No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know
what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all
things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15
Friendship is a mutual relationship. The idea that “If you’re my friend, I’m your friend” was a well-established concept long before Facebook. Christ calls believers friends and goes on to say that He lays His life down for His friends (John 15:13-14). Clearly, this is no ordinary friendship.
Communication, shared interests, and companionship are three aspects that bind friends together. The closer the friendship, the fewer the secrets. Jesus told His disciples that He revealed to them the whole counsel of God. He told them His plans, His schedule, and His method of doing things. Angels don’t know any of that; they’re just servants. Christ shares these things with us, because He’s our Friend.
The Savior is the “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19). He wants to save us and we want to be saved. Faith is nothing more than agreeing with Christ that what He says is true and that we’re going along with His plan. We are not servants who earn our favor with the Master by doing work for Him. No, He’s our Friend, and we work together for a common purpose.
He is the “friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24), which goes far beyond casual friendship. We can cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He’s there when we need Him and never seems to get bored when we ramble on in prayer.
Now, we get to the part that I don’t understand. With such a Friend like Jesus, why would anyone “de-friend” Him? Yet it happens all the time. People stop praying, stop talking. They try carrying their load of sin and grief by themselves instead of putting on the Master’s yoke. It boils down to losing faith: No longer agreeing with Him that He’s right. I hear what they’re saying, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense. They just need to return to the Lord. He still wants to be their Friend.
September 21
