Although the term is most often used to describe The Twelve Apostles, certain others, including Paul and Barnabas, were also designated as apostles according to God's purpose at a given time. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to the twelve apostles.. The apostles chosen by Jesus were meant to accompany him on his journeys, watch his actions, learn from his teachings, and then eventually carry on for him after he was gone. Some disciples had humble professions such as fishermen while others had less respected professions such as tax collectors and theives. According to John Gill’s commentary, “they were learners before; now being instructed, they are sent forth to preach publicly, and therefore are called apostles, or messengers.” List of the 12 Apostles’ Names Apostles Were All Disciples; Not All Disciples Were Apostles Apostle is derived from the Greek word, pronounced ap-os-tol-os, which means messenger, or ambassador. Question: "How old were Jesus’ disciples?" The 12 disciples are first called “apostles” in Matthew 10:2. Jesus saw the potential in them and told them He would make them fishers of men. In addition, the gospels and the Book of Acts refer to varying numbers of disciples that range between 70 and 120 to a "growing multitude".. Were any of Jesus' disciples married? In Christian theology and ecclesiology, apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament.In addition to Christian theology, Islamic theology also acknowledges the apostles in the Quran. Answer: The Bible does not specifically give the ages of any of the original twelve disciples. In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. All twelve ate the Passover meal with Jesus at the last supper ( Luke 22:7 , 14 ), something in which only Jews would participate. Matthew writes directly about Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14), and Paul references other disciples being married in 1 Corinthians 9:5 when he says he has a right to marry a believing woman because Peter, Jesus' brothers, and other apostles had married. The apostles of Jesus were called on different occasions by Jesus to aid in His own work, irrespective of where they were from or their varied professional backgrounds. First, Scripture teaches Jesus was about 30 years old when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:23). The 12 apostles, or disciples, came from a variety of backgrounds and professions. However, a few observations can be made regarding their ages. All twelve of the apostles were born in Israel and were Jewish by both descent and by religious practice. They were supposed to receive additional instructions not meant for other disciples who might accompany Jesus along the way. At least some of Jesus' disciples were married.