jesus is my friend essay

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11 reasons why jesus is my best friend, he never changes and he is perfect..

Often times I find people being people, and not reaching my expectations. They fall short. But the amazing thing is that we have a friend in Jesus, and He will never disappoint.

1. He is there for me when no one else is or when no one else can be.

When I am afraid or embarrassed to tell someone about my problems, He already knows. So talking with Him about them is pretty easy, plus He will always know a solution.

2. He loves me unconditionally and eternally.

No matter what I do, He loves me because He is the only one who can love perfectly, since He is a perfect God. He will always love me.

3. He will never see me differently.

No matter how many times I mess up, He never dwells on my sins that I commit. He sees His holiness within me, because He died to cleanse me. He makes me beautiful.

4. He will always forgive me.

He is faithful to forgive if I confess, and He will always try and help me not to make the same mistake again, because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. (1 John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 12:9)

5. He never leaves my side.

Even when I abandon Him, He still is following me and He continues to pick up my broken pieces along the way.

6. He always wants to talk to me or hang out with me.

He died on the cross so that he could do this, and He genuinely cherishes all of the time that we get to share together.

7. He handles all of my problems, and helps me to not get weary of this world.

If I come to Him with my problems, He restores me and gives me rest so that I can continue on in freedom. (Matthew 11:28)

8. He gives me endless comfort.

He gives me subtle reminders that I am not in control, so I never have to worry about being in control, because he always has me and he always has a plan. (Philippians 4:6-7)

9. I know that I can trust in him.

He has never failed me. If I need him he is there. He has, and never will, lie to me and all of his promises are true.

10. He is always there to listen when I just need to talk.

I can pray to Him and He will listen no matter what the topic is. He just wants to be with me, and hear from me.

11. He never changes and he is perfect.

No matter how much time passes, He was, and is still, the same perfect God.

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Waitlisted for a college class here's what to do, dealing with the inevitable realities of college life..

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Don't freak out

This is a rule you should continue to follow no matter what you do in life, but is especially helpful in this situation.

Email the professor

Around this time, professors are getting flooded with requests from students wanting to get into full classes. This doesn't mean you shouldn't burden them with your email; it means they are expecting interested students to email them. Send a short, concise message telling them that you are interested in the class and ask if there would be any chance for you to get in.

Attend the first class

Often, the advice professors will give you when they reply to your email is to attend the first class. The first class isn't the most important class in terms of what will be taught. However, attending the first class means you are serious about taking the course and aren't going to give up on it.

Keep attending class

Every student is in the same position as you are. They registered for more classes than they want to take and are "shopping." For the first couple of weeks, you can drop or add classes as you please, which means that classes that were once full will have spaces. If you keep attending class and keep up with assignments, odds are that you will have priority. Professors give preference to people who need the class for a major and then from higher to lower class year (senior to freshman).

Have a backup plan

For two weeks, or until I find out whether I get into my waitlisted class, I will be attending more than the usual number of classes. This is so that if I don't get into my waitlisted class, I won't have a credit shortage and I won't have to fall back in my backup class. Chances are that enough people will drop the class, especially if it is very difficult like computer science, and you will have a chance. In popular classes like art and psychology, odds are you probably won't get in, so prepare for that.

Remember that everything works out at the end

Life is full of surprises. So what if you didn't get into the class you wanted? Your life obviously has something else in store for you. It's your job to make sure you make the best out of what you have.

Navigating the Talking Stage: 21 Essential Questions to Ask for Connection

It's mandatory to have these conversations..

Whether you met your new love interest online , through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

1. What do you do for a living?

What someone does for a living can tell a lot about who they are and what they're interested in! Their career reveals a lot more about them than just where they spend their time to make some money.

2. What's your favorite color?

OK, I get it, this seems like something you would ask a Kindergarten class, but I feel like it's always good to know someone's favorite color . You could always send them that Snapchat featuring you in that cute shirt you have that just so happens to be in their favorite color!

3. Do you have any siblings?

This one is actually super important because it's totally true that people grow up with different roles and responsibilities based on where they fall in the order. You can tell a lot about someone just based on this seemingly simple question.

4. What's your favorite television show?

OK, maybe this isn't a super important question, but you have to know ASAP if you can quote Michael Scott or not. If not, he probably isn't the one. Sorry, girl.

5. When is your birthday?

You can then proceed to do the thing that every girl does without admitting it and see how compatible your zodiacs are.

