How many followers did Jesus have?

Answer 1

== == == == == == No, Judas wasn't his friend, and he was in the twelve. The eleven good Apostles and Paul were his friends, plus all of the O.T. saints, and all those he healed, those in the temple, excluding most if not all of the Saducees, Pharasees, and the infamous Sanhedrin. Plus, all believers during His time, after His time, and during our time are His friends too.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

anyone who belives in god the father, jesus and everyone involved with Him, tries to obey the 10 comandments and respects Him is His friend. so are his disciples and other believers at his time and also his family and God. == == == == The above is partly correct. However, I have come to believe that part of the reason why Judas' betrayal was so heinous was because he was one of Jesus' disciples (a.k.a. "students", or friends)... but that he sold out that "friendship" for his own personal gain. As foreshadowed in the Psalms...

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9 KJV) Many people who would claim to be "friends of Jesus" (or "Christians") would probably admit that there are times when we all do this: we turn from our Lord in an attempt to try to save (or serve) ourselves. Peter -- an apostle who truly loved Jesus -- did the same when he denied the Lord to save his own reputation, and to stay safe from potential danger. Or Thomas, who refused to believe that Christ had risen unless Jesus himself satisfied his demand for concrete physical evidence.

Sometimes we point these out as failings of faith, but the truth is that they are pictures of us. Take Peter for example, when he walked on the water. There was a time when Jesus came to his disciples in the middle of a storm. The disciples were in a boat, and Jesus was walking on the water. Seeing him, they thought he was a ghost, but when he identified himself, Peter asked that Jesus allow him then to come to him on the water. Jesus agreed, and then Peter too started to walk on the water. But then, looking at the dangers around him, Peter started to sink because though his faith was strong, it was not stronger than his fear. We could say that he failed to have enough faith, but then, who else even had enough faith to take a single step out of the boat? Even though he failed, at that point, Peter was still Jesus' most trusting friend.

Again we could look at Peter who -- because he thought that his friendship was unbreakable -- promised not to deny the Lord under any circumstances. But then, when the soldiers took Jesus away to crucify him, Peter did deny that he knew Jesus, three times! "How awful", we could say. But then, where were the rest of Jesus' disciples at that point? The truth is that by then the rest of them had already long abandoned Jesus as well.

The above answer also claims that Paul was Jesus' friend. And in the sense that (according to John 15: 14-15), Jesus' friends include all of those who believe and follow Christ's (i.e. God's) commands... this too is correct. However, Paul was not personally around when Jesus walked the earth. Also, Paul's story actually begins as the story of "Saul" (as he was formerly known), as being a terrible persecutor of the early church. (Before Jesus changed his heart, Saul was, in a sense, the Adolf Hitler of his day). He may have been a friend to Christ later, but at first he was very much his enemy. (This too is something that we can probably all relate to).

As for the Old Testament saints, they too were Jesus' friends chiefly in the sense that they were followers (or "friends") of God (...and thus they were friends of Jesus, because Jesus is God). However, so as to remove confusion, I'd just like to point out that they too would fall into the category of people that had not actually been around during the same time frame of years that Jesus lived here on earth as a human being.

Perhaps someone else would like to touch on some of the other types of people mentioned, but I myself will not, but will simply close in saying that there were many people who claimed to be friends of Jesus, but when put to the test, the strength of their "friendship" failed them. Also, on the other side of the coin, Jesus says that he would call anyone who does what he commands his "friend"... but then, read the rest of the chapter and see what it says... then ask yourself; who has actually done what Jesus commands? Have you? Do/will/can you?

http://kingjbible.com/john/15.htm

So who were Jesus' friends? The truth is that when Jesus walked the earth, many people (such as those whom he taught, and healed, and fed) really wanted (and claimed) to be his friends. However, we also know from scripture that aside from those that followed him to benefit from his wisdom and/or miraculous deeds, Jesus also spent a lot of time hungry and alone. This was how he died: abandoned by all of his so-called "friends"... even rejected by the one True friendship that he had in God the Father.

Jesus didn't die for his "friends", he died for people like you, and like me, (i.e. for those who were his enemies). He died for those who had despised and rejected him, for those who were certainly NOT his friends. He died because he loved us so much that he was even willing to overlook the fact that we were (and are) all, on our best days, horrible friends... (or at least, horrible so far as being friends toward him is concerned. His part of the friendship, however, was/is quite loving and good). Though I can't really think of a better reason to call someone a friend, I would venture to say that Jesus didn't die merely to win us over as friends either. The term "friend" is so much less meaningful than the closeness of relationship that Jesus is actually looking for to have with us. Jesus and God the Father's will for us was (and is) that we might accept Jesus' sacrifice for our sins so that we might be adopted right into God's family, (i.e. as "brothers & sisters").

Have you accepted Jesus' loving offer to bring you into God's family?

If not, then perhaps you should pray and ask God about it.

But if so, then I guess the only other important way of looking at the question of friendship is to ask yourself what type of relationship Jesus would like to have with you? In other words, ask yourself:

Am I his brother or sister?

Ok... but am I also his "friend"?

How can I be more of a friend (to Jesus, or to anyone else that Jesus loves)?

Now read The Bible, and find out!

Reread John 15, or the book of Proverbs, or search for "friend" anywhere else in the Bible and see what makes for a good (or bad) friend. Try here... [www.biblos.com] ...and search for "friend".

Answer 2

The gospels don't say exactly how many followers Jesus had. The Twelve Apostles were clearly his chief followers, but it's also obvious from reading the Gospels that they weren't the only ones. Many women also followed him - such as the two who discovered the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.

It is clear that Jesus was a very dynamic figure who impressed people no end. But that's not to say that everyone listened to him. Huge crowds listened to his sermons but not all of them could really be classified as followers of Jesus.

According to the Bible, the most dedicated followers of Jesus could fit inside a large room on the day of Pentecost.

Answer 3

All that believed in him were his friends, (John 15.12).
Jesus had a multitude of friends , but there is no definite number as to an how many, but he was a servant of people and everywhere jesus went, he built new relationships with people. If I had to take an educated guess , I would have to say that it would be in the ball park of 134, 769 friends while he was on this earth and then it probably multiplied from generation to generation as his legend lived on within all the families he made a difference with. Today that number could be in the upper billions . It almost like how McDonalds accumulated more customers throughout the years good reputation , well earned respect, and serving the public with the utmost hospitality, etc.. So think of McDonalds and the billions they serve now and how they made it that way, then compare that to what jesus could have done.

Answer 4

Jesus has LOTS of friends, and you are one of them!! Jesus loves us all so much that He died for YOU and me and everyone on earth. Jesus even said that if YOU were the only person on earth that He loved you so much he would have died for you. JUST YOU!!

Answer 5

Jesus is at the same time the most popular and most rejected person in history. He had many followers, but his true friends were a small group. It depends how you define friendship.