Disciple (Christianity)

==Undesirables==
Jesus practiced open table fellowship, scandalizing his critics by dining with sinners, tax collectors, and women.

===Sinners and tax collectors===
The gospels use the term "sinners and tax collectors" to depict those he fraternized with. [[Sinners]] were Jews who violated [[Tumah|purity rules]], or generally any of the [[613 mitzvot]], or possibly Gentiles who violated [[Noahide Law]], though [[halacha]] was still in dispute in the 1st century, see also [[Hillel and Shammai]] and [[Circumcision controversy in early Christianity]]. Tax collectors profited from the Roman economic system that the Romans imposed in [[Iudaea province]], which was displacing Galileans in their own homeland, foreclosing on family land and selling it to absentee landlords. In the honor-based culture of the time, such behavior went against the social grain.

===Samaritans===
{{Main|Samaritans}}
Samaritans, positioned between Jesus' Galilee and Jerusalem's Judea, were mutually hostile with Jews. In Luke and John, Jesus extends his ministry to Samaritans.

===Women who followed Jesus===
In Luke (10:38–42), [[Mary, sister of Lazarus]], is contrasted with her sister [[Martha]], who was "cumbered about many things" while Jesus was their guest, while Mary had chosen "the better part," that of listening to the master's discourse.  John names her as the "one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair" (11:2).  In Luke, an unidentified "sinner" in the house of a Pharisee anoints Jesus' feet.  
Luke refers to a number of people accompanying Jesus and the twelve.  From among them he names three women: "[[Mary Magdalene|Mary, called Magdalene]], ... and [[Saint Joanna|Joanna]] the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and [[Susanna (disciple)|Susanna]], and many others, who provided for them out of their resources" (Luke 8:2–3).  Mary Magdalene and Joanna are among the women who went to prepare Jesus's body in Luke's account of the resurrection, and who later told the apostles and other disciples about the empty tomb and words of the "two men in dazzling clothes".  Mary Magdalene is the most well-known of the disciples outside of the Twelve.  More is written in the gospels about her than the other female followers.  There is also a large body of lore and literature covering her.

Other gospel writers differ as to which women witness the [[crucifixion]] and witness to the [[resurrection]].  Mark includes [[Mary Jacobe|Mary, the mother of James]] and [[Salome (disciple)|Salome]] (not to be confused with [[Salome|Salomé]] the daughter of Herodias) at the crucifixion and Salome at the tomb.  John includes [[Mary, the wife of Cleopas|Mary the wife of Clopas]] at the crucifixion.

[[Dorcas|Tabitha (Dorcas)]] is the only female follower of Jesus named in the New Testament and explicitly called a disciple.<ref name=Syswerda>{{cite book|last=Syswerda|first=Jean E.|title=Women of the Bible: 52 Bible studies for individuals and groups|year=2002|publisher=Zondervan|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|isbn=0310244927|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenofbible00jean/page/214 214]|url=https://archive.org/details/womenofbible00jean/page/214}}</ref>

===Cleopas and companion on the road to Emmaus===
{{See also|Resurrection appearances of Jesus}}
[[File:Kloster Maria Engelport (2013-07-09 04b) Altar - Emmaus.JPG|thumb|Jesus with two disciples in Emmaus]]
In Luke, [[Cleopas]] is one of the two disciples to whom the [[Resurrection appearances of Jesus|risen Lord]] appears at [[Emmaus]] (Luke 24:18). Cleopas and an unnamed disciple of Jesus are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of Jesus's resurrection. Cleopas and his friend are discussing the events of the past few days when a stranger asks them what they spoke of.  The stranger is asked to join Cleopas and his friend for the evening meal.  There the stranger is revealed, in blessing and breaking the bread, as the risen Jesus before he disappears. Cleopas and his friend hasten to Jerusalem to carry the news to the other disciples, to discover that Jesus has appeared there also and will do so again. The incident is without parallel in Matthew, Mark, or John.