6. What's your biggest goal in life?

If you're like me, you have big goals that you want to reach someday, and you want a man behind you who also has big goals and understands what it's like to chase after a dream. If his biggest goal is to see how quickly he can binge-watch " Grey's Anatomy " on Netflix , you may want to move on.

7. If you had three wishes granted to you by a genie, what would they be?

This is a go-to for an insight into their personality. Based on how they answer, you can tell if they're goofy, serious, or somewhere in between.

8. What's your favorite childhood memory?

For some, this may be a hard question if it involves a family member or friend who has since passed away . For others, it may revolve around a tradition that no longer happens. The answers to this question are almost endless!

9. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

We all have parts of our lives and stories that we wish we could change. It's human nature to make mistakes. This question is a little bit more personal but can really build up the trust level.

10. Are you a cat or a dog person?

I mean, duh! If you're a dog person, and he is a cat person, it's not going to work out.

11. Do you believe in a religion or any sort of spiritual power?

Personally, I am a Christian, and as a result, I want to be with someone who shares those same values. I know some people will argue that this question is too much in the talking stage , but why go beyond the talking stage if your personal values will never line up?

12. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Even homebodies have a must visit place on their bucket list !

13. What is your ideal date night?

Hey, if you're going to go for it... go for it!

14. Who was/is your celebrity crush?

For me, it was hands-down Nick Jonas . This is always a fun question to ask!

15. What's a good way to cheer you up if you're having a bad day?

Let's be real, if you put a label on it, you're not going to see your significant other at their best 24/7.

16. Do you have any tattoos?

This can lead to some really good conversations, especially if they have a tattoo that has a lot of meaning to them!

17. Can you describe yourself in three words?

It's always interesting to see if how the person you're talking to views their personal traits lines ups with the vibes you're getting.

18. What makes you the most nervous in life?

This question can go multiple different directions, and it could also be a launching pad for other conversations.

19. What's the best gift you have ever received? 

Admittedly, I have asked this question to friends as well, but it's neat to see what people value.

20. What do you do to relax/have fun?

Work hard, play hard, right?

21. What are your priorities at this phase of your life?

This is always interesting because no matter how compatible your personalities may be, if one of you wants to be serious and the other is looking for something casual, it's just not going to work.

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Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in challah bread or easter bread.

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

A few weeks ago, I was given a loaf of bread called Challah (pronounced like holla), and upon my first bite, I realized it tasted just like Easter Bread. It was so delicious that I just had to make some of my own, which I did.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

2 tsp active dry or instant yeast 1 cup lukewarm water 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 2 tsp salt 2 large eggs 1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for the egg wash) 1/4 cup neutral-flavored vegetable oil

Instructions

• Combine yeast and a pinch of sugar in small bowl with the water and stir until you see a frothy layer across the top.
• Whisk together 4 cups of the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and add in eggs, egg yolk, and oil. Whisk these together to form a slurry, pulling in a little flour from the sides of the bowl.
• Pour the yeast mixture over the egg slurry and mix until difficult to move.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. If the dough seems very sticky, add flour a teaspoon at a time until it feels tacky, but no longer like bubblegum. The dough has finished kneading when it is soft, smooth, and holds a ball-shape.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place somewhere warm. Let the dough rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Separate the dough into four pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope roughly 1-inch thick and 16 inches long.
• Gather the ropes and squeeze them together at the very top. Braid the pieces in the pattern of over, under, and over again. Pinch the pieces together again at the bottom.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and lift the loaf on top. Sprinkle the loaf with a little flour and drape it with a clean dishcloth. Place the pan somewhere warm and away from drafts and let it rise until puffed and pillowy, about an hour.
• Heat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the reserved egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush it all over the challah. Be sure to get in the cracks and down the sides of the loaf.
• Slide the challah on its baking sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. The challah is done when it is deeply browned.

I kept wondering how these two breads could be so similar in taste. So I decided to look up a recipe for Easter Bread to make a comparison. The two are almost exactly the same! These recipes are similar because they come from religious backgrounds. The Jewish Challah bread is based on kosher dietary laws. The Christian Easter Bread comes from the Jewish tradition but was modified over time because they did not follow kosher dietary laws.

