And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Mathew 4:18-22 NKJV

The other eight who were called: Mathew the tax collector, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, which tradition suggests these five worked as common laborers, Simon the Zealot who belonged to a radical Jewish group that strongly opposed Roman rule, and lastly Judas Iscariot who was the group's treasurer.

Most students of the Gospels come to the realization that the disciples never fully understood Jesus' mission, let alone his personhood until after his death, resurrection and ascension. They saw him as the Messiah of a new Israelite Kingdom on earth in which they would hold important positions. Many of the miraculous signs he performed actually puzzled them greatly, as when he calmed the storm or fed a great multitude with only five loaves and two fish.

Luke records that certain women were in the company of the disciples who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. One of these was Mary Magdalene from whom seven demons had been cast out. Luke also mentions a Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, steward to Herod Antipas, and a woman named Susanna (Luke 8:2-3).

All four Gospels mention Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary, the mother of James and Joseph (the sons of Alphaeus). And Mark also mentions a woman named Salome which tradition holds was the wife of Zebedee and mother of the disciples James and John. These women and many others were witnesses of Jesus' crucifixion. It was Mary Magdalene who was the first to see the risen Lord. She, the other Mary, and Salome had come to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with spices they had brought. They were informed by an angel that "He is not here; he has risen." Astonished, they hurried away but Mary Magdalene was compelled to return and it was then that Jesus appeared to her as she wept outside the tomb.

Lastly, in the Gospel of John we learn of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, who lived in Bethany of Judea. It was this Mary who anointed Jesus' feet with an entire jar of expensive perfume. This event is recorded in all four Gospels and occurred when Jesus was at the home of a certain Pharisee by the name of Simon the Leper, whom tradition claims was healed by Jesus.

On his way to Jerusalem Jesus passed through Jericho. Sitting by the roadside was a blind beggar, Bartimaeus by name, who inquired what was going on. Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, he was told. Whereupon he began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Some told him to be quiet but that did not deter him. In the end he was brought before Jesus who asked him, "What will you have me do for you?" To which the man answered, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately, his vision was restored but instead of leaving he followed Jesus. Mark 10:46-52

There was another person in Jericho who wanted to meet Jesus. His name was Zacchaeus and he had a problem... Well, maybe more than one. He was rather short of stature and he was the chief tax collector and quite wealthy, so naturally this did not endear him to many people. His solution to the first problem was to climb up a tree so he could see Jesus passing by. To his amazement, when Jesus reached the spot he stopped, looked up, and said, "Zacchaeus, come down... I must stay at your house today." The heart of Zacchaeus was so moved that later he vowed to be as generous with his money as Jesus was with his acceptance of sinners. Luke 19:1-10

The first of these two men was Joseph of Arimathea. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin which can be best described as the Jewish Supreme Court with authority in all civil and religious matters. Jesus, after his arrest, stood trial before this court which eventually charged him with blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God (Mark 14:61-64). The Sanhedrin did not have the authority to carry out capital punishment so they led him away to appear before Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, whereupon they accused Jesus of a number of trumped up charges.

Now Joseph by all accounts was a disciple but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. And Luke adds that Joseph, at the trial, had not consented to the Sanhedrin's decision. Joseph figures prominently because after the crucifixion he went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. When Pilate consented, Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. According to John's gospel, Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus the other secret disciple. It was Nicodemus who came to Jesus one night to have a discussion.

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him. Before he could continue Jesus abruptly interrupted him by saying, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. To which Nicodemus asked, how can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born! John 3:2-4

And so began a discussion about the meaning of being born again. Jesus answered, Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:5-6