Four of Jesus' first followers were fishermen. They were the brothers Andrew and John, and two other brothers, Philip and Peter. These men fished in a huge inland lake called the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus was very popular in this area. People gathered on the banks to listen to Jesus. One day He went out to the lake and a huge crowd followed Him. They were sure they would see a miracle. On the shores of the lake were two boats. One of the boats belonged to Simon Peter and Andrew. The other was used by James and John and their father Zebedee. They were working on their nets on the shore.
Jesus wanted all the people to see and hear Him. He stepped into the boat of Simon Peter and Andrew. He asked them to push it out into the middle of the lake. That way the crowd would all be able to see and not crowd one another or miss anything. They put the boat into the lake and Jesus spoke to the people.
After Jesus had spoken and the people had all left, Jesus saw that the fishermen had not caught any fish. He told Simon Peter to take the boat out into the deep water and drop his nets. Simon Peter told Jesus that they had fished all night and had not been able to catch anything. But, he knew that if Jesus told him to do it, it was the right thing to do.
They put their nets in the water and soon felt the powerful tug of fish in them. They tried to pull the nets in, but they were so full of fish that they were not able to do it. They called out to James and John who were now fishing nearby to come and help them. The four men pulled with all their strength and finally got the net to the boat. The boats were both so full of fish that they almost sank. This was the greatest catch of fish that they had ever saw.
Simon Peter was amazed. He knew Jesus had powers he could not understand. He fell at the feet of Jesus and said: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Peter didn't think he deserved this gift from God, and that he was not worthy to walk with the Son of God. But, Jesus said to him: "Do not be afraid. Henceforth you will be fisher's of men."
Simon Peter understood what Jesus was telling him. He knew that from then on he was to leave his fishing and join Him in helping to spread His word to the people.
When they got back to the land, all four of the fisherman abondaned their boats. They went with Jesus, to learn from Him, and to help Him to teach others.
Jesus and his Disciples went to the synagogue to teach the people. The people were very suprised at the things that Jesus had to say. The Scribes at the synagogue only taught what had been written before, while Jesus taught as one who spoke directly to God. He did not need the support of words that others had written.
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