Bible moment
The Bible moment
Matthew 4:18-22 tells how Jesus began calling his first disciples. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, called Peter, and Andrew casting a net because they were fishermen. Jesus invited them to follow him and said he would make them fishers of people. They immediately left their nets and followed him. Jesus then saw James and John, sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father, mending nets. He called them, and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Jesus. The passage presents a clear sequence: Jesus calls, and the fishermen respond by following him. This scene focuses on Simon Peter and Andrew at the shoreline; James, John, and Zebedee belong to the nearby part of the same account.
Look closely
What children can notice
Create a broad, child-friendly shoreline composition showing Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee while Simon Peter and Andrew work with their fishing net. A second boat may be placed in the scene only as the source passage’s nearby setting for the later account, without depicting extra events.
Talk together
Talk about it
- What were Simon Peter and Andrew doing when Jesus saw them?
- How did the fishermen respond to Jesus’s call?
For families, church, and class
Use this page
Use this page with Matthew 4:18-22 in family devotions, Sunday school, church lessons, classrooms, or homeschool study. Invite children to notice the shoreline, net, and calm fishing work, then retell the sequence: Jesus called, and the fishermen followed immediately. Keep discussion centered on the passage and its theme of responding to Jesus.
Source note
From this passage
Matthew 4:18 · Calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John
Create a broad, child-friendly shoreline composition showing Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee while Simon Peter and Andrew work with their fishing net. A second boat may be placed in the scene only as the source passage’s nearby setting for the later account, without depicting extra events.
