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January 18 – CALL –
DRAMA
Jesus Invites His Friends to Follow
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http://www.rotation.org/topic/wt-jesus-calls-disciples--drama
Objectives for Dra ma Worksho p
After com pleting this workshop, participants will...
• Learn this calling stor y and the nam es of the four fisherm en.
• Possibly also learn the nam es of the other eight disciples through a song the y will hear while the y draw/paint.
• Understand the em otions that m ight have been felt b y m en asked to leave their fam ilies and follow Jesus.
PREPARATION
Read Bible Background and scripture. M aterials List • Bibles • Cam era • Chalk
• Chalkboard or newsprint pad
• Colored pieces of bulletin board paper -- blue, brown, green, and tan
• Costum es
• Cra yons, m arkers or paints -- preferably thick tem pera or acr ylic as the y run less
• Glue or tape
• Paint shirts
• Paper -- or cardboard or canvas -- to com pletely cover one wall
• Plastic tarp for floor and wall
Advance Preparation Require ments
• Cover the wall with a plastic tarp, then with paper.
• Cut "props" (refer to lesson) from bulletin board paper for younger children
• Protect the floor under the picture with a plastic tarp
• On the chalkboard or newsprint write headings: People, Objects, Act ions and Em otions
• W rite, in two different colors on a flip chart the keyword list so ever yone is able to see it. Then, write the words on cards corresponding to the color of the word. Open with Prayer: Dear God, thank you for calling us to be your people, for bringing us together, to do your work that Jesus taught. Help us to be good disciples. Am en. Objectives: learn what a disciple m eans.
Learn the cost of discipleship.
W hat did the disciples of Jesus day have to give up? W hat do we need to sacrif ice today to be a disciple? PRESENTATION
Opening – Welco me & Lesson Introduction
Introduce yourself and tell the children the y are going to create a m ural toda y using their own bodies. If the y don't want to be traced the y can alwa ys help with the painting/coloring
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of the m ural.Read the passage from Matthew 4:18-22. Ask: W ho is nam ed in this passage?
W hat objects would you see in this passag e? W hat actions are happening in this passage? W hat feelings m ight be exhibited?
W ho else m ight be there that is not m entioned? (fam ilies and friends)
W rite this inform ation on the chalkboard or newsprint under the categories: people, objects, actions and emotions.
Now you have a cast list (people), set and props list (objects), and directions for actions (actions & em otions). Make sure that there are enough characters listed for everyone that wants to participate.
Choose who portra ys each person. You c an have them draw nam es of characters, you can draw their nam e and let them choose, or you can just assign the parts.
Let each child select a costum e if using them .
Bible Background: The word “disciple” m eans devoted follower, a person who adheres to, and helps spread the teachings of a m aster. As Christians we equate the word disciple with the early followers of Jesus, one of the twelve original “Disciples of Christ.” But the word disciple has also com e to m ean an yone who follows Jesus. In this Bible stor y on the selection (or “calling" of Jesus’ disciples, we (and hopefully the children in our workshops) will com e to understand what it m eans to be a disciple. W e will see how this call applies to each one of us toda y. Jesus calls us to be his disciples.
Being a "disciple" in Jesus’ day
In Jesus’ tim e all Jewish bo ys spent a lot of tim e stud ying the scriptures. Som e who were m ore gifted went on to becom e scholars. After years of stud y, these bo ys would often spend a lot of tim e with a particular teacher; the y would becom e “disciples” of that
teacher. The word disciple m eans “student” or “learner.” Often Jewish teachers would call talented students to com e and stud y with them . But Jesus was different. The disciples Jesus picked were ver y different from the t ypes of disciples that other teachers usually picked. Jesus picked ordinary people, not ver y wealth y, and not ver y educated. Jesus picks fisherm en, and tax collectors, fathers a nd sons.
Story Setting
Mark 1:14-20; Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 4:18-22; John 1:43-50; Mark 3:13-19a; The Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias, is the largest freshwater lake in Israel. About 30 fishing towns surrounded the Sea of Galilee during Jesus' tim e, the largest town being Capernaum , visible on the right in the picture below. It is a fresh water lake and it is from this "sea" that Israel's hom es have water.
The Sea of Galilee is the location of the beginning of Jesus' public m inistr y. It is here Jesus begins the proclam ation of the Good News we can share toda y. Let us explore what happened near this lake.
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The calling of Simon (Peter), Andrew, Ja mes and John
Jesus’ calling of his first disciples is one of the m ost rem em bered stories of the
Bible. The event is recorded in all four gospels, although it is described slightly differently in each of them . The first four disciples called were two pairs of brothers -- Sim on Peter and Andrew and Jam es and John, the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus tells two disciples, Peter and Andrew, to leave what the y are doing to help others find God. Jesus called them awa y from what the y were doing (fishing) to a life of service to him . Jesus wanted Peter and Andrew to practice living like Jesus lived. Jesus had talked to Peter and Andrew previously when he had been preaching in the area. These m en knew Jesus and realized that following him would change their lives.
