Friendship 预览

The Close and The Crowds

Jesus was a friend of the close and the crowds. The close were those who were around Him a lot, yet He also made friends with the crowds. His disciples journeyed with Him and were often around. Through the Scriptures, we see Jesus taking others up on a mountainside and in the garden. He wanted His close friends to go away with Him for a bit. You and I need close friends. However, what we do not need is a ton of close friends. A Russian proverb says, “An old friend is better than two new ones.” It does not matter how many Facebook friends you have, right? Not all of them are real friends; many are acquaintances. Keep a few friends close, just like Jesus did. Invest in those close friendships, so they grow and flourish.

In Matthew, we read that Jesus felt compassion for the crowds. We want to be able to have crowds of friends. They could be acquaintances at the office, friends on the football team, wherever you’re cruising along, or friends in big settings. We need big friendships. 

What Jesus models are the balance between being an introvert and being an extrovert, isn’t it? Extroverts tend to like the crowds a lot more, while introverts tend to like just a few close friends. It’s the picture of my marriage. I’m an extrovert. I love to be with more people. My wife likes it a little bit smaller. She’s an introvert. We will go to a party or outing, and she will ask, “How do you walk around and talk to everybody at the party? How do you do that?” This is what I tell her: “I’m shallow, okay? That’s how.”

Jesus was the perfect blend of extrovert and introvert, wasn’t He? We see Him go away in solitude on the mountain. We see Him teach a small group of disciples. But we see Him on the hillside, having compassion for the crowds. Jesus was that perfect connection, and that’s what the church has to be. Christians should be a connection between the close and the crowds. We want to reach the world, but at the same time, we want to have groups and Bible studies where we connect with one another on a personal basis. It’s the crowd and the close.