Jesus Calls the First Disciples

This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Matthew 4:18-22, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.

One day, Jesus was walking by a big lake called the Sea of Galilee. While he was walking, he saw two brothers named Simon (also called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing with a big net in the sea.

Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish!” Simon and Andrew liked Jesus and wanted to learn from him, so they left their fishing net and followed him.

Then, Jesus kept walking and he saw two more brothers, James and John, in a boat with their dad, fixing their fishing net. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me!” James and John loved Jesus too, so they left their boat and their dad and followed Jesus too.

From that day on, Simon, Andrew, James, and John became Jesus’ close friends and helpers. They traveled everywhere with him, learned from him, and helped him spread God’s love to everyone they met.

Biblical Lessons

  • Jesus calls us to follow him and be his friends, just like he did with Simon, Andrew, James, and John.
  • When Jesus calls us, we should listen and obey, just like the brothers did when they left their fishing nets and boat to follow Jesus.

Related Stories

The Call of Abram

The Sermon on the Mount

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

The Woman at the Well

The Conversion of Saul