Jesus Christ

Calls His Disciples

The Disciples:
A learner or
follower

The Apostles
● Twelve men whom Jesus chose to be his special witnesses and
messengers among his disciples.
● They were sent on a mission

SEA OF GALILEE

● A freshwater lake of northeast Israel where Jesus

spent most of His ministry there

● Also known as Lake Gennesaret

PHARISEES

● A Jewish religious party during the time of Jesus.

● They were strict in obeying the Law of Moses and other regulations which had been added to it
through the centuries.

● Highly respected leaders

Jesus called four fishermen (Mk 1:14-20)

14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to

Galilee and preached the Good News from God.
15 "The right time has come," he said, "and the Kingdom
of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe
the Good News!"
16 As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he
saw two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, catching fish with a net.
17 Jesus said to them,
"Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people."
 Jesus called four fishermen (Mk 1:14-20)

18 At once they left their nets and went with him.

19 He went a little farther on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of
Zebedee. They were in their boat getting their nets ready.
20 As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; they left their father Zebedee in the
boat with the hired men and went with Jesus.

Jesus called a tax collector (Mk 2:13-17)

13 Jesus went back again to the shore of Lake Galilee. A crowd came to him, and he
started teaching them.
14 As he walked along, he saw a tax collector, Levi son of Alphaeus, sitting in his office.
Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Levi got up and followed him.
 Jesus called a tax collector (Mk 2:13-17)
15 Later on Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house. A
large number of tax collectors and other outcasts
was following Jesus, and many of them joined him
and his disciples at the table.
16 Some teachers of the Law, who were Pharisees, saw
that Jesus was eating with these outcasts and tax
collectors, so they asked his disciples, "Why does he
eat with such people?"

17 Jesus heard them and answered,

"People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick.
I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts."

Jesus chose apostles from all walks of life

1. Fishermen represents the poor.
→ Their job demands hard work and patience.
→ similar to the difficulty in spreading Good News
to people who don’t know God
“Fishers of Men”
2. Tax collectors are regarded as sinners/ outcasts
due to corruption.
→ hated by many because they were greedy and often
overcharged people
→ They served Gentile masters (the Romans) and mix with unclean people.
The apostles immediately left everything – family, job and above all, their security –
to follow Jesus. Their obedience was prompt and complete.
 Jesus chose apostles from all walks of life

The Pharisees were anxious to maintain their purity and holiness before God and
therefore avoided sinners because they were ritually unclean.

1. Jesus’ answer showed His love for all mankind:

● Sinners, who are 'sick', need help from Jesus.
→ in contrary to the self-proclaimed righteous people,
who thought they needed nothing from God
2. Jesus came for the sinners:
● In order to heal them, it was necessary to meet and
communicate with them.

Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles (Mk 3:13-19)

13 Then Jesus went up a hill and called to himself
the men he wanted. They came to him, 14 and
he chose twelve, whom he named apostles.
"I have chosen you to be with me," he told them.
"I will also send you out to preach, 15 and you
will have authority to drive out demons."
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter); 17 James
and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges,
which means "Men of Thunder"); 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot, 19 and Judas
Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
 The Twelve Apostles (Mk 3:13-19)

1. Simon (Peter, given by Jesus), 5. Philip 9. James, son of Alphaeus

brother of Andrew 6. Bartholomew 10. Thaddaeus (Jude)
2. James, son of Zebedee 7. Matthew (Levi), 11. Simon the Patriot
3. John, brother of James tax collector 12. Judas Iscariot, the treasurer of
4. Andrew , brother of Simon 8. Thomas the apostles, the betrayer

Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles (Mk 3:13-19)

Apostles
from Greek apostello = "to send forth", "to dispatch”
➔ Twelve men whom Jesus chose to be his special witnesses and messengers among his disciples.
➔ They were sent on a mission.
Twelve
➔ symbolizes election/ salvation:
the twelve tribes of Israel from which the Chosen People had sprung in the Old Testament
➔ Jesus also forms the New Israel (People of God) from twelve disciples.
 Jesus sent out the Twelve Apostles (Mk 6:7-12)
7 He called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two.

He gave them authority over the evil spirits

8 and ordered them, "Don't take anything with you on the trip except a

walking stick - no bread, no beggar's bag, no money in your pockets.

9 Wear sandals, but don't carry an extra shirt."

10 He also told them, "Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same

house until you leave that place. 11 If you come to a town where people do not welcome you or

will not listen to you, leave it and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a warning to them!"

12 So they went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins.

13 They drove out many demons, and rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

Jesus sent out the Twelve Apostles (Mk 6:7-12)

1. They were to go forth with the minimum essentials:

sandals, a staff and a coat.
→ They were to trust in God’s care for them.
2. Jesus advises his apostles to go out in pairs.
→ Two people provide a valid witness.
→ They needed the support of each other in their
confrontation with the evils in the world.
3. They invited people into the faith by their own testimony.
→ By accepting Jesus’ baptism and admitting into the
Church, all Catholics all share the same mission of
evangelisation (“catching people”).