May 21, 2006 Read: John 15:9-17
The title “Friends of Jesus” suggests that this would be a good time to sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” But there is a problem with that. When we sing that song, we tend to see it as a song about a Jesus who takes away all our cares. But if we examine the lyrics, we find that it is not that at all. If you read the lyrics, you will find that they were written by someone with sins and grief to bear, who was lacking peace in his life, a person in pain, suffering trials and temptations, full of troubles, someone who was discouraged, sorrowful, weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care, and despised and forsaken by his friends.
None of those things went away because of the faith of the author. So, his words are not about a Jesus who magically takes away all our cares. Instead, they are about a Jesus who stays with us through all our cares.
That is a good statement of what friendship meant in the first-century Mediterranean world inhabited by Jesus and his disciples. Friendship to them was a serious matter. It was an honor, to be sure, but it also came with some obligations. To be a friend meant looking out for the welfare of the other, and putting the friend’s needs on an equal level with your own.
When Jesus calls the disciples "friends" he is saying that he has some expectations of them. He has shared with them what the Father has revealed to him. Now their job is to go out and bring this message to the world.
In order to prepare them for this mission, Jesus has been testing them, challenging them, and teaching them during his public ministry. Now he is calling upon them to be his friends, to accept the challenge that is presented by that relationship. That takes work and requires commitment. The kinds of friendships Jesus asks for require risk, change, pain and effort.
Fortunately, Jesus promises us some help in our efforts. He makes the astounding statement (v. 16) that the Father will give us whatever we ask in his (Jesus’) name. Now, our minds read that as a promise of anything we want. But read it more carefully. Jesus says whatever you ask “in my name.” That means something more than asking for next week’s lottery numbers, or a win for your favorite sports team. It means asking for what Jesus would ask for. It means asking for what God wants and wills to do through us.
Jesus broke down boundaries by calling his disciples friends. We, too, have the chance to break down barriers, by reaching out in friendship to those who are different from us. Friendship, you see, means being companions on the way. One mark of that friendship is confidence that the other will follow through. Jesus expects our lives to make a difference because we know him. That’s what Jesus envisions for us when he dares to call us friends.