

righteous, but sinners.”

Lord, thank you so much for revealing yourself to me. I know you were speaking powerful
to Peter on that day when his nets bulged with your fish. You got his attention, all right. And
you have mine, too. I want to be your disciple, to follow you wherever you take me. I'm on
board, Lord. Thank you for the ticket. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
LUKE 5:1-3. THE MULTITUDE PRESSED ON HIM
“Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of
God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret” (v. 1). Gennesaret is a region
at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Luke refers to the sea as the lake of Gennesaret.

“while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God” (v. 1a). The
crowds are pressing in on Jesus, excited to see the young prophet, and hoping to hear
“the word of God” (v. 1).

“He saw two boats standing by the lake” (v. 2a). The significance of two boats will
become apparent in verse 7 when the disciples in Simon’s boat must signal their
partners in the other boat to come and help with the massive catch of fish.

“but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets” (v. 2b).
The fishermen are cleaning their nets after a long night. They must be tired and
discouraged after a long, fruitless night. They are ready to call it a day. It is time to go
home, to eat, and to get some sleep.

“He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a
little from the land” (v. 3a). This is Simon’s first appearance in this Gospel (although
his name was mentioned in 4:38), and it is his first act of obedience. Given his fatigue
and frustration, Simon cannot be in the best mood at this moment. He is ready to go
home—not to get back into his boat. The amazing thing is not that Simon responds
favorably later after seeing the miracle of the great catch, but that he responds favorably
now to Jesus’ request to go out once again.

“He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat” (v. 3b). The boat is
probably large enough for Jesus to stand, but teachers sit to teach. In this Gospel,
Jesus began his ministry in synagogues (4:16-30; 42-44), but now he takes his ministry
to the people—to ordinary places where ordinary people spend their days. The boat
becomes his pulpit—a solution to the press of the crowd (v. 1b).
LUKE 5:4-7. AT YOUR WORD
“Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch” (v. 4). These words
constitute a test for Simon. They also present Simon with an opportunity to see the
kinds of wonders of which Jesus is capable.

“Master (epistata), we worked all night, and took nothing” (v. 5a). Peter’s common
sense tells him that there is no reason to try again. He must hate to ask the other men
to “saddle up” and to get the newly cleaned nets dirty again. He voices his doubt to
Jesus, but nevertheless addresses Jesus as Master (epistata)—a person who stands
over the others, such as a commander or officer.

“But at your word, I will let down the net” (v. 5b). This is Peter’s second act of
obedience—again remarkable. Jesus’ instructions are counter-intuitive. Peter is the
fisherman, and knows best where to find fish. He and his partners have fished all night
without results—have proved that there are no fish to be caught. They have been
washing nets, wrapping things up (v. 2). They are tired—eager to go home. Letting
down the nets again will necessitate additional cleanup—not an attractive prospect for
tired, frustrated fishermen.

But Peter accepts Jesus’ word as authoritative. If Jesus says it, Peter will do it. This
obedience in the face of doubt opens the door to the miracle. So with us! Only
when we are obedient can we harness Christ’s power and experience his miracles.

“When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was
breaking” The great catch brings the disciples to the brink of disaster—the blessing is
almost too much. In the next chapter, Jesus will teach the disciples, “Give, and it will
be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will
be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to
you” (6:38). Too often, we measure obedience and charity with an eyedropper instead
of a bucket, but eyedropper faith generates only eyedropper rewards. Jesus prefers
giving more generously—bucket rewards—fire-hose rewards!

“They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and
help them. They came, and filled both boats, so that they began to sink” These
abundance miracles have two common characteristics: (1) they meet human needs and
(2) they demonstrate God’s power. The outcome of this particular miracle is that the
disciples “left everything, and followed him” (v. 11).

LUKE 5:8-11. THEY LEFT EVERYTHING, AND FOLLOWED HIM

“But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees” (v. 8a). This is the
first time that Simon is called Peter in this Gospel. The two names, Simon Peter, are
used together frequently in the Gospel of John, but only here and on the occasion of
Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:16) in the Synoptics.
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (v. 8b). This is an epiphany story—a
moment of sudden insight—especially for Peter. Faced with a miracle, he finds himself
in the presence of the Holy and overwhelmed by his own unholiness. Like a poorly
dressed person in elegant company, Peter wants only to escape the unfavorable
contrast.

Each of these three became great Godly leaders, but their greatness had its roots, not
in their wisdom, talents, or spirituality, but in God’s call. God calls whom God calls—and
God often gets the best mileage out of the least likely candidates. Jesus says, “For
whoever is least among you all, this one will be great” (LUKE 9:48)—perhaps
because the least are quicker to respond—less likely to count the cost—more apt to
trust.

Happily, God calls each of us to some important task—often one that seems of no more
consequence than letting down the nets one more time. In Christ’s hands, the modest
task becomes a vehicle for epiphany—revelation—discovery—greater faith. Christ can
turn our most humble act of obedience into a net-breaking, boat-sinking miracle of
abundance.

Simon is correct when he says that he is a sinful man, but Jesus has come to
redeem sinners and outcasts, as he demonstrates in this chapter—touching a
leper (5:12-16); forgiving the sins of a paralytic (5:17-26); calling a tax collector (5:27-
28); and sitting at table with tax collectors and sinners (5:29-32). He says, “Those who
are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do” (5:31).

“For he was amazed, and all who were with him” (v. 9). Luke singles out Peter as
the key disciple in this story, but it is not only Peter who is amazed, but all of them. Luke
finally names Peter’s partners, James and John (v. 10a). He does not mention Andrew.

“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid'” (v. 10). These were the words of the angel,
who said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (1:30) and “Do
not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people”
(2:10). Jesus will use these words twice again in this Gospel. “Therefore don’t be afraid.
You are of more value than many sparrows” (12:7) and “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it
is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (12:32).

“From now on you will be catching (zogron—capture alive) people alive” (v. 10b).
Jesus promises to expand the role that these fishermen will play—from catching fish
in their nets to catching people. Their work will be evangelistic—spreading the
Good News of the grace available through Jesus.

“When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed
him”(v. 11). Jesus addresses Simon, but the other disciples hear the words to include
them as well. They too abandon everything to follow Jesus.
In their versions of this story, Mark and Matthew have the fishermen leaving their father
and their boat to follow Jesus (Mark 1:20; Matthew 4:22). Luke tells us that they left
everything (Stein, 170). This kind of abandonment is characteristic of discipleship:

Discipleship, then, means shifting one’s concerns from the things of this world to
the things of God.