Jam es and John were also fisherm en who were called b y Jesus to help others find God. None of these four m en m ade excuses but left what the y were doing or had planned for the da y to follow Jesus -- to m end peoples' lives instead of m ending their nets. Each one of us is called to leave what we are doing and to follow Jesus.
Abo ut our four disciple fisher men
As fisherm en, Peter, Andrew, Jam es and John had to have patience. At tim es the y f ished all night to not catch a single fish! They had to have the abilit y to persevere in all clim ates and even when success wasn't evident. This training would pa y off in that the y needed the abilit y to do the work the y were called to do but to also allow God to work in the lives of the people the y would lead to God.
Peter's nam e was changed to Peter from Cephas by Jesus. Cephas (which m eans rock) was a comm on Jewish nam e in the New Testam ent. Peter was brought to Jesus b y his younger brother Andrew. As tim e went on the nam e progresses to Peter. W hat is interesting is that the Lord Jesus alwa ys except at the nam e chang e continues to call Peter, Sim on.
Andrew had first been a disciple of John the Baptist. At the point that John the Baptist points out Jesus, sa ying "Behold the Lam b" Andrew begins to follow Jesus. One of the first people Andrew was called to bring to Christ was his brother Peter. Then Andrew was required to take a back seat and allow his older brother to be the lead disciple!
Jam es, son of Zebedee was the older brother to John. Jam es was in partnership with Peter and Andrew. He and his brother were bold a nd energetic probably wh y the y are nicknam ed "Sons of Thunder." Of the two "Jam es" that were Jesus' disciples he was
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known as Jam es the Greater. His father m ay have been a m an of wealth.John, also a son of Zebedee, was the younger brother to Jam es. Had heard John the Baptist sa y "Behold the Lam b" and becam e willing to be a disciple. Tim e passes -- we are uncertain as to the am ount (m aybe som e of the patience required for disciples) -- before Jesus calls them to follow him .
The calling of M atthew (Levi)
One of Jesus’ disciples was a shocking choice. M atthew was a despised tax collector. In calling Matthew, Jesus m ade a s ym bolic gesture -- God’s love is available for all, even for one so hated as this. Tax collectors in Jesus’ tim e were considered contem ptible and corrupt. These Jews were hired b y the Rom ans to collect taxes from their fellow Jewish neighbors. The y received their salaries by extorting m ore taxes than the Rom an
governm ent required, pocketing the excess for them selves. The m ore the y dem an ded, the m ore rich the y becam e. Tax collectors were considered b y other Jews to be both traitors and thieves. Getting rich was probably at the top of Matthew’s list, yet Jesus obviously saw som ething in Matthew that others did not. W e learn from this that God does not judge b y the sam e standards m an does.
The gospels differ on the nam e of this tax collector. In Matthew 9 he is referred to as "Matthew" and in Mark 2:14 and in Luke 5:27 he is called "Levi." Most Biblical scholars think these two m en are the sam e person. It is interesting to note that the nam e Levi does not appear in an y gospel list of Jesus' disciples!
The calling of Philip and Nathanael (Bartholom ew)
In the gospel of John 1:43- 51, Jesus also calls Philip and Natha nael (also called
Bartholom ew) to be disciples. Nathanael at f irst responds to his friend Philip’s exuberance about discovering the Messiah with scorn . . . “Nazareth! Can an ything good com e from there?” (John 1:46). But Jesus sees Nathanael sitting under a fig tree and declares him to be a “true Israelite.” This dem onstration of Jesus opens the e yes of Nathanael who
declares Jesus to be “ the Son of God . . . the King of Israel.” [4]
What a bout the others?
In the gospel accounts, little is written about the rem aining disciples:
• Si mon, the zealot is thought to have been connected with a fanatical nationalist group whose guerrilla activities were designed to drive out the Rom an oc cupation forces. In realit y, the y often provoked m any blood y reprisals.
• Judas Iscariot is known to have been the treasurer of Jesus’ band of followers. Judas is notorious for his betra yal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The gospel accounts do not attem pt to analyze the m otive of Judas’ actions. This has been the object of m uch speculation and discussion am ong Biblical scholars: Judas was the only disciple not from Galilee thus he alwa ys seem ed to be the “odd m an out,” Judas was a Zealot, the m ost strident of the group and that he m isinterpreted Jesus’ Messiahship and gradually grew disillusioned with Jesus’ perceived “inaction” thus deciding to take m atters into his own hands and believing he would force Jesus to declare his Messiahship during Passover when the support and crowds were greatest. Judas’ conception of the Messiah did not include Jesus being put to death. Once the plot was set in m otion, however, there was not stopping it.
• Tho mas is perhaps best known for his pessim istic and doubting response t o the stor y of the resurrected Jesus which he did not at first witness. Even toda y those who are skeptical are referred to as “Doubting Thom ases.”
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• Thaddaeus (also called Judas, not Iscariot, son of Jam es): possibly the grandson of Zebedee.
• Ja mes, Son of Alphaeus, or Jam es the Less: possibly related to Matthew and Thaddaeus.
