“Apostle” and “disciple” are two church words that we often use interchangeably. Indeed, in the strictest sense, and according to Luke, the apostles and the disciples are the same people (with the exception of Judas Iscariot, who was replaced by Matthias after Jesus’ ascension – Acts 1:12-26). St. Paul calls himself an apostle, but Luke, who in Acts relates the story of Paul’s missionary work in great detail, uses the term only to describe the reconstituted twelve. According to Luke, only those who knew Jesus during his earthly ministry can qualify as apostles.

We can use both terms, disciple and apostle, in a looser sense so that they describe more than just the twelve. Before we do that, however, we need to understand what each word means and the subtle difference between the two. “Disciple” comes from the Latin discipulus, which means “student.” The gospels sometimes refer to Jesus as teacher or rabbi (Hebrew for teacher), so it stands to reason that those who follow Jesus are students or disciples. “Apostle” comes from the Greek απόστολος, “one who is sent out.”

We usually distinguish between the two terms chronologically. Jesus called the disciples to follow him and to learn from him. As long as he was here on earth with the twelve, they were disciples. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, and, especially after the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they were apostles, sent out into the world. There certainly is something to this notion: Luke refers to the apostles numerous times in the Acts of the Apostles in the days following Pentecost. At the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Jesus commissions the disciples (Matt. 28:19-20), thereby “sending them out.” St. Paul considered himself an apostle, as a result of his encounter with the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8).

Yet, even the gospels use both terms nearly interchangeably. Both Mark 3:14 and Luke 6:13 identify the twelve “whom [Jesus] also called apostles.” Likewise, Matthew calls the twelve disciples in 10:1 and apostles in 10:2. In Luke 9:1-6 Jesus sends the disciples out to “proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (9:2). In 9:10 we read, “On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done,” but later in Luke’s gospel the twelve are called disciples. Even in Acts, we read of disciples as well as apostles, though there the twelve are always called apostles. “Disciple” is used in Acts to describe believers, that is, converts to Christianity, members of the Church.

While it may seem that usage of these terms in the New Testament may sometimes seem inconsistent, what is clear is that the terms are not mutually exclusive. As we see throughout the New Testament, all of us who are called by Jesus are disciples. Whether we were brought to the baptismal font as infants or have affirmed our faith in a “believer’s baptism,” we were disciples when we emerged from the water. No matter our age or years of scriptural and theological study, we are always disciples – students – of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Although Luke might not call us apostles – and surely we ought not to consider ourselves on the same level as the twelve (or the thirteen if you include St. Paul on your apostolic list) – we are “sent out” to do the apostles’ ministry of proclaiming the good news of God’s love for the ungodly. So, while we may still have a thing or two to learn about what it means to follow Jesus, we are nevertheless commissioned to continue the work he began among us.

In Jesus’ name,

Pastor Robert M. Mountenay