Study inJohn’s Gospel

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Friends With Jesus

Chap 15v12-17

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IntroductionThere is something particularly attractive about the word "friend." From early childhood having a ‘best friend” is so important. As we look on our past we can probably mark the major periods of our lives by friends we have had. We value friendship and would be much impoverished if we had no friends at all. This awareness gives these verses their special appeal, for in them Jesus speaks of friendship in terms of our relationships to him.

He says, "Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command."

Do we find ourselves asking: “Is Jesus my friend? “

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Human FriendshipClearly, Jesus intends us to contrast his friendship, which is great and perfect, with the very best of human friendships.

Jonathan and David provide us with one of the best biblical examples of human friendship. Jonathan was first in line to the throne but God made it clear that David was to be the next king. Instead of an expected antagonism we find that a beautiful friendship develops. Indeed, each man made sacrifices in order to put the other's interests ahead of his own.

Sometimes the love of a friend can lead to the ultimate sacrifice - death.

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Human FriendshipA man took his grandchild out in a boat, neither of them could swim. The child fell overboard and was drowning. The man jumped in after the child. Both drowned! When they found the bodies, the grandfather still had the young boy clutched in his arms. He had been so anxious to save his grandson that he had not even opened up his arms to attempt to swim to save himself. Such stories are sobering. It’s the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice of one's life.

Such sacrifices pave the way for our understanding of Jesus own self-sacrifice: "Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”

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Friend of SinnersBut it is not fair to talk about Jesus' sacrifice in merely human terms, for his death surpasses anything we can imagine. It clearly goes far beyond one human being voluntarily dying for another. How so? First, Jesus’ death was exceptional because Jesus was immortal and did not have to die. He could have come into this world, healing and teaching, before returning to heaven and thus avoid theexperience of death.

If we were to give our lives for someone else, we would simply be anticipating something that must eventually happen. We would however consider that we were simply dying sooner than normal.

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Friend of SinnersSecondly, the death of Jesus is exceptional in that he knew he would die. Now this is not usually the case when a man gives his life for another. Few who die in this way do so knowing in advance that they will lose their life. Rather, they usually take a risk knowing that death is possible. They think they may escape death, while yet saving their friend - like running into a burning building to save a child.

People take calculated risks and do sometimes die, but they don’t often die deliberately. In contrast, the shadow of death was something that Jesus lived with for years before the crucifixion. And he facedhis death with what Tom Swanston described as “a steady eye”.

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Friend of SinnersThirdly, when we examine Jesus’ death we find that he died for his enemies who would one day become his friends. We become friends because of his action, and by the ministry of his Spirit by which our natural rebellion against God is overcome and our hearts are drawn to love and serve Jesus. Paul reminds his Roman readership that it was, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Rom 5v8.

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Spiritual DeathThere is one more reason why the love of Jesus for his friends, seen in his death for us, is superior to all other human loves. His death was also a spiritual death, whereas ours, if we are Christians, is only physical. If we were to give our life for someone else, the death we would endure would be only physical. Clearly, we cannot die spiritually in the place of another person. But that is precisely what Jesus did!

Death is separation: 1. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body.

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Spiritual Death2. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul

and spirit from God. This is what makes hell such a terrible place; those in hell are separated from God. And because God is the source of all good - all joy, peace, love, and other blessings - hell is the opposite. It is misery, unrest, hatred, and so on.

This is the separation that Jesus endured for us. True he died physically. It was particularly painful and degrading. But the truly horrible aspect of his death was his separation from the Father when he was ‘made sin for us’ and bore sin's punishment.

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Spiritual DeathThis provides a depth of understanding to the cry wrung from Jesus lips, in the moment he cried: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" How can we adequately plumb the depths of that cry? How was it possible for the second person of the Godhead to be separated from the first person of the Godhead, even for a brief time?

But God-forsakenness was part of Jesus’ experience on the cross. He underwent the ultimate spiritual death in order that we might never have to experience it. Love like that transcends allhuman understanding.

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Spiritual DeathThese truths and more are involved in Christ's statement: "Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends." When we read that then we need to go on to say, "Yes, and greater love has no one at all than that the Lord Jesus who died for sinful men and women."

This love and friendship is truly unique and beyond compare and it poses the question, “Is Jesus your friend in that sense?” If not, then be persuaded that he certainly can be.

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Friends of JesusThe second part of our text now asks, "Are you Christ's friend?" Hence, "You are my friends, if you do what I command." Are you glad Jesus put it as he did? If he had said, ‘follow my example,’ we all would have been discouraged. How could we give ourselves as he gave himself? It is impossible for us to die spiritually for someone else.

But Jesus did not speak in these terms. Instead, he put the requirements in our terms and on our level, saying, "You can be my friends if you will only do what I command you." This means that we are to show our friendship to him by ‘simple’ obedience.

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Friends of JesusWhat is this ‘simple’ obedience? It is an obedience that is active, continuous, and unselective.

First, our obedience must be active, for Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do ...”

Sadly, some Christians talk about the Christian life negatively, as if it consisted largely in refusing to do certain things. If we think like that then, we imagine that after we have refused to lie, get drunk, have extramarital sex, and cheat in business, etc. then we have done a great deal. But we have not.

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Friends of JesusWe have obeyed negatively but not positively, and this is unfortunate because there is a great deal to do. For one thing, Christ calls upon us to love one another, and that cannot be done except in very practical ways. We are also to pray. We are to worship with other Christians. Our lives are to be outward looking and marked by good deeds.

It would make a great difference to the lives of many Christians if, as they read their Bibles and prayed each day, they would pause as part of their devotions to ask what practical things Jesus would have them do.

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Friends of JesusSecondly, our obedience should also be continuous. Jesus did not say, "If you do what I command occasionally," or "If you do it on Fridays or Sundays" or "If you do it when you feel like it." The verb used is a present subjunctive and so carries the meaning of, "If you are doing." The stress is laid upon a continuous action; day after day, year after year.

There is no retirement from being a disciple of the Lord, yet how often older Christians say, ‘I served God when I was younger, I don’t need to take the path of discipleship as seriously in my latter years’.

An older woman once said, with tears in her eyes, that despite all her best efforts to retire from God’s service, God had gently persuaded her that retirement was not an option.

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Friends of JesusFinally, we need to see that our obedience is without qualification. Jesus says, "If ye do whatever I command you." What does it mean to be Christ's friend? It means being prepared to do whatever he asks of us. We do not engage in a kind of pick and mix, selective discipleship, choosing those aspects of the Christian faith which they like while neglecting those they dislike.

Abraham, who is described in scripture as ‘the friend of God’ Jas. 2v23, demonstrated his love for God by showing that his obedience was not selective. He did not say “Ask anything of me except… the life of my son.”

Do we say to God, “Ask anything of me except…”?

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ConclusionBeing Jesus’ friend means prostrating ourselves before him and asking, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" It is only when we ask that question and mean it that we find ourselves being lifted up to do responsible work in his kingdom, and not as slave but as a friend of Jesus.

Can we bring ourselves to ask, "Am I Christ's friend by this definition?"

May God grant grace to enable us to give an unqualified “Yes” and so equip us to serve him joyfully and to the praise of his glory.

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