Friday 07 May 2010

Background

These familiar words of John 15:13 are spoken every RemembranceDay. This idea of friendship and sacrifice would have been just asfamiliar to many people in the 1st century as it is today. And, inthe general culture of the time, it would have meant something verysimilar to the way these words are used on Remembrance Day today.In Greek philosophy the willingness to give up one's life for afriend was seen as the very highest form of friendship.

But it's safe to assume that Jesus was not just repeating Socrates'and Plato's views of friendship to the disciples, especially sincehe had been telling them over and over again that all his actionscame from God and were the will of God. Equally, all Jesus'teachings came from God and reflected God's character.

Much earlier in the Gospel of John, Jesus washed the disciples'feet and taught them about servanthood (John13:5). But Jesus' teaching has now moved on to the theme offriendship. And there is something about the fact that Jesus isgoing to die for his disciples that turns them from students andservants into friends.

But this friendship was not meant to be confined to the people inthat room on that particular evening. If a person does what Jesuscommands, if a person follows Jesus' teaching and example, thenthat person is Jesus' friend.

And we see the theme of love here too, which is lost in thetranslation into English. The word in the original Greek John usedfor 'friend' has 'love' as its root-word. To be Jesus' friend is tolove Jesus. To love Jesus is to keep his commandments. To keepJesus' commandments is to be his friend.

It all seems a bit circular, but as Jesus kept repeating the sameteachings, the wheel of his logic went forward as events progressedtoward their inevitable end. It was in Jesus' death andresurrection that his disciples throughout the ages understand histeaching fully.

To Ponder

What do you think that Jesus meant when he said"You are my friends if you do what I command you"?

In what ways do you think that Jesus' deathcannot be fully understood in the Remembrance Day sense of the ideaof friendship?

Why do you think that it took Jesus' death toturn his disciples - throughout the ages - into belovedfriends?