LESSON 18: Jesus and Apostles

(Mark 3:13-19)

Jesus came to save sinners and bring God’s kingdom to the world. He chose 12 apostles to continue His mission. We are also called to follow Jesus and share His love with others.

God the Son, Jesus, came into the world as a man to save people from their sins and give them eternal life.

What is heaven?

It is a beautiful place where there is peace, joy, and righteousness (goodness). Jesus wants us to bring a little bit of heaven down to earth by living holy and good lives.

To do this, people must:

• Turn away from sin
• Live righteously
• Follow Jesus’ teachings

That’s why Jesus preached the gospel and taught people to repent. Those who turned from their sins and followed Him became part of God’s kingdom.

Before returning to heaven, Jesus chose 12 special people to carry on His mission. Usually, leaders choose people who are smart, powerful, or rich. But Jesus chose simple people — fishermen, tax collectors, and others with ordinary jobs.

Jesus did two important things before choosing His apostles:

1. He prayed a lot.
2. He chose the ones He wanted.

An “apostle” means someone who is sent — a messenger or representative. Here are the 12 apostles Jesus chose:

• Simon (called Peter)
• James (son of Zebedee)
• John (James’ brother)
• Andrew
• Philip
• Bartholomew
• Matthew
• Thomas
• James (son of Alphaeus)
• Thaddaeus
• Simon the Zealot
• Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus)

They were not rich or highly educated, but because they walked with Jesus, God used them in powerful ways.

Peter became the leader of the apostles. All the apostles followed Jesus’ command and spread the good news. They:

• Preached about God’s kingdom
• Baptized new believers
• Healed the sick
• Drove out evil spirits
• Some even raised the dead!

They loved Jesus so much that most of them died as martyrs (they gave their lives for Jesus). Only John died a natural death. He was sent away to the island of Patmos because he taught about Jesus.

Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, was filled with regret. But instead of repenting, he took his own life.

Nicodemus – A Secret Believer

Some important Jewish leaders believed in Jesus too, but they were afraid to show it publicly. They were worried about losing their positions and being rejected by other leaders.

Nicodemus was one of them:

• He was a rich man and a Pharisee.
• He was also a member of the Jewish ruling council.
• He came to visit Jesus at night, in secret.

Jesus told Nicodemus something very important:
“Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
This means that just being a good person or doing good things is not enough. We need to be born again—not just physically, but spiritually—through baptism and the Holy Spirit.

What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

Think about the wind — we can’t see it, but we can feel it and hear it. In the same way, we can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can feel God working in our lives.

Nicodemus Becomes Brave

At first, Nicodemus followed Jesus in secret. But after Jesus died on the cross, Nicodemus did something very brave. He joined Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus’ body. Nicodemus brought about 75 pounds of spices, wrapped Jesus’ body, and placed it in a new tomb.

Even though Jesus was rejected by many, Nicodemus gave Him a respectful burial. This showed his faith and courage.

Final Thought:

Jesus died for the whole world, but each of us must personally accept His gift of salvation. We cannot save ourselves or be good enough on our own. But by God’s grace, and through faith, we are saved.

Let’s ask God to help us live as His disciples, just like the apostles and Nicodemus did!