Probably not news to you, but I’ll share it just in case.

What you describe echoes a hierarchy of relationships that we see Jesus modeling for us.

Imagine a series of concentric circles.

The outer ring represents the multitudes/everybody, the vast majority of whom are strangers to us but whom we might encounter by chance.

Next ring to the inside are the followers — numbering in the hundreds if not thousands, these are not necessarily believers but are perhaps curious. In our lives, these may be people with whom we have a nodding acquaintance.

Next are the disciples — believers, numbering in the dozens. In our lives, these are people with whom we may be able to initiate a conversation. We know their name and we may know a a little bit of personal information about them.

Next are the 12. Close friends. People with whom we work or socialize. We share some thoughts and dreams but not our whole lives.

Moving further inward, the next ring represents the three. For Jesus, these were Peter, James and John. People with whom you are intimate. Your small group. Helping each other through the tough times.

In the center, is one person. For Jesus, that was Peter. Your most intimate relationship. Perhaps your spouse. Perhaps the Lord.

There’s a lot of spiritual and social significance we can derive from studying this and I don’t pretend to have it all figured out. One thing I find interesting, however, is that if this was the social life of Jesus, then perhaps this should provide a model for how we structure our relationships. If you think about it, this is about how our lives break down.

Food for thought.