So who was the first disciple? The term disciple comes into focus in the Gospels and centers around Jesus’ ministry to a band of men who became apostles plus many others who became believers. The term gains new importance when, just before the ascension, Jesus commissions the now band of eleven disciples to go and make disciples.
The usual narrative for identifying the first disciple would be the Gospel of John when John the Baptist introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God. Several of John’s disciples then peel off and begin to follow this new rabbi, Jesus. The initial ones were Andrew, the brother of Peter, and John. So it looks like the answer to our question, “Who was the first disciple?” is a pair: John and Andrew. But not so fast.
The term disciple is primarily a New Testament term. In the Old Testament, we have a few examples of one person mentoring another, such as Elijah with Elisha or Moses with Joshua but the term disciple turns up only in the book of Isaiah: primarily Isaiah 50:4. Maybe it provides a clue to answer our question.
Isaiah is a book of prophecy regarding Israel’s future and the expected coming of the Messiah. Isaiah’s prophesy of the Messiah takes two forms: a Servant and a King. Scholars have identified four short passages in Isaiah that portray the Messiah as the suffering Servant and refer to them as the servant psalms. They are: Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-7; and 52:13-53:12.
The most familiar is the passage from Isaiah 53, in which the description of the suffering servant fits the gospel narratives of Jesus. Less familiar is the passage in Isaiah 50, in which we get a prophecy regarding the first disciple.
“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient nor did I turn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5 NASB).
The Servant Messiah found in Isaiah was, first of all, a disciple. The picture of discipleship from this description parallels what we see unfold in the gospel narratives. Daily, the disciple not only hears but listens to the voice of God.
- Daily, the disciple not only hears but listens to the voice of God.
- He gains understanding and is faithful to do all that he hears.
- He takes what he learns and passes it on to others.
The picture we get of Jesus in the gospels is an obedient servant, who had a “discipleship” relationship with his Father. Jesus was a disciple as well as a disciplemaker. He is the model for both.
We see the transition from disciple to a disciple who makes disciples in Matthew 3:17 when at Jesus’ baptism, the Father announces, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus’ ministry had not yet begun, so what was it that pleased the Father? Luke gives us a clue, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Those “hidden years,” of which we have little record, were a period of his apprenticeship to the Father–a time of mental, physical, social as well as spiritual growth.
The only glimpse we have into this period of Jesus’ life is at age twelve when he was discovered in the temple in Jerusalem “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46). People observed his discipleship. Luke records, “all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and His answers” (Luke 2:47). It is hard for us to think of the Creator of the world learning anything, but being fully man and fully God, he did. Hebrews verifies this: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). Jesus was the model of a supreme disciple.
When discovered by his parents and questioned about his behavior, his response was, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father” (Luke 2:49 MSG)? We can safely assume that the next 18 years were not insignificant. Jesus was not just marking time until his grand baptismal entrance. He lived as a disciple of the Father, preparing for those three short years of ministry when he would be the superlative disciplemaker.
Parenthetically, maybe we should learn from the example of Jesus when we are eager to launch people into ministry without the adequate preparation of discipleship. It seems like our current mantra is: “Get saved, get baptized, and get busy.” And then we wonder why there is poor spiritual hearing, insufficient understanding, and very little spiritual fruit–something for thought.
In earlier blogs, I identified traits that Jesus said would be the marks of his disciples:
- Wholehearted Allegiance (Luke 9:23)
- Faithful Obedience (John 8:31-32)
- Servant Love (John 13:34-35)
- Spiritual Fruitfulness (John 15:8)
It should come as no surprise to find that Jesus demonstrated each of these traits giving us not only the instruction but the model to follow. We see his wholehearted allegiance to and reliance on the Father in John 5. “The Son can do nothing of Himself but only what He sees the Father doing.” Then as his earthly ministry is about to end, he prayed, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Another evidence is his commitment to prayer.
He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Lk 5:16). Slipping away from the crowd’s pressing needs, he would pray about significant decisions: choosing the twelve and the crucifixion.
Jesus’ life also demonstrated his love for the Father by his faithful obedience. “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me” (John 14:31). Teaching faithful obedience continues to be part of disciple-making. The Great Commission states that we are to make disciples and teach them to obey the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ just as Jesus obeyed his Father.
Regarding servant love, when Jesus said that He was giving us a “new” command to love others (John 13:34-35), he replaced the self-love model of the Old Testament law with his servant-love model. The standard for loving others is no longer how we love ourselves but how Jesus the disciple loved.
The trait of bearing spiritual fruitfulness is evident throughout the gospel narratives as Jesus went about doing good, healing, encouraging, serving, and lifting the burdens of others. His mission to establish and expand God’s kingdom was initiated and then passed on to the future generations of disciples. “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you” (John 20:21).
It still takes disciples to make disciples. They are not made by programs or institutions but by men and women who pursue knowing, reflecting, and sharing Christ, intentionally helping others do the same.
For Reflection
1. How would you describe a disciple from Isaiah 50:4-5?
2. What other illustrations can you think of where Jesus demonstrated the marks of a disciple?
So appreciate this blog, how insightful and what an encouragement in following Christ in being a disciple who disciples others!