“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

 

It’s time to visit with a Friend

 

Friendships are special. To have a friend that is open and honest, with nothing hidden, is extremely special, and rare.

 

Most of us have many friends, but the friendships we have differ vastly. For those of us who have “friends” on Facebook, the “friends” range from numerous vague or past acquaintances to 1 or 2 BFFs. That’s really a good overview of all friendships in our lives. For Christians, however, there is a friendship that is unique—a one of a kind friendship!

 

John 15:15 is a quote from Jesus: “I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Jesus has called us His friends, and the proof He gives for that is that He’s been completely open and honest with us. He hasn’t held any information back from us that we need to have. He has shared His heart with us, and therefore, the heart of His Father.

 

Jesus uses the word “henceforth,” meaning that “prior to,” we were not in this relationship. Prior to Jesus coming to us, we had limited information. The information that the everyday person had of God came through specific people like priests and prophets. There wasn’t a personal relationship, and certainly not one that we would classify as a friendship.

 

This passage reminds us that the former relationship correlated with that of a slave or servant. We knew what we needed to know when we needed to know it, and that was it. We didn’t have a connection that allowed us an intimate insight into the Father’s heart. But Jesus changed all that. John 1:18 says this: “The much-loved Son is beside the Father. No man has ever seen God. But Christ has made God known to us.” That’s pretty significant!

 

Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He spoke these words. We, too, are His disciples if we love Him and have received His forgiveness. Although we don’t have Him physically with us as they did, He did leave us His Word through which He shares with us the things He shared with His disciples—all that we need to know. The relationship of friends can be just as real in our lives today if we will take the time to nurture the friendship.

 

Matthew Henry, the commentator, reminds us that “there are many things which we must be content not to know;” but these are not things that would hinder us or leave us blind in the “unknowing.” All that we need to know is written down for us. So every day, we should grab a cup of coffee, sit down with our friend, and have a good visit!

 

 

Reminder: Jesus’ friendship is a revelation of the Father and His heart to me