BIBLE STORIES

  When Jesus was a young man, he went out into the world to tell everybody about the Kingdom of God. His work was to spread goodness and truth throughout the whole world.

  One day Jesus was walking along next to Lake Galilee. He saw two fishing boats and had an idea. He went up to the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He asked them if he could use one of the boats. The boat belonged to a man called Simon. Simon said yes, and sailed his boat out from the shore a little way. Jesus could now carry on teaching to all the people on the shore, as he could see them all now.

 

  After Jesus had finished talking to all the people, he spoke to Simon and said they should sail out to deeper water to catch some fish. “I’ve been fishing all night and haven’t caught anything!” Simon said. But Jesus said that he should do it, and so he did. They dropped the nets over the edge of the boat and when Simon pulled them back, they were full of fish. There were so many fish that they made his strong nets begin to break!

 

  Simon and his two friends, James and John, were amazed. “Don’t be afraid” Jesus said. “Come with me and I will teach you to catch men instead of fish”. So Simon stopped fishing and followed Jesus. James and John, who were brothers, also followed Jesus, but left their father, Zebedee, behind.

 

  Together the four men walked to Capernaum and went into the synagogue. Jesus began to teach and people found what he said to be amazing. No one knew who he was. He wasn’t a regular Priest but everything he was saying made so much sense. People were stunned when Jesus healed a man and made him better with just a few words. Everyone started talking about Jesus, and news of him spread through Galilee very quickly.

 

  Jesus carried on healing people. He cured Simon’s mother-in-law and many other people who had all sorts of illnesses. A scribe said to Jesus “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” Jesus then said to him “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but I don’t have a home.” Jesus always moved around, and never stayed in one place for long.

 

  Jesus did many amazing things. He cured a man who could not walk, and made blind people see. People came from all over the place to see him. “Follow me” he called to Matthew the tax collector as he walked past him, and Matthew started to follow Jesus.

 

  Jesus gathered twelve special friends together. They became his disciples. Their names were: Simon (who was also called Peter), Andrew, James and John (the brothers), Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon from Cana and Judas Iscariot.

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JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES