Sunday School: Jesus Calls His Disciples

Encore Post: Rabbis in Jesus’ day often had students — disciples — who followed them, observed everything they did, memorized every word they taught and imitated their actions. Most of the time, the students chose their their teachers. Jesus turns that around when He chose his own disciples. Disciples often became Rabbis themselves. When Jesus told them Peter, James and John they would “catch people,” the his disciples would assume they were to train for that very occupation.

When we read the way the gospels talk about the call of the disciples, it is easy to think that Jesus just walked up without any notice, just ordered them to follow him and they did. But this is likely not the case with any of them. Simon, Andrew, James and John already knew Jesus when he called them. Jesus had made Capernaum, the headquarters of their fishing business, his home town. Before this event, Jesus had taught in their synagogue, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, cast out demons, healed a paralytic, the Roman centurion’s daughter and many others. His brother Andrew and others were disciples of John the Baptist, who identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. Matthew was the toll collector at Capernaum before Jesus called him, but likely heard a lot about him.

Jesus would select twelve disciples to be his closest students. The number twelve reminded Jews of the twelve tribes of Israel. By doing this, he signaled that he was re-establishing God’s chosen people. These twelve would eventually be commissioned as his apostles on whom Jesus would build his church. These would become witnesses of his resurrection and take the gospel to the ends of the Roman world. All but two would die as martyrs — Judas, who betrayed him and John, who lived a long life and whose own disciples would pass the faith on to new generations.

Blog Post Series

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana