Jesus and the Few: the Neophyte

Who Went on Jesus' First Preaching Tour?

Mid-Summer, AD 27

Jesus and his First Disciples

Jesus picked up his first disciples in the late winter or early spring of AD 27, down by the river Jordan where the Baptist was preaching..  The disciples' names that we have of this encounter are Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael. Another disciple, un-named, was also there; he was most likely John son of Zebedee. Either then or soon after, Jesus would also have picked up John's brother James to join his team.

With this team of six, Jesus attended a wedding in Cana and visited with Peter's wife and mother-in-law in Capernaum, where he brought along his four brothers. Then came Passover. Jesus went to Passover in Jerusalem, taking along several if not all six of his disciples. In Jerusalem he overturned tables in the temple and met secretly with Nicodemus, who is accused by some of being the richest Pharisee in Judea.

Jesus remained in Judea at an un-named water source where he preached and his disciples baptized in his name. He stayed there until the Baptist was arrested, then returned to Galilee via Samaria. We know his disciples were with him because he sent them into the Samaritan town to buy food.

Jesus was rejected at Nazareth, probably because he was in the process of moving his home to Capernaum. Near Capernaum, in the summer of AD 27 he called four of his disciples to become "Fishers of Men." These first four were Peter, Andrew, James and John. They followed him to the synagogue where he preached and cast a demon out of of a man that was there.

At Peter's house afterward he healed Peter's mother-in-law, who was probably the owner of the house where he and Peter and Andrew were staying. (Peter was raised in Bethsaida, and possibly moved to Capernaum when he got married.)

And after all that, Jesus went on his first preaching tour in Galilee. Who went with him? Almost certainly he would have brought the four Fishers of Men with him. Possibly Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew) and Philip went with him also.

Who else? Jesus had not called Matthew yet (also known as Levi the Tax Man); this would not occur until the Autumn of AD 27.  Jesus had not named his twelve apostles yet; this would not occur until the Spring of AD 28. by that time, somewhere along the way Jesus had gathered more than twelve disciples from  among whom he could choose the Twelve.

We are not used to thinking of Jesus with a small band of disciples; our notions are generally of the twelve plus others--and we forget the three female disciples: Joanna, Susanna, and the Magdalene. Completely left out is Peter's wife, who may have been a fourth female disciple.

For the first year of Jesus' ministry, therefore, Jesus was the leader of a quite small band. In the second year, Jesus begins to heal multitudes and attracts much attention and many disciples.

Like Jesus, we can expect to start small. And like Jesus, our ministries can grow as needed and provided through the will of the Father and the enabling of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus started small. So must we.