True Meaning of Disciple
Matthew 28:16 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.”
Oh wow, where do we begin?
The word disciple is an interesting word in the Bible! In the OT it carries a different meaning than in the NT. I’m posting part of my article on Greek and Latin words in the Book of Mormon that describes this word and when it’s used.
Once again Joseph Smith went out of his way to confuse the Mormon people. Placing words in the wrong time and place prevents Mormons from discovering the historical context of what God was doing, and why Jesus used certain words and phrases with the people.
I’ve pointed out the word disciples because it’s a Latin word and because of the timing in the Book of Mormon – the BC era. (Specifically, BC 600-92.) The word disciples can be found in the Old Testament in two places. Isaiah 8:16 and 1 Chronicles 25:8.
The transliteration for disciple is: [someone who is] taught, instructed, a learner, or used. It is # 3928 in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Hebrew word for this is “limmud”.
In rabbinic Judaism it referred to someone who was an adherent of a particular teacher. Their sole task and identity in life was that of a pupil.
They were there to learn, study and eventually pass on teachings from the teacher. The existence of a disciple included question and answers, memorization, repetition and more instruction. Being a disciple was a lifetime commitment and over time through the meticulous study, they became totally devoted to the rabbi.
Smith used it incorrectly as meaning a person who is a disciple of Jesus Christ. A person cannot be a disciple of Jesus before He was born. Furthermore, this word is another example of how Smith used words in the wrong place and time to confuse the reader. The Mormon won’t have the benefit of learning about Jewish customs or rules that enhance the Christian’s understanding of the New Testament.
If Joseph Smith wanted to use the term disciple in the Greek sense of the word then he has uttered a false prophecy.
In the NT Jesus referred to the twelve as His disciples. In OT times the disciple could pick out the rabbi they wanted to follow and we see Jesus telling those He picked out to follow Him.
Following a rabbi meant leaving your family, home, career and literally everything in life to follow that teacher. Jesus’ words carried a heavy lifelong devotion and demanded a total and exclusive devotion to Him – Luke 5:27, 9:57-62.
The broader sense of the term, disciples came when Jesus told the twelve to go out and make disciples of men in Matthew 28:18-20 and numerous incidents of when the Bible referred to believers as disciples. It was used 233 times in the Gospels and 28 times in the book of Acts.
FYI: This is an updated article – originally written in 2013.