Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
Recalling terminology from yesterday, Jesus had Jewish disciples, and He also appointed twelve to be apostles. So then, who were the disciples? Let’s look beyond Jesus’ life first, and then return to it. In the book of Acts and forward, followers of Jesus often went by the following names:
- Disciples—Acts 6:1–2, 18:23, 21:16
- Saints/Holy People—Acts 9:13; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Colossians 1:12
- Brothers/Sisters—Acts 6:3; Ephesians 6:23; James 1:2
- Christians—Acts 11:26, 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16
Jesus the Rabbi, as the Teacher or Master, had close followers, who were His learners or pupils. They were referred to as disciples. As previously mentioned, Jesus wasn’t the only one with disciples. John the Baptist had them, as well as the Pharisees. Even Moses is mentioned as having disciples (John 9:28).
John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray and fast (Luke 5:33). He even had two of his disciples switch to following Jesus (John 1:35–40). One of the two was Andrew, the brother of Peter.
Jesus’ disciples followed Him closely as He went about His itinerant ministry in Judea and Galilee. No doubt “the Twelve” were given a more intimate path of discipleship than others. He also sent the disciples out two by two to do ministry. He did this with the Twelve in Mark 6:7–13. He also sent out a larger group of disciples, specifically the 70 (or 72, as translations differ) in Luke 10:1–24.
Here is something else interesting to note. Just as the Twelve may have been a symbolic connection to the twelve tribes of Israel, so the 70/72 may be related to the seventy-plus-two elders of Moses’ day who were anointed with the Spirit (Numbers 11:24–26).
As Jesus’ earthly ministry was almost complete and He prepared to ascend to heaven, Christ gave a clear command. He instructed His disciples to keep the chain of discipleship going. They were called to go into the world and make disciples. The Gospel from that point on was and is for every nation, not just the Jews. This is our charge as well.