Christ as Friend

Frequently, my mind wanders to thoughts of what it must have been like to be with Christ while He was here on earth and to spend time with Him as my Friend, as Mary and Martha and so many others were able to do. 

Whatever the Gospels show us of what friendship with Christ would have looked like while He was walking the earth, we can trust that He is consistent in how He shares friendship with us now that He is in Heaven. We can also see how believers can exemplify Christlike friendship to each other. The questions I have asked when coming to the text of Scripture to investigate these paths of thought are as follows: How do we see friendship working out between Christ and people, whether apostles or other followers? What actions do we see? 

Here's what I have found so far...

1. Christ chose them. {Luke 5:1-11} Jesus singled out those predestined to be His apostles. I especially love this encounter of Christ with Peter (Simon) as He uses Peter's work as a fisherman to not only show him His power, allowing Peter to catch a multitude of fish, but also to illustrate how, similarly, Peter (as well as James and John) would be fishers of men. "Jesus replied to Simon, 'Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus." {Luke 5:10b-11} 

2. He let them linger with Him. {John 1:38-39} When two followers of John the Baptist asked Christ where He was living, He told them, "'Come and see.'" And the text says, "...they remained with Him for the rest of the day." {v. 39} Jesus wanted these two to be where He was.

3. He provided for their physical needs. {John 6:1-14} The feeding of the five thousand--Christ provided more than enough fish and bread for those following Him. 

4. He traveled with them. {Matthew 20:17} Jesus and His apostles traveled from place to place together; and after Christ rose from the dead, He walked with two men on the road to Emmaus who were discussing what they had heard of Him. {As a side note, I see walking as a wonderful means of fellowship. I find that it gives my body something to do, while it simultaneously opens my heart and mind for easy flow of conversation and communication of thoughts. Will probably write a separate post on this at some point.} 

5. He knew and concerned Himself with family members. {Luke 4:38-40} Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, and He was then served a meal by her. Jesus also knew Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, all siblings. John 11:5 states that Jesus loved them. 

6. He exhorted them. {Matthew 20:20-28} When the mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit on His right hand and on His left hand in Heaven, Jesus asked, "'Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?'" {v. 22} And then He went on to explain that those who wish to be first, to be leaders, must become servants. {Side note on leadership: I am not very familiar with the author of the following quote, but it has been a source of meditation to me for some time: "Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a scepter but a hoe."Bernard of Clairvaux}

7. He confided in them. {Matthew 16:21} Jesus told his apostles what He knew would happen to Him. He let them in to those details of His upcoming suffering.

8. He revealed Himself to them. {Matthew 17:2} In the view of Peter, James, and John, Christ was transfigured so that "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light"; they could see His heavenly form. They were able to see Him as He is. 

9. He pointed them to the Father. {John 5:19} Everything that Christ did came directly from the Father, and Christ made this known. Christ was pleasing to the Father, and carried out the Father's intention for Him on earth. "'He {Christ} does only what He sees the Father doing.'" {John 5:19}

10. He prayed with and for them. {John 17} What a sweet thought that Jesus talked (and continues to talk!) to the Father about the affairs of His people. Even as He was nearing the end of His time here on earth, the apostles were one of His main concerns. "'My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to You.'" {John 17:9}

11. He was honest with them. {Matthew 6:5} So many of the things Christ said begin with "I tell you the truth," or "Truly, truly, I say unto you." Christ was transparent and open with His followers about what they needed to understand about Himself and reality. 

12. He participated in their celebrations. {John 2:1-11} Jesus went to a wedding and helped provide good wine for it. 

13. He knew them through and through. {John 1:47} He knew Nathanael before Nathanael had even become a follower. In John 2:23-25, reference is made to Christ knowing all people and how He "needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man." {v. 25}

14. He comforted them. {John 16:4-7} He promised the apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to them. Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would lead the apostles into all truth. {John 16:13} Jesus was telling them that they would not be left alone, but that He would always be with them. "Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" {Matthew 28:20}

15. He sacrificed Himself for them. {John 15:13} Christ said that there is no greater action of love for a friend than to lay down one's life for the other. And this is exactly what Christ did for His own! 

My desire is that the Holy Spirit would continue to soften my heart and the hearts of fellow believers to live in deep friendship with each other, exampled by Jesus, where we are walking alongside one another on this journey toward eternity, pushing each other "further up and further in" to all truth and goodness, honoring God and living joyfully in the freedom and lightness that salvation brings. May we care well for our friends as we follow Christ our Guide!