Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Jesus is talking to His disciples in our Verse of the Day, and He's just finished commanding them to love one another. He's told them to love one another the way that He loved them. Then He says, there is no greater love than when a friend lays down his life for other friends.
There's a couple of things to see here. First, the disciples were Jesus' friends, and He was going to lay down His life for them. That's one thing that He means. The second thing to see is that when it comes to our love for one another, for fellow believers, we should have a willingness to give ourselves up. We should have a willingness to even lay down our lives for those we love.
Jesus Is Our Friend
What I want to stress in this verse, though, is this very simple but profound truth that applies to all Christians, and that is that Jesus is our friend. That's a profound thing to think about. Jesus, Christian, is our friend. In the Old Testament, only Moses and Abraham were called friends of God. But in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, we are all as believers, we are all friends of God.
Then He goes on. He describes this friendship in the verses after, in verses 14 through 17 where He says, "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. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you."
Four Things About Our Friendship with Christ
Four things to note about our friendship with Christ here.
Number one, what did it say? He chose us. We did not choose Him. Now, of course, we would choose Jesus to be our friend. The fact that He has chosen us is unexpected and it's glorious.
The second thing we learn about our friendship is that God the Father has a heart to give us whatever we ask for. It doesn't mean He always gives us what we ask for, but His heart is to give us what we ask for. It says, "Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you."
The third thing to notice is that God the Son does not keep us in the dark. This is a really interesting thing to think about. God the Son, Jesus, does not keep us in the dark, but He's very transparent with us. He doesn't treat us like a servant, but a friend, and so He opens up and He shares with us His very purposes for our lives. He shares His knowledge with us, He shares His plans for us, and He shares His vision for our lives.
The fourth thing we learn is that the voluntary death of Christ was and is the ultimate expression of His love for His friends.
A Privilege to Remember
Charles Spurgeon wrote, "Jesus calls us His friends. Think of it—the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords calls you His friend. Not subject, not servant, though we are that too, but friend. A friend shares secrets. A friend is trusted. A friend is loved for their own sake. Oh, what a privilege, what condescension, what love."
Next time you feel discouraged, next time you feel alone, remember the words of this verse in John chapter 15, verse 13. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
