Lesson 6: They Straightway Left Their Nets

PURPOSE (as stated in the manual): To help class members understand that Apostles are called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ and that we are blessed when we sustain and follow them.

Our lesson this week is so so good; it is about following Christ. I can't think of anything more important for us to talk about. I am including a portion of a talk that Elder Worthlin gave in General Conference in 2002. This talk provides valuable insight into the scriptures we will discuss on Sunday. ENJOY!

"They were fishermen before they heard the call. Casting their nets into the Sea of Galilee, Peter and Andrew stopped as Jesus of Nazareth approached, looked into their eyes, and spoke the simple words, “Follow me.” Matthew writes that the two fishermen “straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

Then the Son of Man approached two other fishermen who were in a ship with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called to them, “and [James and John] immediately left the ship and their father, and followed [the Lord].” 1

Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to have lived in the days of the Savior? If you had been there, would you have heeded His call “Follow me”?

Perhaps a more realistic question might be, “If the Savior were to call you today, would you be just as willing to leave your nets and follow Him?” I am confident that many would.

But for some, it may not be such an easy decision. Some have discovered that nets, by their very nature, are sometimes not so easy to leave.

Nets come in many sizes and shapes. The nets that Peter, Andrew, James, and John left were tangible objects—tools that helped them earn a living.

We sometimes think of these four men as modest fishermen who did not sacrifice much when they left their nets to follow the Savior. To the contrary, as Elder James E. Talmage, in Jesus the Christ, points out, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were partners in a prosperous business. They “owned their boats and gave employment to other men.” According to Elder Talmage, Simon Peter “was well to do in a material way; and when he once spoke of having left all to follow Jesus, the Lord did not deny that Peter’s sacrifice of temporal possessions was … great.” 2

Later, the net of wealth entrapped a rich young man who claimed that he had obeyed all the commandments from his youth. When he asked the Savior what else he should do to have eternal life, the Master said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” When the young man heard that, “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” 3

Nets are generally defined as devices for capturing something. In a more narrow but more important sense, we might define a net as anything that entices or prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

Nets in this context can be our work, our hobbies, our pleasures, and, above all else, our temptations and sins. In short, a net can be anything that pulls us away from our relationship with our Heavenly Father or from His restored Church.
***To read the rest of Elder Worthlin's talk go HERE!

To prepare for our discussion please reference the following scriptures:
Luke 4:14-32; 5; 6:12-16; Matthew 10
• Why was it important that Jesus call Apostles? (See Matthew 9:36–38; 16:19; Mark 3:14–15; John 20:19–21, 23; Ephesians 4:11–15.) Why is it important that the Lord has called Apostles today?

• What do you learn about the powers and responsibilities of Apostles from Jesus’ counsel in Matthew 10? How have you seen latter-day Apostles fulfill these responsibilities?

• How have you been blessed by following the counsel of an Apostle?

Suggestion for Family Discussion
Show the chart of General Authorities from the most recent conference issue of the Church magazine in your area. Help family members recognize and learn the names of the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Share your feelings about the blessing it is to be led by prophets and apostles.

Scripture Chain: The Calling of an Apostle
Luke 6:13
Matthew 10:5–8
Ephesians 4:11–15
D&C 107:23
D&C 107:33, 35
D&C 112:14
D&C 112:19–22