When you hear about “the disciples,” perhaps you assume they were people far more faithful, valuable, and worthy than you could ever hope to be.
After all, many were handpicked by Jesus Christ himself to follow him and be part of his inner circle. Some of them were sent out in pairs to heal the sick and cast out demons in his name.
But the truth is that these disciples were regular people — the only difference is that they lived 2,000 years ago and made the decision to follow Jesus as he lived out his ministry with him in the flesh, here on earth.
The word for “disciple” in Greek is mathētēs, which means student, follower, or one who is a committed learner. It doesn’t mean they were better in any way, but as Jesus’ first followers, they played an important role both in his teaching and our historical understanding of the people of that era.
There is a difference between regular disciples or followers of Jesus and the 12 disciples Jesus specifically chose and further named “apostles” from the original Greek apostolos, meaning representatives, messengers, or envoys.
None of them were perfect by any means. Many exhibited great weaknesses. One, Judas Iscariot, betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver and became a traitor to God’s Kingdom.
Still, we can learn much from the men and women who followed Christ both during his time on earth and, later, after his death and resurrection.
Here, then, are eight lessons we can learn from the disciples.
We don’t need to be superheroes for God to use us. In fact, God has a long history of using ordinary, everyday, average people, and even those struggling with very human flaws, to fulfill his great purposes.
Just as God used Moses (who had a speech impediment) and David (the youngest son and a common shepherd) for great purposes, Jesus selected ordinary men to walk with him. For instance, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen (Mark 1:16-20).
Matthew was a tax collector, a job that ranked him among the most despised people in the land (Matthew 9:9).
After Peter and John proclaimed the gospel to the Sanhedrin after Jesus’ resurrection, the church elders were astonished at their vast knowledge, describing them as “unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13).
Sometimes, we assume we are not good enough or qualified enough to do great things for God. But we must remember that the Holy Spirit, who lives within all Christian believers, has the ability to use us for amazing and miraculous things.
Saul of Tarsus was considered an enemy of Christianity. He persecuted followers of Jesus and held the coats of those who stoned the first martyr of the faith, Stephen, to death.
Yet, Jesus Christ called Saul to be one of his followers and showed him the truth, and Saul changed his name to Paul and spent the rest of his life dedicated to Jesus.
Today known as the Apostle Paul and to some as Saint Paul, he is thought to have written 13 books of the Bible, together called the Pauline epistles, and is responsible for starting the early church across Asia Minor.
While the first part of his life was spent in opposition to Jesus, he spent the rest of his days doing all he could to spread the Gospel to the world. Ultimately, he was executed for his faith.
Many of us think we’re “too far gone” or have done “too many bad things” for God to ever want us in his kingdom. But we must remember that without God, we are nothing.
No good works will ever earn us a spot in heaven. Only faith and God’s grace bring about our salvation.
Instead, when we surrender our will to the Lord, he can use us in mighty and magnificent ways to share his glory. He uses the sick, the selfish, and the sinners alike.
As students, the disciples knew their role — they were students. They strived to follow Jesus and learn his ways. They called him “rabbi” (which means “teacher”) and sometimes the elevated “rabbouni” to acknowledge his status as a great and respected learned one, one from whom they sought to learn.
Indeed, they genuinely wanted to learn. Many of them left everything they had to follow Jesus. Some sat outside for hours in the hot sun listening to him preach and teach, not knowing where they would get their next meal.
While they often did not understand the full point of Jesus’ messages, they tried. They wanted to do right by him and reflect his teachings well.
The apostles especially reflected this. When Jesus sent them out, and they could not cast out a demon in one particular man, they were troubled about their failure (Matthew 17:19). They wanted to do better and understand.
We humans can be so, well, human! The Bible tells us Simon Peter was impetuous and rash. He was the first one to scramble out on the water when he saw Jesus walking on the lake (Matthew 14:22-33), and when soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the garden, he struck out with his sword and sliced off the ear of the high priest’s servant (Matthew 26:47-56).
