God of the Few

When we think about the Gospels and Jesus, we cannot help but think also about the disciples - the group of men and women who traveled with Him, who heard Him speak, who ate with Him, who gave themselves to everything to be involved in His mission and His work. 

And we know that of all the persons in all the crowds in all the places where Jesus went, there was an inner circle - a smaller group of men and women who were not just followers and not just crowds, but were disciples. Usually, we think of twelve of these men, but that's not entirely true. 

The disciples were the group who were with Him when the other folks were crying out on the sides of the road. The disciples were the group who were with Him when other folks were climbing trees to get a better look. There were persons that Jesus knew who were with Him consistently and whom He was invested in teaching even more than the crowds. 

(But let us not forget that no matter where He went, He also engaged the crowds. And individuals along the way who were not disciples.) 

But then Luke tells us that "from among His disciples, He chose 12 to be apostles" (6:13). So even from among the followers, there was an even smaller group chosen by Him to be even closer witnesses to His works. 

These are the twelve that we know. 

But we could keep going even from here. Because He chose only three from the twelve to take with Him on the mount of Transfiguration. And He chose one at the foot of the Cross. 

So always among the many, there are the few. And among the few, there are the fewer. And among the fewer, there is the one - the one who describes himself as "the one Jesus loved." 

This is important for those of us who follow Jesus. 

Many of us started among the crowds, curious and wanting to engage but not being wholly committed. And then, we wholly committed ourselves and became disciples - students of Christ, following His example, learning His teachings. 

Then, we are called. He draws us nearer to Him so that we become part of a true inner circle, a witness so close as to see and experience His miracles. He is working in our lives in ways that are wondrous, and we are blessed to be part of it. 

But then, still, we become witnesses to more marvelous things, things just a few of us may understand. Miracles that only happen to a handful like us (in contrast to the kinds of miracles that others are experiencing). Although we all may know and follow and love Jesus, the specific circumstances of our lives give us specific witness to specific kinds of things that He is doing. 

And then one day, we discover His unique individual love for us - for just us - and we become the one. And we start to describe ourselves as "the one Jesus loves." Because only when we get to this level of intimacy do we understand, for real, that He truly loves us in a way that we never could have gotten by being in the crowds. 

God is the God of the few; Jesus is the Lord of the few. He keeps narrowing and narrowing and narrowing the many until it becomes the one - until it becomes just you - and then He shows you how much He loves you by looking down from the Cross, catching your eye, and calling you beloved. 

And this moment changes everything.