Last night before bed we did our usual reading from the children’s Bible, prayer, and song. The reading last night talked about how Jesus had twelve men called disciples who followed him and learned from him. It would be easy for me and my children to think that Jesus had 12 disciples and that was all, but what do we call the rest of the folks that followed Christ. What do we call ourselves?
I’m reading through Luke right now and was struck the other day at how he makes a distinction between ‘disciples’ and ‘apostles.’
Luke 6:13 “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles”
Luke 6:17 “And the came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon”.
The Gospels also often refer to the “crowd” or “multitudes” that followed Christ along with the disciples. I think these can be helpful distinction to make because it helps us realize that anyone who follows Christ is either part of the “crowd” (those following out of curiosity, seeking, not necessarily believing or trusting in Christ) or a “disciple.” A “disciple” by definition is a student, an apprentice, follower, learner, one who has given his life to walk in the footsteps of another. A “disciple” is anyone who has put their trust in Christ as master, Savior, and Lord.
If my children ask me “how many disciples did Jesus have?” I would say “many and He is all about making many, many more!” It is the mission of the church to “make more disciples” - Jesus command in Matthew 28:19 was: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
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