Care in Jesus’ Small Group
If you have read the article about the three purposes of Jesus’ small group, you may be wondering why caring for each other wasn’t included in the list. After all, caring for members is one of the stated or unstated purposes of most contemporary small groups.
While caring for members of Jesus small group wasn’t stated as a purpose in Mark 3:14-15, a few verses later, Jesus clearly defined the quality of the relationships in that small group.
Mark 3
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus defined his small group as a spiritual family. And in a society that didn’t have social safety nets, the extended family was your primary source of care. So while it wasn’t included in the purposes of the small group, being a spiritual family was the context in which the with, like, and for purposes of Jesus’ small group were lived out.
With that in mind, we can read the gospels looking for how living as a spiritual family worked out in practice:
Some of them were actual family (Peter & Andrew, James & John)
Peter and Andrew provided accommodation for Jesus in Capernaum (Mark 1:29, 2:1)
Jesus healed Peter’s sick mother in law (Mark 1:30-31)
Jesus helped Peter with his tax (Matthew 17:24-27)
They ate together (e.g. Luke 22:14-15. In fact this particular meal was passover. A contemporary equivalent might be eating Christmas Dinner together)
Jesus served them by washing their feet (John 13:2-5)
They went on retreat together, even though they were sometimes interrupted (Mark 6:30-31, 7:24)
Jesus specifically prayed for Peter when he knew Peter was going to be tested (Luke 22:31-2)
They resolved conflicts (Mark 10:35-45)
Jesus invited the disciples to pray with him as he faced the cross (Mark 14:32-34)
Jesus organised for John to look after his mother after his death (John 19:25-27)
He graciously restored Peter after his denials (John 21)
This list shows that the care that was experienced in Jesus’ small group was comprehensive. It involved all of life, not just their ‘small group times’. This love and care was the foundation of Jesus’ Small Group. It provided the environment for the purposes of the group to be lived out.
Care in Jesus-Shaped Small Groups
Jesus' small group provides the gold standard for care in Jesus-Shaped Small Groups today. I have been in small groups that included several of the aspects of care that Jesus modelled. I am challenged to aim for more.