Focusing on Twelve

Here is a photo of the Haeussler Clan at Nana Pat's a few years ago. It's amazing how fast the kids grow (I use to roll my eyes when adults would say that when I kid.) But heck, look at Alyssa Haeussler in the photo, now she is a big time High Schooler about to make her second mission trip to Cambodia! Look at little Trinity now a star citizen at her elementary school! JD is now a basketball stud! My little Daniel, sitting on Mommy's lap, and he just finished his second wrestling season with a 9-5 record! I sure am proud of our family!

Now on to our study...... we'll look at the final verses in John Chapter 2. John Chpt. 2: 23 and 24..."Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he know what was in man".

This passage shows that Jesus' bold acts at the time were drawing attention to himself. The buzz was out about the amazing things Jesus was doing and the bold confrontations to the power structure. He was probably doing what many people desired for decades, he "called-out" the corruption everyone knew about. It is interesting to me that Jesus was not really focused on pouring his earthly ministry into the masses of people at the time. God had a bigger plan. Instead of reaching the thousands, he chose to reach billions over time through very few. Jesus poured his life and teaching into only 12 disciples, who would expand God's Kingdom through the help of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. These disciples would chronicle Jesus' teachings in order to pass on this precious message to people over time. Jesus' life is so well documented for us to learn and enjoy in the Bible thousands of years later. Jesus' focus on the disciples, not the masses of people was such a blessing to us today. God's plan was so much larger than anyone thought.

Often times we take for granted the masterful planning God accomplished and is continuing. We can see the life of Jesus so clearly today. The Bible is a precious work and we can be thankful God choose to pour his teaching into a chosen 12 as opposed to a message to masses of people that would get diluted and corrupted.

"Dear Jesus, thank you for your focused teaching. Your Word is a masterpiece. Amen"