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 he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
And he called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
And he called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, "Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.
At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Look, my mother and my brothers.
Then his disciples came, and took the body, and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
But he did not answer her a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us."
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way."
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, "Why do the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus went out, with his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"
When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:
Then his disciples asked him, "What does this parable mean?"
As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen,
But you are those who have continued with me in my trials.
Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples,
Therefore when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?"
At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not also want to go away, do you?"
Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go into Judea again."
Then Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,
Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, "What is this that he says to us, 'A little while, and you won't see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;' and, 'Because I go to the Father?'"
His disciples said to him, "Look, now you are speaking plainly and not in any figure of speech.