Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 13:1). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Several times throughout the New Testament Jesus references “his own.” While we believe that Jesus came for all men, and for us, it’s also clear that He had a specific ministry and responsibility to a smaller sphere of influence. Even the phrase “his own” may be addressing different groups depending on the context. For example in this case, John prefaces the Last Supper with this verse which seems to indicate his own referring to the disciples. In other parts, John says “his own received him not” which seems to indicate the larger Jewish population.
Jesus didn’t come to reach every human the same. He didn’t spend his years traversing the entire globe to make sure that every person born in his life time knew who He was. Jesus did not die on the cross and get spit upon by the native American, the Incan, the Mayan, the Aborigine or any of the lost people groups.
Jesus came to be a servant most closely to twelve men. He came to give his mother’s care to one of those men. He came to directly confront the Pharisees. He came to pull one man up back to walking on the water. He came to bring a specific brother back to his sisters. Jesus had to follow the Spirit’s lead to reach one woman with five husbands.
Take a step back. What is the point of all of ministry? Worship, and following the Spirit is worshiping God by obedience. Because we want things to be easy, we tend to think generically, like I need to go reach more people, or I need to serve more. While those are definitely good things, they may not be the worshipful thing. Confusing actions and good intent cannot replace following the Spirit; they only leads to legalism, not the will of God. I do think that God will impress on you at times the big picture, and big directions in your life, we definitely need those. But it seems to me that the “normal” course of our day includes the people that God considers “our own.”
The good thing is that you can’t go wrong by following the Spirit. You cannot follow the Spirit too much. We deceive ourselves into thinking we’re following the Spirit, but focusing on obeying the Spirit leaves you in a place where it becomes God’s responsibility to lead you correctly.
In my life right now, the Spirit is not making some radical call. But He is making a fundamental call. Be changed by the Word. Love the people God calls my own.