Many people would say 12 but the answer is quite different.
Notice John 6:66-67.
Jesus had 12 chief disciples who adhered to Him faithfully over a long period but He had many other disciples from time to time. Everyone who listened to Him and learned from Him was a disciple. The Greek word translated disciple throughout the New Testament is mathetes, which means, simply, “learner.”
In the gospels and the book of Acts, the world disciple occurs some 271 times. More than 90 percent of these instances refer not necessarily just to the 12 disciples but to the disciples in general.
In Acts 1:15 the entire group of 120 people still following Christ after His resurrection are called disciples. A little later, in Acts 6:1, we read that the “the number of the disciples was multiplied.” Acts 6:2 speaks of “the multitude of the disciples.”
Acts 11:26 shows us an interesting point: “The disciples were Christians first in Antioch.” So, that’s what God’s people were called before they were know as Christians, they were simply called disciples.
We call ourselves Christians and that is correct. But it’s also true that God’s people are disciples. Those in God’s Church today are the modern day disciples of Christ. We are the modern equivalents of those who, 1,979 years ago when Christ was on the earth, gave up their former way of life and followed Him (Matthew 4:18-22).
Have you considered yourself a disciple of Christ? It’s important that you do.
We should be learners, students, followers of the teachings of Christ, His disciples. The ministry frequently emphasizes that we need to be studying God’s way of life and constantly learning and growing. II Peter 3:18 admonishes us to “grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We ought to know more about God’s law and His way of life now than we did a year ago, a month ago, a week ago, even a day ago. We should be studying our Bibles and growing in knowledge every day. We should be walking with Christ, daily learning and studying and growing.
But why do we need to study, learn and be disciples?
The final instruction Christ gave His disciples was “Go ye therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This is something His followers have worked on ever since.
Many Bible prophecies have dual fulfillments. We generally think of the commission in the context of the way the Church has proclaimed the message to the world in this age. But this commission has a future fulfillment too.
In the Kingdom of God we, the true disciples of Christ, are going to be kings and priests (Revelation 5:10). As kings we will govern and rule. As priests we will teach people God’s way (Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 17:8-12, Malachi 2:7).
As disciples and students now, we are learning a way of life so that we can teach it in the future.
Do you see how the commission of Matthew 28:19-20 applies to us in the future, in the Kingdom of God? When Christ returns and sets up God’s government on this earth He will say to us “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
At that time the commission will be fulfilled in its ultimate extent. The people will listen, then. All nations will be taught God’s way. The earth will be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
Who will have the job of doing that teaching? The kings and priests of the world tomorrow will be those who now are faithful students, listening and learning and growing in the knowledge as disciples of Christ.
If we are faithful disciples today, tomorrow we’ll have the wonderful opportunity of teaching all the rest of humanity the incredible knowledge we are learning now.
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