LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY FRIEND

Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants, for 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 15:15 NIV)

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  (John 17:3 NIV)

We talk about God in the third person. We teach about God. However, we don't teach about our spouses or about our good friends. We introduce them, not teach about them. Too often we relate to God as a myth or a theorem to be talked about and not as a friend to be introduced.

-- Adapted from Norman Shawchuck in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

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JESUS WEPT

It was customary in ancient Israel to bury someone on the day of death. After death, the Talmud prescribed seven days of deep mourning and thirty days of light mourning. So [after Lazarus died] Jesus shows up right in the middle of their deepest sorrow and grieves with them. John 11:35 simply says, “Jesus wept.”

It’s one of the shortest verses in the Bible, but it speaks volumes. And I’m not sure the English translation does it justice. The force of the Greek verb tense suggests that Jesus bursts into tears. This was not a measured response. Jesus literally lost it. It reveals how much Jesus loved Lazarus. It also reveals a God who sheds tears! And He doesn’t just cry over us, He collects our tears in a bottle (see Psalm 56:8).

Your tears are precious to God. Whether they are tears of joy, tears of sorrow, or tears of pain -- not one teardrop is lost on God.

If you’ve endured the type of loss Mary and Martha experienced [in losing their brother], you know that sometimes you need a shoulder to cry on. I’m grateful for those friends who seem to show up when everybody else disappears. Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (see Proverbs 18:24), and His broad shoulders can bear any burden. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible”

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GRACE REDEFINED PETER’S IDENTITY

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter said, ‘You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter answered, ‘Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of My sheep.’ The third time He said to Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ He said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My sheep.’” (John 21:15-17)

Right there, Jesus did more for Peter -- and more for us -- than we can imagine. Jesus was telling Peter that he wasn’t finished. Peter was going to be the rock on which the mission of God would be established and carried forward. Jesus was telling Peter that his identity wasn’t going to be a denier of Jesus. (See Luke 22:54-62 for Peter’s denial of Jesus.) He was going to be a hero of faith and a legend in the church. In fact, Peter would one day very soon preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and three thousand people would be saved that day (Acts 2:14-42).

Sure, there were consequences to Peter’s denial of Jesus. Two thousand years later, we’re still studying the story. Peter’s denial didn’t get swept under the rug or erased from the memory bank of humanity. There were consequences for Peter, just like there are consequences to your decisions and my decisions, too.
 
Yet Jesus never focused on the failure. He focused on the restoration. Grace removed Peter’s guilt, and grace also removed Peter’s shame. Peter’s identity was no longer wrapped up in the denial. Peter failed, but he wasn’t a failure. He wasn’t useless. Peter’s life was no longer marked by shame. Grace redefined Peter as a friend and family member of God Almighty.
 
That’s what the grace of God does for you and me, too.
 
 -- Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table” 

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WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

“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 15:5 NKJV)

When Jesus began His ministry to make the invisible God visible, He wasted no time gathering disciples, whom He called friends (John 15:15). In fact, Jesus was criticized for some of His friendships (Luke 7:34). But He persisted – and still persists – in embracing those who would embrace Him (John 15: 14, 16). What greater honor can there be than publicly to be called God’s friends?

God calls us to be His friends. What does friendship entail? Surely it involves spending time, sharing delights, bearing problems, and divulging intimacies. It requires common interests and shared values, similar objectives and unity of heart. Most of all it involves laying down your life for your friends (John 15:13) – and that is exactly what Jesus did for us. It is true that “there are ‘friends’ that destroy each other” (Proverbs 18:24a). They do it by controlling, demanding, betraying, and abusing. They are friends in name only. But a “real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24b). And that is the kind of friendship God extends to us – incredibly – and expects from us in return. 

– Excerpted from “Daily Study Bible for Men” with daily studies by Stuart Briscoe

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FRIENDS OF JESUS

“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 15:15 NIV)

In the middle of His last instructions to His disciples before He was betrayed, tried, and crucified, Jesus explained that they should see themselves as His friends, not as His servants. It was an important distinction. Good servants work hard for the master and are loyal and faithful. But they don’t ask why. They aren’t privileged to know the master’s plans, reasons, and motives. They simply obey.

Friends, however, enjoy a close relationship. They share experiences and information. They know each other well, and they move together in the same direction. Jesus had revealed to these men all that He had learned from His Father. They truly were His friends.

Twenty centuries later, we who name Christ as Savior also stand as His friends. He has given us the Bible, His written Word, to study and apply and the Holy Spirit to teach us (John 14:26). We can know the Master’s business.

When you don’t know which way to turn, ask God. He will answer because Jesus is your friend. When you feel all alone, turn your thoughts homeward, remembering that Jesus is your friend. He’s here when you need Him. 

-- Dave Veerman, as quoted in “His Passion: Christ’s Journey to the Resurrection”

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