A recipe for Easter bread is as follows:

2 tsp active dry or instant yeast 2/3 cup milk 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 2 tbs butter 2 large eggs 2 tbs melted butter 1 tsp salt

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
• Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Both of these recipes are really easy to make. While you might need to have a day set aside for this activity, you can do things while the dough is rising or in the oven. After only a few hours, you have a delicious loaf of bread that you made from scratch, so the time and effort is really worth it!

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer..

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake , have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart , no matter how dirty the water may look.

Every year when summer rolls back around, you can't wait to fire up the boat and get back out there. Here is a list of things you can probably identify with as a fellow lake-goer.

A bad day at the lake is still better than a good day not at the lake.

It's your place of escape, where you can leave everything else behind and just enjoy the beautiful summer day. No matter what kind of week you had, being able to come and relax without having to worry about anything else is the best therapy there is. After all, there's nothing better than a day of hanging out in the hot sun, telling old funny stories and listening to your favorite music.

You know the best beaches and coves to go to.

Whether you want to just hang out and float or go walk around on a beach, you know the best spots. These often have to be based on the people you're with, given that some "party coves" can get a little too crazy for little kids on board. I still have vivid memories from when I was six that scared me when I saw the things drunk girls would do for beads.

You have no patience for the guy who can't back his trailer into the water right.

When there's a long line of trucks waiting to dump their boats in the water, there's always that one clueless guy who can't get it right, and takes 5 attempts and holds up the line. No one likes that guy. One time my dad got so fed up with a guy who was taking too long that he actually got out of the car and asked this guy if he could just do it for him. So he got into the guy's car, threw it in reverse, and got it backed in on the first try. True story.

Doing the friendly wave to every boat you pass.

Similar to the "jeep wave," almost everyone waves to other boats passing by. It's just what you do, and is seen as a normal thing by everyone.

The cooler is always packed, mostly with beer.

Alcohol seems to be a big part of the lake experience, but other drinks are squeezed into the room remaining in the cooler for the kids, not to mention the wide assortment of chips and other foods in the snack bag.

Giving the idiot who goes 30 in a "No Wake Zone" a piece of your mind.

There's nothing worse than floating in the water, all settled in and minding your business, when some idiot barrels through. Now your anchor is loose, and you're left jostled by the waves when it was nice and perfectly still before. This annoyance is typically answered by someone yelling some choice words to them that are probably accompanied by a middle finger in the air.

You have no problem with peeing in the water.

It's the lake, and some social expectations are a little different here, if not lowered quite a bit. When you have to go, you just go, and it's no big deal to anyone because they do it too.

You know the frustration of getting your anchor stuck.

The number of anchors you go through as a boat owner is likely a number that can be counted on two hands. Every once in a while, it gets stuck on something on the bottom of the lake, and the only way to fix the problem is to cut the rope, and you have to replace it.

Watching in awe at the bigger, better boats that pass by.

If you're the typical lake-goer, you likely might have an average-sized boat that you're perfectly happy with. However, that doesn't mean you don't stop and stare at the fast boats that loudly speed by, or at the obnoxiously huge yachts that pass.

Knowing any swimsuit that you own with white in it is best left for the pool or the ocean.

You've learned this the hard way, coming back from a day in the water and seeing the flowers on your bathing suit that were once white, are now a nice brownish hue.

The momentary fear for your life as you get launched from the tube.

If the driver knows how to give you a good ride, or just wants to specifically throw you off, you know you're done when you're speeding up and heading straight for a big wave. Suddenly you're airborne, knowing you're about to completely wipe out, and you eat pure wake. Then you get back on and do it all again.

You're able to go to the restaurants by the water wearing minimal clothing.

One of the many nice things about the life at the lake is that everybody cares about everything a little less. Rolling up to the place wearing only your swimsuit, a cover-up, and flip flops, you fit right in. After a long day when you're sunburned, a little buzzed, and hungry, you're served without any hesitation.

Having unexpected problems with your boat.

Every once in a while you're hit with technical difficulties, no matter what type of watercraft you have. This is one of the most annoying setbacks when you're looking forward to just having a carefree day on the water, but it's bound to happen. This is just one of the joys that come along with being a boat owner.

Having a name for your boat unique to you and your life.

One of the many interesting things that make up the lake culture is the fact that many people name their boats. They can range from basic to funny, but they are unique to each and every owner, and often have interesting and clever meanings behind them.

There's no better place you'd rather be in the summer.

