The followers of Jesus

Jesus’ mission

Jesus was a man with a mission. This mission was to proclaim a new vision for humankind about the kingdom of God. His vision expressed messages of hope, faith and love and his teachings and actions have provoked and challenged his followers within and beyond his time. Jesus’ vision, mission and message have transformed the lives of thousands of people. Followers of Jesus aspire to live Gospel values, but are constantly challenged to interpret these Gospel values in light of their ever-changing world.

At the very beginning of his public life, Jesus expressed his understanding of the mission he had to carry out. In the synagogue of Nazareth, he applied to himself Isaiah’s description of the messianic mission: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.’ In the months that followed, he preached ceaselessly the coming of God’s kingdom or reign into our midst. ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’ He described the kingdom through such parables as the Good Shepherd, the seed sown in the field and the dragnet cast into the sea. His miracles were signs of God’s healing presence in our world.

Disciples

He chose twelve disciples to be the original followers and supporters of his mission. All of the disciples were considered friends of Jesus. He loved Simon Peter and John in particular. Simon Peter was a friend of Jesus, part of his inner circle. Jesus knew Simon Peter to be good-hearted, but sometimes weak when tested. Jesus predicted that Simon Peter would betray him. When Simon Peter repented his betrayal, Jesus forgave him. Jesus challenged his friend Simon Peter to be shepherd to those who would follow the way of Jesus (Jn 21:15–18).

A disciple is one who follows another and lives by that person's teaching and way of life. Characteristics of a disciple are an eagerness to learn, devotion to the leader and an ability to apply the spirit of the teaching to the concrete realities of present life. Jesus' followers exhibited such characteristics. They soon discovered that discipleship could be very challenging. The cultural and religious contexts of the early Christian communities changed and developed as the message of Jesus spread from the Jewish world of Palestine to the wider Gentile world. The Acts of the Apostles recounts the dispute between Peter and Paul, for example, over imposing Jewish dietary law on Gentile converts.

We know very little about the original disciples from the Scriptures. The following is a brief summary of the disciples and their work or attributes.

Peter was a simple fisherman.
John was also a fisherman and sometimes called the ‘disciple Jesus loved’.
Andrew was a fisherman and brother of Peter.
James was also a fisherman and brother of John.
Philip was a miracle worker.
Judas Iscariot the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Matthew was a tax collector.
Nathaniel was known for not being brave.
James was the son of Alphaeus.
Thaddeus a worker for Jesus.
Simon was a Zealot.
Thomas the one who doubted that Jesus rose from the dead.

It is important to note that Jesus had many women friends and supporters; for example, Mary of Magdala (Luke 8:1-3). Luke suggests to readers that women were among the first financial supporters of the Jesus movement and that women played a significant part in supporting Jesus and his mission.

For further information, see Disciples and apostles in the New Testament, by Felix Just, S.J.

Followers today

The Church exists to carry on the mission of Christ. Through the sacraments and its preaching, the Church makes Christ present sacramentally in today’s world as the one who still calls to conversion, forgives sin, heals and proclaims the law of love. The Holy Spirit, who guided Jesus in his earthly ministry, continues to lead the Church in its continuation of his Jesus vision and mission.