Yet Jesus called his faith the rock upon which he would build his church — and ultimately did so (Matthew 16:15-20).
Thomas is often referred to as “doubting Thomas” because at first, he doubted Christ’s return, as he had not seen Jesus resurrected for himself (John 20:24-29).
Yet Thomas’ doubt transformed quickly into faith once he saw Jesus, proclaiming, “My lord and my God!” (v. 28). He later became missionary and helped spread Jesus' gospel across the world.
We know the Apostle Paul struggled with what he called a “thorn in the flesh,” which he begged God to remove. But God did not, and Paul realized it was for a reason.
As Paul recounts, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Even though we imperfect people constantly mess up, the disciples teach us that God loves us anyway — and forgives us fully. For example, Peter insisted he would never betray Jesus, yet he did so, denying Christ three times that very night after Jesus’s arrest.
Peter repented in shame, and after the resurrection, Jesus took special care to reconnect with Peter and reassure him he was forgiven.
Peter was among those who, on the Day of Pentecost, received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he went on to preach Christ to the very people who had crucified him, adding 3,000 to the faith that day.
As 1 John 1:9 assures us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
The disciples teach us that a repentant and forgiving heart ensures God’s forgiveness.
The disciples also demonstrate that we are bigger than ourselves because of God. Jesus said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can tell a mountain to move, and it will. “Nothing will be impossible for you,” Jesus said (Matthew 17:20).
When Jesus sent the apostles out in pairs, he gifted them with the supernatural ability to heal the sick and drive out demons (Luke 9:1-6).
Later, after his resurrection and the Holy Spirit entered the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples spoke in tongues and warmed hearts with the truth of the gospel (Acts 2:4-40).
Jesus also said when they are arrested, the disciples don’t need to worry about what to say or how to say it. As he told them, “At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20).
The disciples demonstrate this for us throughout the Book of Acts. For example, we’re told that Stephen, before he was martyred, performed great wonders and signs among the people, and when the elders tried to argue with him, “They could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke” (Acts 6:10).
Even today, when we surrender to faith and to the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can do the same.
The disciples also teach us that we can rely on God. Jesus never promised our lives would be perfect. In fact, he promised the opposite, noting that as his followers, we would be hated and persecuted (John 15:18-20).
But Jesus did promise he would be with us — always (Matthew 28:20).
That’s another lesson we can learn from the disciples. For example, when the disciples were in a boat and saw Jesus walking to them on the water, they were terrified, thinking he was a ghost (Matthew 14:26).
But Jesus reassured them it was him, and he called Peter to come out and walk to him. In his exuberance, Peter did, but then he grew afraid and began to sink.
“Save me!” Peter cried (v. 30).
Jesus didn’t let him sink. He put out his hand and hauled him to the surface once more.
Even when we doubt, even if we go off on our own, when we cry out to the Lord, we can trust he is there. We can rely on him.
Finally, the disciples teach us that even when we are in a period of waiting, God is with us and still working.
This is exemplified after the crucifixion, when the Gospel of Luke tells us some disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus, dejectedly discussing everything that had happened.
Jesus joined them as they walked, but they did not recognize him, and he began to remind them of the prophecy about the Messiah and the promised resurrection.
After many hours together, he disappeared from sight, and they realized their Lord had been with them that entire time.
Today, we can understand that when we pray, God hears us. When we suffer, God is with us. Even if we cannot see his hand at work, we can trust that he is there, working his great purpose in the way he knows best.
We’re not forgotten.
Remember: God has a long history of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. When we follow Jesus and surrender our will to him, we can trust that God will use us, too, for his grand and mighty plan.
As Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Amen and amen!
For further reading:
When Were the Disciples First Called Christians?
Why Didn’t the Disciples Recognize Jesus after His Resurrection?
Could the Disciples Understand Jesus Without the Holy Spirit?
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