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 saith to His disciples, "The harvest, indeed, is abundant, but the laborers few;
And, having called to Him His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, so as to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
And, having called to Him His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, so as to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
These twelve Jesus sent forth, having charged them, saying, "Go not into any way of the gentiles, and enter not into a city of the Samaritans;
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the grain-fields; and His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain, and to eat.
And stretching forth His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers!
And his disciples, coming, took up the corpse, and buried it; and, coming, they told Jesus;
But He answered her not a word. And His disciples, coming near, were beseeching Him, saying, "Send her away; for she is crying after us!"
And Jesus, having called His disciples near, said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am not willing to send them away fasting, lest haply they faint in the way."
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?"
And Jesus went forth, and His disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And, on the way, He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"
And when it became day, He called His disciples; and, having selected twelve from them, (whom He also called apostles):
And His disciples were asking Him, what this parable might be.
And, as He was already drawing nigh to the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples, rejoicing, began to praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they saw;
But ye are they who have remained with Me in my temptations;
Again, on the morrow, John was standing, and two of his disciples;
When, therefore, the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus was making and immersing more disciples than John
Many, therefore, of His disciples, having heard this, said, "This is a hard saying! Who can hear it?"
From this time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. Jesus, therefore, said to the twelve, "Do ye also wish to go away?"
Then, after this, He saith to the disciples, "Let us go into Judaea again."
But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was about to betray Him, says,
Some of His disciples, therefore, said to one another, "What is this that He saith to us, 'A little while, and ye behold Me not; and again a little while, and ye will see Me;' and, 'Because I go to the Father?'"
His disciples say, "Lo, now Thou talkest plainly, and speakest no proverb: