What a Friend We Have...

What would we consider true friendship? Is it someone who hang out with you whenever you call? Is it someone with common interests?

Most of us would say we have at least one “true” friend. Likely we also have numerous “lesser” friends, and finally some acquaintances and coworkers. Facebook allows us to categorize friends now I think, and in all honesty, I could probably place people in the proper category fairly easily. Some of you would be “Close Friends,” some “Work” and others “Acquaintances.”

Juliet used to make fun of me because I always used the word friend to describe anyone who I felt a connection with. She informed me that acquaintance was usually a more fitting term for the majority of people that I was referring to as friends. In reality, most were simply co-workers with shared common interests.

If I were to list my closest friends, I would say it would top out around 10 total, with 2 specifically standing above the rest. But what is it that places those 2 people higher than the 10, and those 10 higher than the hundreds of people I know? 

I want to focus less on the answers to those somewhat rhetorical questions, and rather look at probably the greatest example of friendship in all history. That of Jesus, and his closest disciple, John.

Now before the theologians and scholars come running, I am well aware that Peter is generally spoken of more as being closest to Christ. But if we really look at it, it is John who has the closest relationship of his 3 inner disciples (Peter, James and John).

Jesus and John’s relationship is similar to that of an older and younger brother. John is the youngest of the disciples, and is more introverted than someone like Peter. Jesus loved John like a kid brother, like family.

We can see this in the 5 books of the Bible penned by John (Gospel of John, 1,2 and 3 John and Revelation). Take a moment and think about what John was privy to...

He had breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday for 3 years with Jesus. 

-He was informal with him, could laugh with him, and at one point even sings with him. It is very close to what we would consider a “best friend”ship now days. Except it was more. 

-John is with Jesus when he is transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration, and is eyewitness to Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus. While Peter begins running his mouth about buidling a house at that site to commemorate it, John is quietly contemplating what he is witnessing. For a devout Jew of that day, seeing Moses and Elijah in one location had to be like seeing your greatest heroes in front of you at the same time. It must have been amazing.

John is the disciple in charge of arranging the Last supper, and seats next to Jesus. At the end of the meal, Matthew’s gospel tells us, they sang a hymn together. 

-John is the first to ask if he is the one whom Jesus predicts will betray him. He loves Jesus so much and is so worried that He might be the one, that he cannot contain his question. He probably was desperately hoping Jesus wasn’t referring to him.

-When Jesus prays at Gethsemane, John is seated closest to him. He likely sees Jesus sweat blood while praying. When Judas betrays Jesus, John is there.

-After Jesus’ capture, John follows him to the false trials and accusations. He is witness to the beatings and humiliation that his friend and savior is experiencing. 

-John is at the foot of the cross, and Jesus appoints him to look after his mother. Appointing someone that high of a task is a sign that Jesus fully trusts John and that their relationship is close.

-When the women see the empty tomb and tell the disciples, John is the first to arrive. 

-John would have witnessed Jesus appearing to the disciples and then to as many as 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15). Finally, John witnesses Jesus’ final commission and ascension into Heaven. 

Now, imagine seeing your closest friend go through all of that pain and suffering. Imagine witnessing all of this, knowing he would rise again from death, but still mourning the loss. Imagine the excitement seeing your friend rise again in victory---imagine your friend is the Lord of Heaven and Earth....

-John becomes the preacher who helps teach and train many of the early church leaders. He establishes congregations. 

-John lives through two horrible season of Christian persecution under Nero (considered the worst persecutor of Christians in history). 

The other 11 disciples all die martyrs deaths, and the Roman Government tries to kill John by burning him alive in oil. Miraculously he survives. 

Does John throw in the towel and say that’s enough? NO. His friend and savior died for his sins, and commissioned him to preach the good news to the world. John continues preaching, likely scarred all over from the burning. 

During this time as well, Many Christians from John’s congregation would have been tortured and murdered. Imagine being a preacher and each day seeing a new stack of naked, dead bodies of your congregation members. Imagine each day having to read the list of the brothers and sisters in Christ who had died.

Would you put yourself through all of this if you weren’t absolutely convinced of the truth of Salvation in Christ? 

We can know that what Jesus and the early church fathers said is true because they were so convinced of Jesus being God that they were willing to die and be tortured, yet never recanted the faith. 

In addition, Over 500 witnesses saw Jesus in his resurrected, glorified state (a preview of what believers can expect in future glorified bodies). John literally spent every day with Jesus for 3 years, and witnessed his death, burial and resurrection---and then writes it down so that we may all remember that same truth.

See friends, what John experienced with Jesus is the same closeness that we can take part in. Jesus Christ is God, and God so loved the world that he took on a form of fully God and fully man, to live among us as example and die without sin to eliminate our sins once and for all, if we believe. 

The old song “Jesus loves me this I know” is very relevant to adults and well as children. Jesus loves deeply those who trust in him for salvation.

Denial of Christ as the one and only true God is simply vain human arrogance. It is us wanting to be our own gods, and refusing to acknowledge our creator. We worship the creation not the creator--making gods out of sex, food, entertainment, celebrities and just about everything else available to us to potentially worship. We try to worship anything but Christ, when Christ has shown us, HE IS the ONLY TRUE GOD, and the ONLY way of salvation.

The political correctness of this day and age is nothing but arrogance. All roads do not lead to heaven or Christ would not have said repeatedly that he is the only way to God. People will do anything to not have to be accountable for their sins, and denying what Jesus said, or fluffing it up to appeal to the masses is the current trend.

How insulting to Jesus, but also to those who gave their lives to spread to us the good news! John risks life and limb, is literally boiled then exiled to preach the news of salvation in Christ, and our generation says there are many ways to God. It’s enough to turn your stomach. And John is just one of many who preached the same gospel and suffered for it.

While in exile on the island of Patmos (Modern day Turkey) John writes the book of Revelation (a book Christians love to avoid). This book is about hope for Christ’s bride, the church. It shows us through literal writing and figuratively literal writing that Christ is present among his believers today. Through the Holy Spirit we reach Christ, our mediator to the Father. A perfect trinity. 

John is filled with the spirit of God and writes only what he witnesses. This was not some druggy acid trip where he thought philosophically and randomly wrote what came to mind. This is Jesus Christ in glorified and kingly form, showing what will come to pass. 

The Book of Revelation is hope for believers and despair for non-believers. It speaks of the joys believers will face, and the condemnation non-believers will face.  But don’t think this is the only place this occurs.

More than anyone else in the Bible, Christ spoke of hell. Christ says multiple times that He is the only way to eternal life, and denial of Him will lead to eternal damnation. 

We have a friend in Jesus. Sure we can’t eat next to him in the morning, but we can pray to him. Sure we can’t walk next to him, but we can walk with him in spirit and trust. John had the privilege of being the disciple closest to Jesus, and he preached and told stories about what it was like walking day to day with Jesus, all the way until he died at age 100. This means that for many years after the event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, an eyewitness was still telling the stories of what he had seen to 2nd, 3rd, and likely even 4th generations. 

To deny Christ is arrogance, and until the Holy Spirit convicts you of that fact, it is easy to continue in idolatry, worshipping the things of this world, instead of the one who created this world. 

John knew what true friendship entailed. Our only TRUE friend is found in Christ, through his salvation. We become his friends. The Holy spirit still convicts us of our wrongdoing, even when we are new creations in Christ. And as a new creation, we are not compelled to simply sin, knowing we are forgiven, but rather to live righteously, as Christ would have us to do. Grace covers us, but is not a free pass to sin. Christ will be your friend, but still convict you of your sin. 

With all of the evidence available for Jesus as God, it is hard to imagine how hurt someone like John would be (and more importantly how hurt Jesus is) seeing what some of the church has become. It is full of the same types of people who were persecuting Christians in the early days. We have thrown out Jesus as our God and replaced him with other idols. 

Jesus loves me, this I know--Jesus died for me, this I know---Jesus is Lord of Lord and King of Kings, this I know----The Bible, the Word of God tells me so!