Reel Luke

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Luke 5:1–11, 27–31

Helpful Stuff to Know

We don’t know exactly how old the disciples were, but some wise Bible scholars think at least a few of them might have been in their late teens.

In the ancient world, rabbis (wise religious people who mentored and taught a small group of followers) would invite people to be their disciples. The men Jesus chose hadn’t been invited to be someone else’s disciples. Maybe they’d never even considered it as a possibility for them because of their backgrounds, education, or social standing.

Be Sure Not to Miss

The disciples were very different from each other — different families, jobs, backgrounds, etc. — but Jesus called them into community together.

Some of the disciples were the “wrong” kind of people: Matthew was a tax-collector (often referred to as “notorious sinners”), some were fishermen (not a prestigious job), one was a revolutionary (strong political passions). We don’t know the others’ backgrounds or jobs, maybe because they weren’t flashy or famous in any way.

Jesus explained things in ways that made sense to his new friends, for example telling a real fisherman that he would now “fish for people” as he learned to tell them about God and lead them to Jesus.

Jesus noticed the people around him, people that others would often ignore or overlook, and treated them as people worth his time and attention and friendship: fishermen, tax-collectors, and more.

Jesus didn’t give his disciples a list of things they needed to do or accomplish before following him. He just invited them and let them respond.

Jesus said he came to call people who know they are sinners and who know they need to repent. He called people as they were in order to make them new people. When Jesus proclaimed good news, he almost always said, “Repent and turn to God” or “Repent and believe the Good News.” In other words, turn away from a life of sin and self-lordship and turn to a life of following me and living for God.

Be Careful About

The image of “fishing for people” made sense to fishermen. It might not be a helpful image for many people today. Thank about what other terms or images might make sense for your group.

Reel Questions

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Reel Setting (place)

Where did this story happen? (Describe the setting — in a house, on a road, by a lake, in a city, etc.)
What do you think that place looked like? smelled like? sounded like?
Do you think it matters that this story happened in that specific place? Why?
What about the place in this story feels familiar? What feels strange?

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Reel People (characters)

Make a list of all the people in this story and give a one-word description of each (include “crowd” if there is one). Why did you choose that word?
What does Jesus say and do in this story? List all the things. Does anything surprise you? Why?
Which person (besides Jesus) is most interesting to you? Why?
What details about the characters do you wish were included or explained in the story? Why?
Why do you think [choose a specific character or the crowd] spoke or acted the way they did?
What are some different things that [the person from previous question] could have said or done? How would that have changed the story?
What do you think the onlookers were thinking and feeling as things were happening in this story? Why?
How do you think the main characters might have changed after this story? Why? (Sometimes it tells us, like with Zacchaeus, but other times it doesn’t.)
How do you think the crowd or onlookers might have changed after this story? Why?
If you’d been there, where would you have been standing or sitting? What would you have been thinking or feeling? Why?

Reel Events (plot)

List all the events in the story.
List some details that aren't included but are assumed in the story.
What do you think are the two or three most important moments in this story? Why?
If this story were a film, when would the music be scary or tense? When would it be joyful or upbeat? Why?
What do you think maybe happened right before this story? What do you think maybe happened right after this story?
Does the biblical story before or after this one matter to this story? How? Why do you think that?
What are some different ways things could have happened or ended in this story?
If this story were happening today in your school or town, what are ways Jesus might have acted or explained things for your context?
What would you call this story if it were a full-length book or movie? Why?

Real Faith

What’s a way people could misunderstand or misuse this story?
Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why would God want us to read and learn from it?
What are you learning about Jesus (or his Father or the Spirit) from this story?
What are you learning about following Jesus (living for Jesus and living like Jesus) from this story?
After reading this story, what are some questions you have about Jesus and following him?

Story-Specific Questions

Why do you think the first disciples were willing to give up certain things in order to follow Jesus?

Why do you think Jesus chose unlikely and unexpected people to be his closest friends and followers?