Lesson 27 - Elementary
Memory Verse
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
Notes
Beautiful Galilee
Every Christian loves to think of the Sea of Galilee because Jesus spent so much time there. We can easily picture Him walking on the shore looking at the blue sky and the blue water below the blue hills.
The Fishermen
Jesus watched the fishermen as they drew in their nets with fish for there was much fish in that water. One day when Jesus wanted some money for His disciples He told them to go and catch a fish and they would find money in its mouth [Matthew:17:27]). All the fishes did not have money in their mouths but Jesus knew how to put it there when He wanted to.
There were good fish and bad fish. The good fish the people ate, and the bad fish they threw away. Jesus said that was like people -– the good and the bad people. The good people would be taken to Heaven to be with God forever and always be happy, while the bad people would be sent to a place where they would be punished for the wicked things they had done.
Fishers of Men
One day when Jesus was walking on the shore of the sea, He saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew, fishing. He perhaps saw that they were very good fishermen and He wanted them to be with Him so that He could teach them more important work. He wanted to tell them about Heaven and teach them that they must have their sins forgiven so that they could be with God in Heaven. He also wanted to teach them to tell others how to be saved. He said to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then He saw two more brothers, James and John, fishing, and He called to them, too. They all came just as soon as Jesus called them to Him. It must have made Jesus happy to see how quickly they came when He called. Jesus wants all people to come to Him when He calls them.
At another time He was sitting in a ship, teaching the people on the shore. When He had finished, He asked Simon to push the ship out into the deep water and let down the nets. Simon answered that they had fished all night and had caught nothing. However, he obeyed the Lord. Then they caught so many fish in the net that it broke. They had to call to their partners in the other ship to come to help them, and both ships wee filled with fish and began to sink. The reason they caught so many fish was that they had obeyed Jesus.
The Storm Stilled
The Sea of Galilee was about 13 miles long and about 7 miles wide, and great storms came up quickly. One day when He and His disciples were crossing the sea there was a storm. The waves were so big that they covered the ship. Jesus always worked hard, teaching the people and healing the sick, and He was often very tired. He said, too, that the birds had nests and the foxes had holes, but He had no place to lay His head. Being tired, He was asleep in the ship when the disciples came to Him, awoke Him, and said: “Lord, save us: we perish.” He asked them why they were afraid; they should have felt safe when He was with them. Then He told the wind to stop blowing, and the waves to be still. And the sea was still. The disciples were very much surprised that the winds and waves obeyed Him.
After they had been with Jesus a while they found He could heal the sick and raise the dead; and that He had power over the wind, the waves, and over everything, and that He was the Son of God.
Questions
1. What was Jesus doing when the storm arose? [Matthew:8:24].
2. Who calmed the storm? [Matthew:8:26].
3. What did the men say then? [Matthew:8:27].
4. Is there anything that Jesus cannot do? [Matthew:28:18].
5. Did Simon obey Jesus and let down his net? [Luke:5:5].
6. What happened then? [Luke:5:6].
(Suggestion: Have “Sweet Galilee” sung as a solo.)