Disciples And Friends

Disciples and Friends

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

The men Jesus chose to be his disciples weren’t—by modern standards, at least—obvious choices. Andrew, Peter, James, and John were fishermen with little power or influence. Matthew was a tax collector, and although he probably had more wealth than most, he was hated by many. Yet Jesus, in his wisdom, chose them to be part of his motley crew.

What if they were chosen specifically because of their lack of external trappings? Someone with great power or political leanings may have brought their own agenda to the table. And Jesus spoke many times about how wealth can be a burden that easily lures us away from our focus on him. Considering that, maybe it’s actually not as much of a surprise to consider who Jesus chose.

I appreciate how John 15 gives us some insight into Jesus’ intentional approach to friendship and what kind of friend he was to the disciples. First, he chose them. He didn’t just stumble into his relationships. He was intentional in choosing the people who were in his inner circle. He also trusted them. Although the relationship may have started on unequal terms, Jesus didn’t consider his disciples merely servants carrying out his will, but true friends he confided in. Finally, we see that they had common goals. Because they were all on a mission together—spreading the grace and truth Jesus brought to the world through his death and resurrection—Jesus knew they would continue on even after his ascension.

Jesus appointed his friends to carry out his work, in his name. He trusted them to relay the teachings he had given them and follow the path he’d set before them.

It’s said that we mirror the five or so people we are closest to. Do your closest relationships model the example Jesus and his disciples set? If not, how can you work toward more intentional, trusting, on-mission friendships?

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Consider the five people you’re closest to, then spend some time praying for each of them.