The relationship that Jesus had with His 12 closest disciples was a special one. They were hand-picked by Jesus after a whole night of praying about which of the larger group of disciples would get pretty much unrestricted access to Him 24/7. He was many things and filled many roles for them, but when you think of it all together, Jesus was fathering these men. He was a living expression of our Heavenly Father in their lives, and the way He treated them over the course of those years is a good pattern for us today as we try to figure out how to navigate this thing called Fatherhood.

Today’s message is focused on fatherhood and the way that Jesus treated His disciples, but the biblical principles of parenthood apply to moms and those in other relationships. We encourage you to look at how Jesus led the disciples and strive to put these lessons into practice in your life even if you aren’t a parent.