Fishers of Men - Seeds of Truth Ministries

BIG IDEA: You are a disciple of Jesus.

This free Bible lesson, Fishers of Men, will teach preschool and elementary students about the calling of Jesus’s Disciples, and how we can also be disciples of Jesus.

FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-42

All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.

Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.

PREP & SUPPLIES

printed and trimmed “Romans 6:23” puzzle pieces & puzzle mats
small bags for puzzle pieces
object (like a penny) to share during “Follow the Leader”
video: God’s Story: Jesus Calls Disciples from Crossroads kids’ Club (link)
printed & trimmed “fish people” with a paper clip attached
blue plastic tablecloth (or something else to simulate water)
homemade fishing pole with magnet
optional: small prizes for large group review game
printed & trimmed “Go Fish for People” cards

MEMORY VERSE: “When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.” Romans 6:23 (NIrV)

THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Split students into groups of 2-4.
Each group should get one puzzle and one puzzle mat.
Allow time for students to assemble the memory verse puzzle.

LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY

(SLIDE 3) Modified “Follow the Leader” – To play this game, students will need to be standing in a circle. PREP: Have something (like a penny) in your pocket.

We are going to play “follow the leader” and your “leader” is the person standing on your right. You will do whatever that person does right after he or she does it.

Start by turning to the child on your left and say: “Jesus was friendly” and shake the child’s hand. That child will turn to the person on his or her left and say “Jesus was friendly” and shake the child’s hand. This will continue around the circle until it is all the way back to you.

Additional rounds:

(1) “Jesus was kind.” (Bend over and pretend to the tie the child’s shoe lace.)

(2) “Jesus was giving.” (Pull out the penny, or other object, from your pocket and hand it to the child.)

(3) “Jesus was happy.” (Smile at the child.)

(4) “Jesus cared about others.” (Pat the child’s shoulder.)

(5) “Jesus prayed.” (Fold your hands, bow your head, and close your eyes.)

(6) “Jesus loved everyone.” (Give the child a hug.)

(Alternatively, leaders may choose to play a regular game of “Follow the Leader” by instructing students to form a line and follow the actions of the person in front of them around the room.)

A disciple is a person who follows Jesus closely and lives like Him. We can be disciples just like the men in today’s Bible story.

BIBLE LESSON

We are going to watch and listen to the story of how Jesus called His 12 disciples so that they could help Him spread the message of God’s love and the coming Kingdom of God to all the people on the earth. I want you to pay attention to how the disciples chose to follow Jesus.

Show the video: God’s Story: Jesus Calls Disciples from Crossroads Kids’ Club (LINK) [If the video does not work, you can read this summary: When Jesus lived here on earth He did amazing things like healing people of their sickness and forgiving people of their sins. Jesus came to show us what God is like and He chose some people to follow Him and learn His ways. Those people were called “disciples”. One of these disciples was named Andrew. One day Andrew was listening to John the Baptist when Jesus walked by. John the Baptist had been teaching that Jesus was the Son of God, so Andrew decided to follow Jesus home. Andrew wanted to learn from Him so he spent the day getting to know Jesus. After that, Andrew went and told his brother Simon that he had found the Messiah, their long-awaited Rescuer. So, Simon went to meet Jesus too. Later when Simon had spent the whole night fishing without catching anything Jesus got into Simon’s boat. He told Simon to go out into deep water and let down the nets to catch some fish. Simon obeyed even though it didn’t make much sense. But he was surprised because he and all the other fishermen caught so many fish that their boats began to sink. After that, Simon realized that Jesus was more than just a great teacher. He was God’s Son and the Rescuer God had promised. Jesus said “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” Jesus wanted Simon to know that he would help others follow Jesus too. Later, Jesus was going to Galilee when He met a man named Philip. Jesus told Philip to follow Him and Philip did. Then Philip went and found his friend Nathaniel sitting under a fig tree and told him that he had found Jesus of Nazareth, the One that the prophets had written about and who would become the King. But Nathaniel wasn‘t so sure. He went to see Jesus because he wanted to know if it was true and when he met Jesus, Nathaniel knew he wanted to follow Him. After that, Jesus saw a man named Matthew working at a tax collector’s booth. Back then, tax collectors were some of the most hated people around because they took more money than they were supposed to. But Jesus went right up to Matthew and told him to follow, and Matthew did. Jesus called 12 disciples: Simon (who was renamed Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathaniel, Thomas, Matthew, another James, Thaddeus, another Simon, and Judas. Through these men, many amazing things were done in Jesus’s name. Some of them wrote books in the Bible that we read today and they helped others follow Jesus all over the world. Some of the first disciples were poor and even outcasts but Jesus still called them to follow Him, because Jesus wants His Kingdom to have all kinds of people no matter where they live, what they look like, or how old they are. Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus is a disciple whether it is someone who got to see and hear Jesus in person or whether they are learning about Him today. That means we can follow and obey Jesus. We can learn from Him and live like He wants us to live. We can teach others and show them what Jesus was like and we can trust that Jesus will help us understand what it means to follow Him.]

