Was Jesus Really in a Closed Group?

We’ve been working through the ongoing open vs closed group debate.  And there’s been a lot of good interaction.  So much interaction that I came back a couple days later and added a kind of clarification in Open Groups, Closed Groups & Specialized Groups.  As you know, I’m a fan of open groups.

But since one of the most common observations concerned the idea that if Jesus was in a closed group, doesn’t that add validity to closed groups?  Here’s my take:

You know the story, right?  The one where Jesus goes up onto a mountain, spends the whole night in prayer, and “at daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles (Luke 6:13).”

Is this Exhibit A in the “Jesus was in a closed group” argument?  Could be.

Then there’s Matthew 10 where Jesus sends this same group of twelve on a mission trip.  Some might call this Exhibit B.  I’m not so sure.  We’re told in Luke 6:13 that Jesus “chose twelve of them to be apostles” and the word apostle means “one sent out as a messenger.”  Not thinking that’s very strong evidence that this makes the twelve members of Jesus’ closed group.  Seems to have more to do with who He would send out.  By the way, a few chapters later (Luke 10) He sends out 72.

Well…what about the Last Supper?  Would that be Exhibit C?  The Gospel accounts do tell us who ate this last meal with  Jesus, but does it tell us anything about the nature of Jesus’ small group?

Is there evidence that might support a different, more fluid group?  Probably not.  Certainly not conclusive.  If I were arguing I’d want to cite Jesus’ friendship with Lazarus, Martha and Mary.  I’d also want to point out that while the twelve seem to be accompanying Jesus where He goes, there is often a larger group along as well (and that larger group included women as well, Luke 8).

Is there any evidence to support the notion that this is Jesus’ model?  That Jesus preferred closed groups to open groups?  I don’t believe you can make that case.  There are plenty of instances where Jesus gives explicit instructions.  This is not one of them.

What Can We Learn?

Here’s what I think you can learn.  First, you can definitely learn that Jesus chose the twelve (from amongst the larger group of disciples) to be apostles (that is, to be sent out).  Although there were no doubt members of the larger group that chose to follow Jesus, He chose the twelve.

Second, we can learn that Jesus spent a lot of time with these twelve men (perhaps a year and a half) and the group doesn’t change.  At the same time, it must be acknowledged that there was a larger group

Third, Jesus chose to eat His last meal with them.

Fourth, you have to admit that Jesus spent a lot of time with those who were not included in the twelve.  Far from being an exclusive group that received all of His attention, He clearly invested in a much broader group.

Was Jesus Really in a Closed Group?

By definition, a closed group is one that doesn’t accept new members.  The closed group philosophy often includes a covenant agreement that indicates how long the group will be closed.

My personal concerns about most closed group philosophies is that they fail to take advantage of the optimum window to include the friends of the newest additions to the congregation.  After all, if I’m prohibited from inviting my closest friends from the crowd and community to join my group, how will I share what I’ve found?

Are you an idealist?  Or a pragmatist?  What kind of grouplife leader are you?  Read my next post right here: GroupLife Idealists & Pragmatists.

What do you think? Have something to add? Want to argue? Got a question? You can click here to jump into the conversation.