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 Supper at Emmaus. Artist: Michelangelo da Caravaggio. Painted for Ciriaco Mattei in 1601-02.
(larger image)The term disciple is derived from the New Testament Greek word μαθἡτἡς., coming to English by way of the Latin discipulus meaning "a learner". Disciple should not be confused with apostle, meaning "messenger, he that is sent". While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, a student, an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others. The word disciple appears two hundred and thirty two times in the four gospels and the Book of Acts.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were goingcr1. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening andcr2 the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread andcr3 blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 cr4 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Andcr5 he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each othercr6, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while hecr7 opened to us the Scriptures?" 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem [ ]. And theycr8 found the eleven andcr9 those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, andcr10 has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, andcr11 how he was known to them incr11 the breaking of the bread. Luke 24:28-35
Disciples of Jesus of Nazareth
The four
See also: Mark 1 |
| Both the gospels of Mark 1:16–20 and Matthew 4:18–22 include passages where Jesus initially calls four fishermen from among those at the Sea of Galilee. These are Simon (later called "Rock" or Peter) and his brother Andrew, and the brothers James and John (later called the "Sons of Thunder" or Boanerges). A very similar account in the Gospel of Luke 5:1–11 lacks a mention of Andrew. John 1:35-51 also includes an initial calling of disciples, but these are: an unnamed disciple, Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathanael.
It is perhaps notable that since the Gospel of Luke does not include Andrew, and through various passages in the four gospels where Simon Peter, James and John are called to meet with Jesus separately from the twelve, they are commonly termed "the three". The usage of "the four" over "the three" is still a point which some Christians debate, but never as an essential doctrinal point.
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Gesenius' Lexicon Strong's H3925 למד Transliteration: lamad
(larger image) Gesenius' Lexicon Strong's H3925 למד Transliteration lamad
Outline of Biblical Usage
- to learn. teach, exercise in
- a) (Qal) to learn
- (Piel) to teach
- c) (Pual) to be taught, be trained
The twelve
Main article: The Twelve Apostles
Most of the attention in the gospels is given to a specific group of disciples called by Jesus on the top of a mountain and commissioned by him as the Twelve Apostles. These men are:
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Jude Thaddaeus, called Thaddaeus by Mark, Lebbaeus Thaddaeus by Matthew, and Judas, brother of James by Luke. The Gospel of John refers to one disciple as "the one whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2, 21:20). Since the apostle John, unlike the other twelve, is never named in that gospel, the "beloved disciple" is assumed to be him.
Great crowd and the seventy
Main article: Seventy Disciples
The number of or persons among Jesus' disciples (as opposed to just followers) is not always given in the gospel accounts. A much larger group of people is identified as disciples in the opening of the passage of the Sermon on the Plain that begins in Luke 6:17.
Additionally, seventy (or seventy-two, depending on the source used) people are sent out in pairs to prepare the way for Jesus (Luke 10). They are sometimes referred to as "the Seventy" or "the Seventy Disciples". They are to eat any food offered, heal the sick and spread the word; that God's reign is coming, that whoever hears them hears Jesus, whoever rejects them rejects Jesus and whoever rejects Jesus rejects the One who sent him. In addition they are granted great powers over the enemy and their names are written in heaven.
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 The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch. Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant[1]. His famous Sermon on the Mount to his disciples, the mount representing Mount Zion, is considered by some Christian scholars to be the antitype[2] of the proclamation of the Old Covenant by Moses from the Biblical Mount Sinai.