(SLIDE 4) We can find the story of Simon (whose name was changed to Peter) in the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Bible.

After a long night of trying to catch fish, Simon was tired and probably very frustrated, so when Jesus told him to go back out and cast his net, he was probably confused. But, he chose to obey Jesus and because of his obedience he witnessed a miracle.

What miracle happened in the water that day? (Jesus allowed the nets to get so full of fish that they started to break and the boat started to sink.)

Right then, Simon and his fishing partners, Andrew, James and John, realized that Jesus was special.

Then Jesus said “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.”

Some Bible translations say that Jesus told the men that they would now be “fishers of men”.

What did Jesus mean by “fishing for people”? (Jesus meant that the men would leave their jobs as fishermen and catching fish to follow Him and go teach all of the people about God’s love preparing them for the Kingdom of God.)

When you go fishing, you need to use something as bait. (Make sure students know what “bait” is: Bait is anything that you use to catch the fish’s attention and make him bite, like a worm, or a fake fishing lure.) Jesus called his disciples to “fish” for people and He calls us to do the same! Jesus is counting on us to reach out to others and share the good news that He came to save us from our sins!

What “bait” can we use to “fish for people”? (the love of God; showing people Jesus’s love; knowing God’s Word; showing kindness in our actions) Just like fish are drawn to bait, people are drawn to Jesus when His disciples (US!) teach them about and show them the love of Jesus.

Notice that these men didn’t even have to think about their decision. The Bible says “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20) What does “immediately” mean? (right away; no time passed; no waiting; no delay)

(SLIDE 5) Soon after Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John chose to follow Jesus, 8 other men also became disciples. Jesus had a total of 12 disciples who helped Him during His ministry here on earth. Now that you know Jesus, you can also be a disciple and follow Him! That is our Big Idea this week: You are a disciple of Jesus.

A great way to start following Jesus is to pray and read your Bible so that you can understand what He wants you to do and how He wants you to live. Being a follower of Jesus means living your life in a way that pleases Him and honors Him rather than giving into your own wants.

Dear God,

Thank you for the true story of the disciples in the Bible. We can learn so much from their example of how they spent their lives teaching people about Jesus. We are so thankful for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. Because He did that, we can be saved from our sins and live forever in Heaven with Him! Thank you so much! Please give us the courage to show your love and teach others about you.

We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.

LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY

PREP: Print & trim the “fish people” and clip a paper clip to each one. Lay them on top of a blue plastic tablecloth spread to look like a pond/lake. Make a “fishing pole” with a magnet on the end of the line. Optional: Collect small prizes for correct answers.

Optional for older students: Place the “pond” behind some type of obstacle to give them more of a challenge.

