When mention is made of the disciples of Christ, thought goes back to the twelve, and the seventy. In these are supposed to be found certain characteristics that do not belong to the men and women of to-day. They are looked upon as divinely favored persons, enjoying privileges that the Christian of to-day cannot enjoy, and possessing power that is not needed in this age. Their words and works are generally considered to have been the result of a supernatural power, interposed at that time, as evidence from on high of the truthfulness of Jesus' teachings. The disciples are held to have been followers of the personal Jesus, and to have received his teachings and imparted them to others. The power to work miracles, to cast out devils, and to heal the sick is looked upon as a special gift to them, and as a sign they were sent of God, and being thus divinely equipped, they went out to assist in the establishment of Christianity.
These are some of the views held to-day regarding the first disciples of Christ. They are views that limit man's possibilities and retard the cause of Christianity. Christian Science corrects these errors, and shows that what made a disciple of Christ two thousand years ago, makes him one to-day; enjoying the same privileges and possessing the same power.
If there are disciples to-day, how can they be known? In Science and Health we read, "In Latin the word rendered disciple signifies student," This shows that a disciple was something more than a follower of the personal Jesus. Jesus had followers who were by no means disciples. The multitudes followed because of the loaves and fishes. The disciples loved Jesus and followed him; but they saw in him something that was invisible to the multitudes. They were students of the Truth he taught.
