What are friends for?

‘I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father. You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. This, then, is what I command you: love one another.’         (verses 15-17)

Read John 15:12-27

Friends share. They share mutually interesting activities. They share meals. They share their joys and their sorrows. They might share their holidays.

Jesus calls his disciples his friends. They’ve shared so much as they’ve spent time together day after day. Above all, Jesus has shared with them the good news of the Father’s love for people.

And it’s because of this shared knowledge that the disciples share something else with Jesus: his ministry. It will soon be their task to carry on with the work of extending the kingdom of God.

Because we are Jesus’ disciples, he also calls us his friends. He has shared with us, too, the wonderful news of God’s love for the world.

So guess who now shares in Jesus’ ministry by carrying on where he and those first disciples left off? After all, what are friends for?

Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of being your friends. Help us carry out the responsibilities that also come with our special relationship with you. Amen.

by Grace Simpson, in ‘New Strength for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 1998)

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