Calling stories… a si milar pattern
Those who are called are in the m idst of ever yda y activities. Their response to Jesus’ call is imm ediate. The y m ake a personal comm itm ent to follow Jesus. Surely the m en knew that b y following Jesus the y would be required to leave all the y had. Jam es and John even left behind their father Zebedee! Their allegiance was to be to Jesus alone. The y would be dependent on the gifts and hospitalit y of other s for all their needs. Their lives are
changed.
Later life a s disciples
Jam es and John, together with Peter were Jesus’ closest disciples, his inner circle, and on several occasions were taken off with him apart from the rest. John is believed to be the author of the gospel of John and m an y scholars also attribute the book of Revelation to him . He is also referred to as the “disciple Jesus loved.”
As we progress through the Bible in m ore stories we f ind that the disciples were not strong m en of faith. The y had their doubts and questions. The y needed tim e to grow and
understand what the y were required to do. Just like when we go to church and Sunda y School; we take the time to learn and grow!
(Stor y Background m aterial written b y Carol Hulbert andJa ym ie Derden.)
Dig - M ain Content & Reflection
Tell the stor y:
Matthew 4:18-22
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As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon,
who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
lake—for they were fishermen.
19And he said to them, ‘Follow me,
and I will make you fish for people.’
20Immediately they left their
nets and followed him.
21As he went from there, he saw two other
brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat
with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called
them.
22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and
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Tell the stor y again with listeners following the key word list on the flip chart (point out the list to the students, but do not tell them its purpose).Matthew 4:18-22
walked
saw
Simon
Andrew
fishermen
said
Follow
people
Immediately
followed
*
saw
James
John
with
called
Immediately
followed *
* If you want to shorten the list for older students, these words m ay be deleted. Ask if an yone knows what the list represents. [keywords]
Tell the stor y again, with listeners visualizing ke y words.
Divide into two groups, each responsible for half of stor y. Each group is assigned one color of key words, and is to rem em ber/determ ine the sentence or phras e from the story that goes with each of their words. [They will not rem em ber the phrases exactly. That is okay. You m ay want to observe each half of the class and encourage them , but do not give the answers. If the y tr y, the y will be surprised at exactly how m uch the y rem em ber.]
Have two groups tell the stor y, each telling the sentence/phrase that goes with their keywords as the y com e in order. (It will be a back and forth telling, like a ping pong m atch.)
Switch colors so each group can learn the other half of the story.
Ask a few volunteers to tell the stor y (oka y for them to look at the keyword list).
If tim e perm its:
Give each student a cop y of the stor y and divide into pairs. Each partner takes a turn telling the stor y. The listener coaches the teller, tr ying not to peek at the printed story. Ask for volunteers to try telling without the list.
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Congratulate all on a job well done!Encourage ever yone to tell the stor y to at least one other person today. Then it will truly be their own.
Discussio n
• If Jesus called you, do you think you would be able to drop whatever you are doing and follow him ?
• Have you ever had an experience where you had to change plans and do the unexpected?
• How did it feel to take this leap of faith?
• Do you feel like this was som ething God wanted you to do?
• I wonder how we could carry the Good News to other people ever yda y?
• Do you feel called to share the story we learned to tell today with som eone in particular?
• W hat could you tell them about your own life of discipleship af ter you tell them the Bible stor y?
Dig - M ain Content & Reflection
Now is the tim e to design the background scene. If the children are old enough let them draw water, sand and a boat on the paper-covered wall. Talk about perspective so the drawings are an appropriate size. If the children are young offer precut shapes of the background scene and la y them on the floor. Let the children decide where the y should be placed.
Next have the children stand sidewa ys to the wall or with their back to it if that view is m ore appropriate to form the scene of the story. W hen all are in place assign each an em otion to exhibit on their face. Take several pictures of this scene.
Help one another trace each child onto the m ural, or, take turns tracing each other onto the paper background. Be sure to add facial em otional detail to the drawings.
Have the children take off their costum es and put on paint shirts and add detail and color to their character and set. Explain that the y don't have to color in everything, the y can just highlight certain parts and outline other sections. For exam ple, outline the water in blue and put m arks to sim ulate waves. Outline the boat in brown and m ake board m arks and shade in sporadically.
Closing
W hen the dram atic m ural is finished step back and adm ire it. Take pictures from the sam e vantage point as before. Your com puter person can m ake a neat transition of one going to the other for a future presentation.
Talk about what you see. Ask students to retell the stor y.
If at all possible when dry, displa y these m urals where the whole congregation can see them .
Also explain that this is just the calling of four of the twelve disciples. If tim e allows read the other Bible passages for the other calling stories.
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ClosingGather children together for closing and pra yer. Sa y: W e've learned toda y about 12 special m en that Jesus called to be his disciples. Even though they seem ed ordinar y, Jesus knew that the y could learn and grow and becom e his followers. God often uses ordinar y people to do his work. The disciples' lives were changed b y their relationship with Jesus. Our lives can be changed too.
Pra y: Dear God, Thank you for sending Jesus to teach us to be disciples. Help us to learn and to follow m ore closely, so that others will learn of your great love for us, too. In Jesus' nam e, Am en
Saint Andrew