(larger image)Road to Emmaus
Cleopas is one of the two disciples to whom the risen Lord appeared at Emmaus (Luke 24:18). Cleopas, with an unnamed disciple of Jesus' are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of Jesus' resurrection. Cleopas and his friend were discussing the events of the past few days when a stranger asked them what they spoke of. The stranger asked to join Cleopas and his friend for the evening meal. There the stranger revealed himself, after blessing and breaking the bread, as the resurrected Jesus and then disappeared. Cleopas and his friend hastened to Jerusalem to carry the news to the other disciples, where Jesus subsequently appeared to them as well. The incident is without parallel in Matthew, Mark, or John. When Jesus appeared to the two disciples going to Emmaus, it was on the same day that he rose from the dead. It well becomes the disciples of Christ to talk together of his death and resurrection; thus they may improve one another's knowledge, refresh one another's memory, and stir up each other's devout affections. And where but two together are well employed in work of that kind, he will come to them, and make a third. Those who seek Christ, shall find him: he will manifest himself to those that inquire after him; and give knowledge to those who use the helps for knowledge which they have. No matter how it was, but so it was, they did not know him; he so ordering it, that they might the more freely discourse with him. Christ's disciples are often sad and sorrowful, even when they have reason to rejoice; but through the weakness of their faith, they cannot take the comfort offered to them. Though Christ is entered into his state of exaltation, yet he notices the sorrows of his disciples, and is afflicted in their afflictions. Those are strangers in Jerusalem, that know not of the death and sufferings of Jesus. Those who have the knowledge of Christ crucified, should seek to spread that knowledge. Our Lord Jesus reproved them for the weakness of their faith in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Did we know more of the Divine counsels as far as they are made known in the Scriptures, we should not be subject to the perplexities we often entangle ourselves in. He shows them that the sufferings of Christ were really the appointed way to his glory; but the cross of Christ was that to which they could not reconcile themselves. Beginning at Moses, the first inspired writer of the Old Testament, Jesus expounded to them the things concerning himself. There are many passages throughout all the Scriptures concerning Christ, which it is of great advantage to put together. We cannot go far in any part, but we meet with something that has reference to Christ, some prophecy, some promise, some prayer, some type or other. A golden thread of gospel grace runs through the whole web of the Old Testament. Christ is the best expositor of Scripture; and even after his resurrection, he led people to know the mystery concerning himself, not by advancing new notions, but by showing how the Scripture was fulfilled, and turning them to the earnest study of it. (Lu 24:28-35)
Women
In Luke 10:38–42, Mary, sister of Lazarus is contrasted with her sister Martha, who was "cumbered about many things" while Jesus was their guest, while Mary had chosen "the better part," that of listening to the master's discourse. John names her as the "one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair" (Luke 11:2). In Luke, an unidentified "sinner" in the house of a Pharisee anoints Jesus' feet. Any pre-existing relationship between Jesus and Lazarus himself, prior to the miracle, is unspecified by John. In Catholic folklore, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, is seen as the same as Mary Madgalene.
Luke refers to a number of people accompanying Jesus and the twelve. From among them he names three women: "Mary, called Magdalene, .. and Joanna the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources" (Luke 8:2-3). Mary Magdalene and Joanna are among the women who went to prepare Jesus' body in Luke's account of the resurrection, and who later told the apostles and other disciples about the empty tomb and words of the "two men in dazzling clothes". Mary Magdalene is the most well-known of the disciples outside of the Twelve. More is written in the gospels about her than the other female followers. There is also a large body of lore and literature covering her.
Other gospel writers differ as to which women witness the crucifixion and witness to the resurrection. Mark includes Mary, the mother of James and Salome (not to be confused with Salomé the daughter of Herodias) at the crucifixion and Salome at the tomb. John includes Mary the wife of Clopas at the crucifixion.
Discipleship
"Love one another"
The most widely used definition for who is a disciple is Jesus' self-referential example from the Gospel of John 13:34-35: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (NRSV) Further definition by Jesus can be found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 14, which is a veritable treatise on the topic. Beginning with a testing trap laid out by his adversaries regarding observance of the Jewish Sabbath, Jesus uses the opportunity to lay out the problems with the religiosity of his adversaries against his own teaching by giving a litany of shocking comparisons between various, apparent socio-political and socio-economic realities versus the meaning of being a his disciple. Examples which are expressed definitions of a disciple are:
- Luke 14:26 Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.