Summer is your all-time favorite season, mostly because it's spent at the lake. Whether you're floating in the cool water under the sun, or taking a boat ride as the sun sets, you don't have a care in the world at that moment . The people that don't understand have probably never experienced it, but it's what keeps you coming back every year.

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why i chose a small school over a big university..

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin ." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

1. My school is incredibly unique.

There are so many different kinds of people that each bring something really special to contribute to the school which makes it so unique.

2. I am not just a number at my school.

I am a student that my professors know about and I like knowing that my professors can watch my progress.

3. I feel like I am contributing something to the community.

I like feeling like I can make a difference on my campus.

4. I really do feel like it is my home away from home.

It isn't just my school. It is absolutely my home away from home. I feel so comfortable there and it was as hard of an adjustment as I had thought it would be.

5. My professors know me and I feel that I can easily communicate with them.

I feel like they will do anything to help students succeed. I can always go to my professors. I like knowing that I have someone looking out for me.

6. The incredible people I've met

The people I have met at my school, even after my first year, have made such a huge impact on me. I know that these are people that I will stay friends with long after college is done.

7. Opportunities

My school offers so many different opportunities to get involved in things around campus. Even writing for the Odyssey was an opportunity offered to me by my school and I decided to challenge myself by writing an article. Turns out, I really enjoy writing. I might not have had this opportunity at a bigger school.

8. Students want to learn

I feel as though I am not just learning inside the classroom at my school. I am learning outside the classroom to from my fellow classmates who want to engage about the things we have learned.

9. Ability to join a sorority and have a house full of people I know I can talk to anytime I need to

I wasn't sure if being in a sorority was something I was interested in but when I met the amazing people in the sorority and how inclusive it was, I knew that it was going to be a good thing for me. The people I've met in my sorority have been so amazing.

10. I have figured out how I learn best because my school offers so many different ways of learning.

Because of the smaller class sizes, there is more flexibility in the way the class is taught. This was helpful because I was able to try out different ways of learning and figure out which way I learn best.

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What Does It Mean That Jesus Is Our Friend?

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On the night before He died, Jesus told us what a good friend He would be if we met one condition. He said to His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:13-14).

These words of Jesus convey the meaning of all He would do for us as our friend. They also convey what we must do to be His friends. Jesus laid down His life for us, which proves He is the greatest kind of friend we could have. As the Bible says, “for the joy that was set before Him,” He “endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). He did that for His friends; He was loyal to the end of His physical life. What was this “joy that was set before Him?” It was the joy of knowing His death would allow us to be His friends forever in eternal glory.

If you want Him as your friend, you need to lay down your life for Him. He said, “whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). This is the loyalty He expects of us if we will be His friend.

This means giving up your own ways of doing things and then doing things God’s way. Your own way of doing things leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). Your “old man,” the sinful person you have become, must be put to death (Romans 6:6). That is what Jesus wants you to do so He can start a friendship with you. Paul the apostle wrote of his death in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is the death you must die for Jesus to be your friend.

The Bible has examples of people who were friends with God. God called the biblical patriarch, Abraham, His friend. The Scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23). Abraham met the condition of friendship with God. God said of him, “Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:5).

Like Abraham, King David was a man who did all that God commanded him. God said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22). Because David did what God commanded, he was God’s friend.

A true friend is always faithful, and David knew the faithfulness of God. He wrote, “Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds” (Psalms 36:5). God was always faithful to David and made him a great king over Israel and gave him victory over his enemies. As a true friend of God, David did all of God’s will, and God was faithful to him. God will always be faithful to His friends. The Bible says, even “if we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13).

True friends also confide in one another. We can trust a true friend to hear all our deepest thoughts and emotions. When God is your Friend, He takes you into His confidence. Christ said to His disciples, “I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). When God is our friend, He tells us His plans for us and for all of mankind. He wants His friends to know these things and reveals them to us through His word. David wrote of the things that God confides in those who love Him: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Psalms 25:14).

Like a true friend who wants to share everything with you, God wants to share His glory with us. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:26) with a plan for “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). God will share His existence with His friends for all eternity. As the scripture says, “we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

We can have God as our friend forever if we will do all that He tells us. As Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He wants you to share in His glory, and He died for you to make that possible. This is what it means that Jesus is our friend.

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Is Jesus Really My Friend?

Perhaps you’ve heard it spoken, read it on a T-shirt, or heard it in a song.

Jesus wants to be your friend. 

Jesus is my best friend.

What a friend we have in Jesus.

In some ways, the idea of friendship with Jesus is appropriate. Jesus taught that his followers can be connected as closely to him as a vine to branches (John 15:4). Paul labored to know him (Phil 3:1). Christ understands us (Heb 4:15).

But in other ways, saying that Jesus is a friend can lead to a serious error. In our modern Western culture, friendship assumes equality. When we describe a friend, we’re usually talking about a same-level, horizontal relationship. We use the terms “buddy,” “pal,” or “homeboy.” We might seek out advice from people who fall into this category, but we are free to choose whether or not to follow their counsel.

If we say that Jesus is our friend without careful examination of what we mean, we risk seeing his teachings as optional.

The patron-client relationship

Nowhere in Scripture is it taught that Jesus Christ is our friend. Let’s not forget that Jesus is the King; he is the Christ. For those who follow him, we call him “ Lord ” because we submit to him. We worship him and respond to his commandments with obedience .

The scriptural teaching that most connects Jesus with friendship is John 15:13–15:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay 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.

Patronal relationships were common in the world of Jesus’s disciples. People of low social status, finding it difficult to have access to goods and services, would often seek someone of higher status to help them meet their needs. If the person of influence granted their request, the two would enter into a “patron-client relationship.”

Patron-client relationships, which Seneca called the chief bond of society ( On Benefits 1.4.2), were defined by asymmetry, longevity, and reciprocity. First, the patron would be superior to the client, expecting the client to fulfill certain duties. Second, the client would pledge lifelong allegiance to the patron, an arrangement of servitude that would often pass on to subsequent generations. Third, the patron-client relationship would be characterized by reciprocity: a patron would call upon clients to promote his reputation and carry out the tasks he assigns.

The inequality of such relationships led many patrons to consider the term “client” (Latin, cliens ) to be degrading. Instead, they would often refer to a subordinate client as a “friend” (Latin, amicus ; Greek, φίλος [ philos ]). The practice was so widespread that Plutarch took time to explicitly disapprove of it, instead teaching a distinction between true friends who speak boldly and false friends who were flatterers (see How to Know a Flatterer from a Friend ).

What Jesus means by “friend”

Several elements from John 15 support the idea that Jesus uses the term “friend” as the patrons did during his time. In what follows, I will make the case that Jesus describes a decidedly asymmetrical relationship: a “friend” of Jesus was an obedient subordinate.

First, the Gospel’s content leading up to Jesus’s sayings about friendship supports the notion that the disciples are subordinates. While he washes his disciples’ feet, his subsequent teaching points to an unequal relationship: he affirms their calling him “teacher” and “Lord” (13:13) and likens them to slaves (13:16). He repeatedly calls them to obey his commands (13:35; 14:15, 21, 23–24).

Second, the content of John 15 points to reciprocity and obligation . In teaching about the vine and the branches, Jesus states that apart from him they can do nothing (15:5). He assigns them a task: to bear fruit. In return, they will receive what they ask for (15:16). Jesus ultimately defines friendship with him as a relationship that demands obedience: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (15:14).

Third, Jesus refers to his disciples as slaves that become friends (John 15:15), which echoes many of the patron-client relationships of the day. A common type of patronal relationship existed between a former master and a freed slave. If a slave was manumitted (granted freedom), he would become a client to the former master, pledging lifelong loyalty. Furthermore, a freed slave would be able to have relationships with others that were defined horizontally. In bondage, a slave could only be defined by the vertical relationship with the master. By teaching his disciples that they are his friends and giving them the command to love one another, Jesus moves them through a figurative manumission, going from social death to social life.

Fourth, Jesus declares that, through him, his disciples have “access to the Father,” which echoes the patronal function of offering “brokerage.” An ancient patron would often give clients access to a more distant patron, acting as a broker. Sophocles ( Oedipus the King , 771–74), declared that the ideal broker would have “a foot in both worlds.” As the unique Son, Jesus qualified as the ideal broker, declaring that “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and to “ask the Father in my name” (15:16).

