“And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (those whom he named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.” Mark 3:13-14
If ever anyone could have succeeded in living a solitary life, it was Jesus. During His time on earth, I’m sure He could have thrived as a loner. But He didn’t. Jesus chose to cultivate meaningful relationships. If He did so, and seeing how He is our great Role Model, shouldn’t we?
At the outset, God made it clear that it was not good for the man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Relationships are an important part of life. Our highest priority is our relationship with God. Our second highest priority (if there is such a thing as two priorities) is our relationship(s) with others. No matter how you slice it, relationships are very, very important.
I love the examples that Jesus provides, and I long to emulate them in my own life:
The center – At the very center is His relationship with the Father. Nothing compares to this, and nothing interferes with it. His entire time on earth revolved around the Father – obeying Him, pleasing Him, being with Him again. Nothing mattered more.
The inner circle – Jesus had best friends. He had an inner circle that consisted of Peter, James, and John. When major things were going on in His life, He wanted His three BFF’s around.
The twelve – Go out a little further and you find the twelve disciples. Kind of like a “small group,” these were the people Jesus did life with. There were others, for sure (such as the women who supported His ministry and to whom He was close), but the twelve held a special place.
The seventy-two (or seventy, depending on your translation) – This was a slightly larger group of people in Jesus’ life. They were important. They did ministry together. They were probably around for many of the things the twelve experienced.
My point is that Jesus saw the value of relationships. He made sacrifices to engage those around Him. We see this time and time again. It is important that we do the same. I need to hear this more than anyone I know. Let’s endeavor to pursue real relationships – together.