We are going to play a fishing game to review today. As disciples of Jesus we are called to be “fishers of people”, so a few of you are going to get to come up and “catch a person”. On the back of the “person” will be a question about today’s Bible story for you to read and answer. (Optional: Leaders may choose to offer prizes for correct answers. Some of the questions have multiple answers, so leaders may choose to allow answers from the audience.)

Your neighbor Mike doesn’t get to go to church on Sundays because his parents work. How can you be a “fisher of people” to him? (tell him about Jesus; invite him to church)
Amy is very shy and doesn’t have many friends. You see her standing by herself. How can you be a “fisher of people” to her? (ask her to join you and your friends; invite her to church where she will make more friends)
A boy at school named Joey is a bully. How can you be a “fisher of people” to Joey? (talk to him about Jesus; tell him Jesus wants us to treat others nicely)
What are followers of Jesus called? (disciples)
What is the name of the disciple that Jesus told to cast his net out into the water? (Simon Peter)
How many total disciples did Jesus call during His earthly ministry? (12)
What happened when Simon threw his net into the water after Jesus told him to? (he caught so many fish that the net started to break and the boat started to sink)
What does it mean to be a “fisher of people”? (follow Jesus and teach others about Him)
Name one thing we can use as “bait” to “fish for people”. *There is more than one copy of this. (the love of God; showing people Jesus’s love; knowing God’s Word; showing kindness in our actions)
What is one way you can be a disciple for Jesus? *There is more than one copy of this. (read the Bible; go to church; pray; tell others about Jesus; act like Jesus; memorize scripture)

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY

We have learned that we are called by Jesus to “fish for people”. In your small groups today, I want you to think about and discuss how you can do this in your own life.

You are going to play a game of “Go Fish”, but instead of saying “Go Fish”, we will say “Go Fish for People.” The goal is to collect as many matching pairs (2) as you can.

Instructions for kids who don’t know/remember how to play:

Each student will start with 3 cards. The remaining cards go in the middle.
Decide who goes first (youngest, oldest, most recent birthday, etc.).
Play will advance clockwise.
The first player will choose one other player to ask them if they have a match to one in their own hand. (For example, if the player has a “Maggie” card, he or she would then ask one other player if they have a “Maggie” card to hopefully make a match.)
- If the person does have the matching card, they will give it to the person who asked, and that same person will lay down the match and will get to ask another person for another match.
- If the person does not have the matching card, they will say “Go Fish for People”. Then the asking player will take one card from the middle pile. If they pick the match, they get to take another turn and ask someone for a match. If not, they keep the card in their hand.
It is the next player’s turn if the match is not drawn. The game continues like this until all of the middle cards are gone. The player with the most pairs is the winner.

BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.

Discussion Prompts for Leaders:

What “bait” can you use to “fish for people”? (kindness, quoting Scripture, etc.)
How can you apply today’s lesson to your life?
How can you learn more about how to be a disciple of Jesus? (read the Bible, go to church)
What did you notice about the disciples? (they immediately obeyed Jesus)
Imagine being in the boat with Jesus and Simon. How would you feel?
Do you think you would have dropped everything to follow Jesus? Have you dropped everything to follow Jesus?
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
What is this week’s Big Idea? (You are a disciple of Jesus.)
Do you have any questions about the lesson?
Do you have any questions about Jesus?
Do you have any questions about the Bible?

CLOSING REFLECTION

While Jesus was on the earth, He called 12 men to follow him. They were called disciples. The disciples became “fishers of people” because they helped Jesus tell people about Jesus and prepare them for the Kingdom of God. We can be disciples of Jesus and tell others about Him. A great way to follow Jesus is to learn as much as we can about Him by spending time praying, reading our Bible, and learning to live like Him.

Reflection Questions:

How can we follow Jesus and be His disciple?
In what ways can you “fish for people” this week?
To be good disciples, we need to learn as much as we can about Jesus. How can we do that?
Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?

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