Friendship—It's Complicatedಮಾದರಿ

Day 8

If we are to follow in the 𝘞𝘢𝘺, 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 and 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 of Jesus, we can see that He gave us the 𝘞𝘢𝘺 to walk in relationship with others. Jesus operated intentionally with three, twelve, seventy-two, and the multitudes. These were His circles.

From New Testament scripture, it seems that even Jesus knew that twelve people were nine too many to invite into every part of His life. And honestly, even the three didn’t know everything about Him, only the Father and Holy Spirit knew all of Him. This is why Jesus would often choose solitude over connection with others: because the deepest, most vulnerable moments of His life were laid bare before the Ones He was in relationship with from the dawn of time. So, before we examine the nature of Jesus’s circles, let’s reflect on our own lives for a moment. How often do we go to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with all that we are before we run to another person.

He had His three, He had His twelve, and He also went after the seventy-two. Jesus was focused and on a mission with the seventy-two. He knew there were countless people who needed to hear and see the goodness of the gospel, and He needed workers to get it done. Therefore, His seventy-two disciples were appointed, trained, and sent to spread the gospel at a rapid rate. This was a wave of mobilization that gave momentum to the birth of the early church.

Jesus walked with His three, twelve, and seventy-two, but He also knew the multitudes. He healed and ministered to the crowds while also keeping a Holy discernment of when to step away and get time alone with His closest people and most importantly, time alone with His Father. Jesus knew the perils of a crowd. In His time, it was a crowd that praised Him one moment and crucified Him the next.

It’s through studying Jesus’s relationships that I’ve formed and solidified my own circles. At the center of it all is God and my family. Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit get and know all of me. My family is here too as they see the good, the bad, the ugly and I see this of them. My central circle is built on the foundation of Christ, with the people whom I love and who love me no matter what the season brings. Outside of that central circle are the three, the twelve, the seventy-two, the multitudes, and different circles that include close extended family, peers, and so on. These circles are modeled after the relationships Jesus built. Jesus had incredible intentionality in His relationships and I encourage you to take moments of reflection to think about how your own circles reflect this Biblical model.

Reflection Points

•How often do we go to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with all that we are before we run to another person?

•Who are you in a gospel-centered community with? Who are the twelve you do life with? Who are the seventy-two with whom you are linking arms to share the good news of the gospel?

•Jesus had a trusted three He brought close to do the deep parts of His life with. Who do you bring close to see the things of God come to pass in your life? Who do you bring close to see the kingdom of God come here on the earth as it is in heaven? We need a close circle of trusted friends just like Jesus did.