Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers…
(Psalm 1:1)
Blessedness or happiness is the pathway of those who conscientiously choose their "travel companions" and influences of life. Not only this psalm, but the Proverbs speak to the great wisdom of walking with the wise and godly and avoiding the foolish and worldly (Prov 13:20).
How then are we to explain the practices of the Lord Jesus? If the voice behind the voice of the psalmist is the Spirit of Christ Himself (1 Peter 1:10-12), what are we to make of a Christ who sought out and spent time with the lowest moral echelon of society? (Matt 9:11; Mark 2:16; Luke 7:39, 19:7). In a sense, is the Spirit of Christ in Psalm 1 teaching us, “Do as I say, not as Jesus does”?
Actually, those who would be Jesus’ disciples must do exactly as He did in this regard. Yes, Jesus associated with tax collectors, prostitues, and other sinners. As He explained it, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk. 5:31-32). This was not a unique task, reserved for Jesus so that you and I could remain completely cut off from the lost. We, too, must make disciples (Matt 28:19-20). Paul found our common missionary task so essential it was unthinkable that we would totally separate ourselves from the world (1 Cor 5:9-10).
Yet, Jesus perfectly exemplifies the wisdom and blessedness of Psalm 1:1 in that He very carefully chose his closest friends. The people with whom Jesus lived, traveled shared everything were a multitude of disciples. They were all people committed to the same life He was living. Luke 6:13 says that from that multitude of disciples, He chose twelve closer associates. Jesus was more intimate with these men than with any outside that circle. Within the twelve, Jesus chose an inner circle of three (Matt 17:1; Mark 14:33). Even within the three, one stood out as His closest friend (John 13:23, 19:26-27). On the other hand, those who did not share His mission were held at arms length by comparison—even His own family (Matt 12:46-50).
What Jesus models Paul teaches explicitly. We must make disciples, which requires interaction with and pursuit of the lost (1 Cor 5:9-10; 1 Thess 1:8-10). We must also reserve our closest associations, our closest friendships for those who share our love for and life in Christ (2 Cor 6:14-18).
So we find in Jesus not an exception to the rule of Psalm 1:1, but a wonderful model of it. It is essential to carefully choose those with whom we will walk the life of faith. If our closest relationships are with those who do not know Jesus, we will dry up and blow away like the chaff (Psa 1:4). But if we engage with the lost as our mission, while clinging tightly to other believers in Christ-centered, Word-saturated relationships--making them our home base, so to speak--we will be like trees firmly planted by streams of water (Psa 1:3).
Who is in your "inner circle"? Are there unbelievers that may be too close…close enough that they are having a more of an influence on you than you are on them? What about committed believers? Are you close enough that you are being mutually pulled toward greater love for Christ?
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