Afterwords -- on friendship
"After saying these things, he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.'" (John 11:11)
April 1, 2023
Dear friends,
Recently, a longtime friend of mine went home to be with the Lord. Thankfully, he is now free of pain and beholding the face of the Savior he served faithfully for over fifty years.
I've been reflecting on his friendship, and how his good character and example influenced me, especially in the days that we served in ministry together. His influence has been more profound than I thought. Sometimes, I think that the major shaping forces in my life have been events, education, trips, conferences, and remarkable experiences. These do shape us, but a quieter, more long-lasting influence is the power of a good friendship. The faithfulness, the stability, and the encouragement of a good friend helps keep us on the right road. The philosopher Cicero wrote, "It is virtue that both creates and preserves friendship."
As I was reading the eleventh chapter of the gospel of John, I paused at Jesus' words, "our friend Lazarus." What an honor it is, to be called Jesus' friend! Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha, lived in Bethany near Jerusalem, and were not part of the traveling band of disciples who followed the Lord, at least we are not told that they were. They may not have performed any miracles (except what happened to them later in this story). We are told that they hosted Jesus in their home, and the sisters called him Teacher, and sat at his feet. Jesus calls Lazarus his friend, and surely this was not merely a polite statement from our Lord. It seems that friendship is a vital dimension that, in Jesus' mind, is inseparable from true discipleship:
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:13-15)
Discipleship without friendship would be a one-way servitude. A disciple is one who is submitted to the authority and teaching of another. A friend, however, is one who shares more deeply in the thoughts and heart of another. There are common interests, desires, and plans that are shared together. Friendship is a personal relationship where encouragement, and even correction, can flow naturally. The book of Proverbs speaks of the importance of friendship (Prov 17:17; 18:24; 22:11, 24-25; 27:6, 9). The Apostle John calls his fellow believers "friends" (3 Jn 15). Abraham is called "the friend of God" (Jas 2:23). Friendship is more intimate than service alone. A disciple of Jesus is more than a learner, since he or she is also a friend of the Lord.
Here are the questions I'm asking myself:
-- Am I aware of the friendships that have helped shape my life for good? Am I thanking God for their quiet, and perhaps unnoticed, influence upon my life?
-- Am I such a friend to others? Am I walking close enough with a few good friends with whom I can share mutual encouragement?
-- More importantly, am a friend of the Lord? Have I made his concerns my concerns? (Phil 2:21)
-- Am I only concerned with being submitted to the Lord, but not in the enjoyment of his fellowship? Do I walk in joyful awareness of his presence, that he is always close by me through his Spirit?
"I have called you friends..." What a wonderful statement this is!
IN OTHER READING.
-- "It is virtue, virtue, which both creates and preserves friendship. On it depends harmony of interest, permanence, fidelity." (Cicero, On Friendship)
-- "While the people listed in 1 Chronicles are anonymous to us, God knows everyone contained in this list individually." (Davy Ellison, in "Largely Unknown, Never Anonymous")
-- "When I say 'resurrection' here, I am not referring simply to the first few hours, or the first few weeks of the Resurrection. I am talking of this whole, huge pattern of descent, down, down, and then up again. What we ordinarily call the Resurrection being just, so to speak, the point at which it turns." (C. S. Lewis, "The Grand Miracle")
FINAL QUOTE. "I believe that God really has dived down into the bottom of creation, and has come up bringing the whole redeemed nature on His shoulders." (C. S. Lewis, "The Grand Miracle")
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Image credit: above, the Resurrection of Lazarus, a 12-13th century painting, in Athens (public domain). Photo below by Elizabeth Pishal on Unsplash. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
