Reference: Disciples
Hastings
In the ancient world every teacher had his company of disciples or learners. The Greek philosophers and the Jewish Rabbis had theirs, and John the Baptist had his (Mr 2:18 'the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees'; cf. Joh 1:35; Mt 14:12). In like manner Jesus had His disciples. The term had two applications, a wider and a narrower. It denoted (1) all who believed in Him, though they remained where He had found them, pursuing their former avocations, yet rendering no small service to His cause by confessing their allegiance and testifying to His grace (cf. Lu 6:13; 19:37; Joh 4:1; 6:60,66-67). (2) The inner circle of the Twelve, whom He called 'Apostles,' and whom He required to forsake their old lives and follow Him whithersoever He went, not merely that they might strengthen Him by their sympathy (cf. Lu 22:28), but that they might aid Him in His ministry (Mt 9:37; 10:1,5), and, above all, that they might be trained by dally intercourse and discipline to carry forward the work after He was gone. These were 'the disciples' par excellence (Mt 10:1; 12:1,49; 15:23,32; Mr 8:27; Lu 8:9; Joh 11:7; 12:4; 16:17,29). See also Apostles.
David Smith.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Then said he to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few:
And he called his twelve disciples unto him, and gave them power over all unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sicknesses, and all manner of diseases.
And he called his twelve disciples unto him, and gave them power over all unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sicknesses, and all manner of diseases.
These twelve did Jesus send, and commanded them, saying, "Go not into the ways that lead to the Gentiles, and in to the cities of the Samaritans enter ye not:
In that time went Jesus, on the Sabbath day, through the corn; and his disciples were a hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
And he stretched forth his hand over his disciples, and said, "Behold my mother and my brethren.
And his disciples came, and took up his body, and buried it: And went and told Jesus.
And he gave her never a word to answer. Then came to him his disciples, and besought him saying, "Send her away, for she followeth us crying."
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the people, because they have continued with me now three days, and have nought to eat: and I will not let them depart fasting lest they perish in the way."
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees did fast, and they therefore came and said unto him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, and thy disciples fast not?"
And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns that belong to the city called Caesarea Philippi, and by the way he asked his disciples saying, "Whom do men say that I am?"
And as soon as it was day, he called his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, which also he called his apostles.
And when he was now come where he should go down from the Mount Olivet, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice, and to laud God with a loud voice, for all the miracles that they had seen,
As soon as the Lord had knowledge, how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptised more disciples than John -
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; Who can abide the hearing of it?"
From that time, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus to the twelve, "Will ye also go away?"
Then said one of his disciples named Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which afterward betrayed him,
Then said some of his disciples between themselves, "What is this that he saith unto us, 'After a while ye shall not see me, and again after a while ye shall see me: and that I go to the father?'"