Followers of Jesus are called disciples. There were many disciples, but early in his ministry, Jesus selected twelve men from the group to be apostles. These men were constantly with Jesus throughout his ministry and were given many special gifts and responsibilities.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Matthew 4:18-22 (calling the fishermen)
• Matthew 9:9 (calling Matthew)
• John 1:35-50 (Philip and Nathanael/Bartholomew)
• Matthew 10:1-4 (List of the 12 apostles)

Tips for Teaching:

• Sing the apostle song "Jesus Called Them One by One."
• Descriptions of the apostles vary throughout the gospels.  Some are known by more than one name, and there are duplicate names among the twelve.  Good illustrations can help present this sometimes confusing information to children.  Twelve different pictures with a name and description underneath each one is a great way to do this.  A set of pictures can be downloaded from Bible Fun for Kids.
• Play "follow the leader" or have someone teach the class to do something through demonstration and participation.
• Adults can count how often "follow" is used in the book of Matthew and then talk about what "follow me" means.

Full teaching instructions available free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson:  Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org