Day 22

"Pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'"

Matthew 12:49-50

Jesus surrounded himself with people who were like family to him. Although he was a leader, a rabbi, to them, they were also a support system for him. They got him food, talked with him, prayed with him, traveled with him, and challenged him, whether knowingly or not. As he died, he appointed one of his disciples to replace him as Mary's son. He also had an "inner circle," of three of his disciples, who were even closer to him that the rest. Jesus didn't mess around as far as friendships went.

That being said, my task today was to evaluate the people with whom I spend my time. Are they uplifting me? Am I helping them? Do I have anybody in my "group" who is dragging me down, making my work and my life more difficult? Is there someone in my group who would betray me? I'm not saying that's a necessity by any means, but Jesus definitely knew what he was getting into having Judas amongst his disciples, and I should make sure I know my friends, too.

Without a great support system, Jesus would have had a much harder time doing ministry. In the Gospels, he sends all of his disciples out two by two and, "They went out and preached that people should repent" (Mark 6:12). How many more people heard the good news because Jesus had such a great community? Many times after he healed someone, he would send them back with the command to tell their families and friends about what had happened and who had done it. The love and support of a vast group of people from different walks of life helped Jesus' ministry to be exceptional.