The First Disciples

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)

But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

A Discussion about Fasting

Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”

A Discussion about the Sabbath

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat.

Crowds Follow Jesus

Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea,

Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.

Jesus and the Prince of Demons

One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.

Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Jesus Calms the Storm

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.

And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.

And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits.

So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.

When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.

Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late.

Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share.

and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.