We Are His People; He Is Our GodSample

Read John 15:9-17

You are a friend of Jesus.

After comparing his followers to branches, Jesus goes on to say that a servant relationship does not adequately describe his relationship with his followers. We are bondservants of Christ (we will learn more about this later), but according to Jesus, we are also something more. We are Jesus’ friends.

A friendship differs from a servile relationship because it involves finding mutual joy, love, and understanding in one another’s presence. Jesus says that his purposes for us are not just for us to serve him but for us to remain in his love (John 15:9), to share in his joy (John 15:11), and to know what he knows (John 15:15). Jesus explains that because slaves do not have this sort of privileged relationship with their masters, his disciples are to be called his friends.

In the Bible, God frequently criticizes the Israelites for making and serving idols. One of the primary reasons God says making idols is foolish is because humans must do everything for their idols; humans must create, feed, serve, and sustain their idols, and in return, idols do nothing to serve people! God says that idolatry is evil because idols have no power to save or to serve. Galatians 4:18 says, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.” A slave relationship does not summarize our relationship with the one true God, but it does accurately describe our relationship with idols because an idol relationship is one-sided; we pour out our life to serve something that cannot possibly give us anything in return (the best an idol can do is pretend to provide us with what we already have in Christ!). Meanwhile, in our relationship with God, God gives us everything first, and then we choose to give him our devotion and affection in return.

The love, the enjoyment of one another, the sharing, and the willful serving that takes place between humans and God demonstrates that we are truly not God’s sorry slaves but his treasured friends.

Reflect

• What is the difference between serving someone as a slave and as a friend?
• Do you treat Jesus like a friend? Why or why not? What can you do to grow in your friendship with Christ?