- Luke 14:27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
- Luke 14:33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
"Be transformed"
Generally in Christian theology, discipleship is a term used to refer to a disciple's transformation from some other World view and practice of life into that of Jesus Christ, and so, by way of Trinitarian theology, of God himself. Note the Apostle Paul's description of this process, that the disciple "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." Therefore a disciple is not simply an accumulator of information or one who merely changes moral behavior in regard to the teachings of Jesus Christ, but seeks a fundamental shift toward the ethics of Jesus Christ in every way, including complete devotion to God. In several Christian traditions, the process of becoming a disciple is called the Imitation of Christ, after the famous book of that title by Thomas à Kempis. See also Imitatio dei.
The Great Commission
Main article: The Great Comission
Ubiquitous throughout Christianity is the practice of proselytization, making new disciples. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, when calling his earliest disciples Simon (Peter) and Andrew , he says to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). Then, at the very end of his ministry Jesus institutes the Great Commission, commanding all present to "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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). Jesus has incorporated this practice into the very definition of being a disciple and experiencing discipleship.
Discipleship for The Twelve Disciples
The same process of transformation is also evident in the recorded experiences of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. Though regarded highly throughout Church history, the biblical texts themselves do not attempt to show the Twelve as faultless or even having a solid grasp of Jesus' own ministry, including a recognition of their part in it. All four gospel texts are not reluctant to convey the confusion and foibles of the Twelve in their attempt to internalize and live out the ministry of Jesus within their own discipleship.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment for Jesus, in regard to the Twelve, is when he announces that he will be put to death. Peter at that point boldly rebukes Jesus saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." To which Jesus responds, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. [..] If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 15). While Jesus is teaching that humility and self-sacrifice are the ways of discipleship Peter is still demanding self-preservation - wrong, even if it is for the sake of his master.
Some other examples where the Twelve worked directly against the very center of the ministry of Jesus: In Matthew 19 Jesus rebuked the Twelve for their disinterest in children and Jesus explains that children are a model for a heavenly demeanor. In John 14, Philip demands that Jesus show them the Father, to which Jesus exasperatedly explains that they should know by then that if they have seen him, they have, in fact, seen the Father. In Matthew 10 the disciples argue over which of themselves will be the greatest when Jesus' kingdom comes into full effect. Jesus responds, to explain their gross misunderstanding of the humble and self-sacrificial nature of his teaching, "whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave.".
On the other hand, according to the Book of Acts, at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples take on a new boldness, accuracy and discipline in their discipleship. It is from this point where we see the often confused band of disciples (not limited to the Twelve) mature into what is known as the Church (ekklesia εκκλησια), the forefathers and foremothers of the faith of all modern Christians worldwide.
Other Biblical uses
Since the word disciple is used in English generally to mean "follower" or "pupil", it is applied to other Biblical characters, such as John the Baptist (c.f. John 1:35) and Isaiah (c.f. Isaiah 8:16).
References
# ^ Hebrews 8:6 # ^ See also Antithesis of the Law. # ^ ""Christian History: The Twelve Apostles"". http://www.christianity.com/11536381/. Retrieved 2007-11-19. # ^ a b Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. "Mark," p. 51-161 # ^ Romans 12:2 # ^ "Bible teacher Derek Prince dies at 88: Charismatic-renewal leader, author of 45 books lived in Jerusalem". WorldNetDaily. January 13, 2009. http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34765. # ^ Lawrence A. Pile (1990). "The Other Side of Discipleship" (in English). http://gcxweb.org/Misc/LarryPile-OtherSideOfDiscipleship.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-10. # ^ "Charismatic Leaders Concede They Went Too Far: `Shepherding' was often accused by outsiders and former members of being cultlike in requiring members to obey leaders in all aspects of their personal lives.". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 1990.
- "Christian History: The Twelve Apostles".
Cross references, Luke 24:28-35
- « Mark 6:48
- « Luke 9:12
- « Matt 14:19
- « Luke 24:16
- « Luke 4:30
- « Psalm 39:3
- « Luke 24:45
- « Mark 16:13; Acts 17:3
- « Acts 1:14
- « 1 Cor 15:5
- « Luke 24:30, 31
- « Acts 2:42
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