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
And he said to his disciples: "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.
Calling his twelve Disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Calling his twelve Disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
These twelve Jesus sent out as his Messengers, after giving them these instructions-- "Do not go to the Gentiles, nor enter any Samaritan town,
About the same time Jesus walked through the corn-fields one Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them.
Then, stretching out his hands towards his disciples, he said: "Here are my mother and my brothers!
Then John's disciples came, and took the body away, and buried it; and went and told Jesus.
But Jesus did not answer her a word; and his disciples came up and begged him to send her away. "She keeps calling out after us," they said.
Afterwards Jesus called his disciples to him, and said: "My heart is moved at the sight of all these people, for they have already been with me three days and they have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, for fear that they should break down on the way."
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, and people came and asked Jesus: "Why is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, while yours do not?"
Afterwards Jesus and his disciples went into the villages round Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples this question-- "Who do people say that I am?"
When day came, he summoned his disciples, and chose twelve of them, whom he also named 'Apostles.'
His disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable.
When he had almost reached the place where the road led down the Mount of Olives, every one of the many disciples began in their joy to praise God loudly for all the miracles that they had seen:
You are the men who have stood by me in my trials;
The next day, when John was standing with two of his disciples,
Now, when the Master heard that the Pharisees had been told that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John
On hearing it, many of his disciples said: "This is harsh doctrine! Who can bear to listen to it?"
After this many of his disciples drew back, and did not go about with him any longer. So Jesus said to the Twelve: "Do you also wish to leave me?"
Then, after that, he said to his disciples: "Let us go to Judea again."
One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray Jesus, asked:
At this some of his disciples said to one another: "What does he mean by saying to us 'In a little while you will not see me, and then in a little while you will see me indeed'; and by saying 'Because I am going to the Father'?
"At last," exclaimed the disciples, "you are using plain words and not speaking in figures at all.