Faithimg
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15.
Jesus as Our Friend
In Jesus’ time, they did not give a slave a reason to perform a job; they had no choice but to obey.
The relationship between a Rabbi and his disciples was strictly teacher/student. There was no friendship involved.
Jesus turned the tables by defining friendship in a completely new way. Friendship with Jesus was to be a relationship of mutual respect and love, to the point of sacrificing one’s life for his friends.
Jesus was ready to show His ultimate love by giving up His own life for ours.
We might not ever need to die for anyone, but He asks us to practice sacrificial love for others.
He also defines friendship with Him in terms of obedience. We show our love for him by following His commands (even though our sinful nature gets in the way) out of respect, commitment, and love for Him.
This is not to earn His love, but because we want to obey out of our immense love and trust in Him.
And finally, He calls us friends because, unlike a servant who doesn’t know his master’s business, He has shared everything He had learned from His Father with His disciples (and us.)
There are no secrets between us. He trusts us enough to consider us confidants- sharing the very mind of God with us!
What a beautiful aspect of His friendship. Don’t we all want to have that one person who we can call day or night and talk to them about anything and everything?
Jesus is that friend. Take every burden, sorrow, secret, or trial to Him; knowing He completely understands and it will go no farther.
Let Him lead you on the path He has set before you. He truly is our most trusted friend.
