Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Often, Jesus and his twelve disciples are depicted as traveling alone through the countryside as he ministered to the children of Israel, just thirteen men wandering from village to village, declaring the nearness of the kingdom of God. But that was rarely, if ever, the case. Most of the time, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd, and he always had many more than twelve disciples. In Acts 1:21-22, we learn of men who followed Jesus "all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that he was taken up from us", but about which we know nothing else. Near Jesus were women who followed him throughout the time he ministered on earth, paying out of their own pockets for his food and other needs (Lk. 8:2-3; Mk. 15:40-41). While Jesus ministered heavenly things to Israel, these women ministered to him the things of earth that he needed. Some of these women brought their children with them as they followed Jesus, for whenever Jesus needed a child to use as an example of meekness, he had one readily available (Mt. 18:1-3).
Jesus had disciples in abundance, and just as he, on one occasion, anointed the twelve disciples to heal the sick, so he on another occasion anointed seventy disciples and sent them throughout the cities of Israel (Lk. 10:1). It is true that Jesus chose twelve disciples to be especially close to him, but he had a large group of disciples from which to pick those twelve.
The multitude of Jesus' disciples came from every sect in Israel. He had many disciples from among the Pharisees. In Luke 12, when Jesus and his disciples passed through the midst of a cornfield, Pharisees were there to question their conduct. Why were they out in the middle of a cornfield with Jesus, seeing his disciples pull corn and eat it? They were following Jesus, along with the women and the multitude of other disciples who followed him. At another time, a large group of disciples were insulted by his teaching at Capernaum and forsook him permanently (Jn 6:66).