Fifth, the evangelist appears to be portraying Jesus as a particular kind of patron: a royal figure with loyal governors. The term friend was prominently used for provincial regents who were loyal to the king. For example, in the Septuagint (LXX), Hushai was the φίλος [ philos ] of the king (1 Chron 27:33), and the translation corresponds שַׂר ( shar , “prince” or “ruler”) to a φίλος [ philos ] of the king in Esther (1:3; 2:18; 3:1; 6:9). Ancient provincial coinage often displayed ΦΙΛΟΚΑΙΣΑΡ [ PHILOKAISAR ], or “friend of Caesar.” Thus, in every moneybag, there were reminders that a φίλος [ philos ] was a subordinate. In fact, later in John, the Jewish leaders heckle Pilate, stating that if he releases this Jesus who claims to be king, then he is “no friend of Caesar” (John 19:12).

Coin from Philadelphia showing  ΦΙΛΟΚΑΙΣΑΡ. Roman Provincial Coinage, 3031.4 Used with permission.

Jesus’s sayings about friendship come after his kingly entry into the city (John 12:12–15), during a discourse in which he gives his disciples tasks to complete after he departs. He expects them to obey the commands to “love one another” (13:13—14:17) and to “bear fruit” (15:1–11, 16) in his absence. Like a royal patron, Jesus trusts his disciples to act in his place as regents.

Sixth, a patronal relationship fits best with John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” After all, if friends were equals, then self-sacrificial love would be greatest for enemies . However, the uneven relationship described by Jesus in this context points to the greatest love being one for subordinates .

An example from Greek literature can illustrate this greater love. Seneca ( On Benefits , 3.25) describes a particular slave who was willing to die in his master’s place; he called this a rare expression of loyalty. But Jesus’s description of the greatest love turns the tables on this: a patron laying down his life for his subordinates! No patron would ever do this for his clients, because the patron stands to gain something from the client. Like the earlier imagery of the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11), this self-sacrifice was outside the expectation of such a relationship. There would be no greater love than dying for those inferior to him.

With elements pointing to reciprocity, obedience, inequality, manumission, brokerage, and regency, John 15:13–15 describes a relationship that is not characterized by equality, but by subordination.  

Let us never consider ourselves equals to Christ. He is the King who remarkably invites us into a relationship with the Father and calls us to grateful obedience. And he is the King who paid the ultimate price: he laid down his life for his friends. Jesus Christ is the greatest patron conceivable, even greater than Caesar, because he sacrificed everything for us. For this, he deserves all our allegiance.

This article is based on my article in Themelios : “’I Call You Friends’: Jesus as Patron in John 15.” You can access the original article on the Logos platform .

Related article

• Who is Jesus? Answering Life’s Most Important Question

• I make a more detailed case for this viewpoint in ‘I Call You Friends’: Jesus as Patron in John 15 . In the article, the connection between an uneven patron-client relationship and the “greater love” saying is an original contribution to the study of this passage.

Daniel K. Eng

Daniel K. Eng is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Western Seminary. He is a husband and dad to three precious daughters. They live in Portland, Oregon.

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What Does It Mean to Be Jesus’ Friend?

by Chuck Queen | May 17, 2012 | Opinion

Anyone who has ever been in church is familiar with the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It was written by a son to comfort his mother whom he had left behind in Ireland when he came to the United States in the 1850s. According to the hymn, Jesus is our friend because he bears our burdens and sorrows.

The hymn writer wrote the hymn to assure his mother that though he couldn’t be there with her, Jesus is with her and he is a friend like no other.

He asks, “Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?”

Yes, we have a friend in Jesus, but the question I want to ask: Does Jesus have a friend in me? Am I the friend of Jesus?

Jesus says to his disciples gathered with him in the upper room: “I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

It sounds like a promotion, doesn’t it? Going from servant to friend. Being a servant, however, is not a bad thing.

In fact, being a servant of God is always a high honor in the biblical tradition. It’s very likely that Jesus thought of himself as God’s Servant after the manner of the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah.

Certainly, his first followers made that connection.

Jesus embodied the life of God’s Servant and taught his disciples to do the same. This is surely at the heart of what the feet washing is about in John 13.

When Peter objects to Jesus washing his feet, Jesus says to him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8). Jesus is saying, “Unless you allow me to teach you how to be a servant, you cannot share in my mission, you cannot be about what I am about.” 

Maybe friendship with Jesus is a kind of relationship that we have to grow into. Perhaps it is a stage of discipleship that is not a given, but a relationship that we must nurture and develop.

Until we learn how, with some humility, to be a servant of one another, to wash one another’s feet, we cannot enter with Jesus into that next stage of discipleship.

Until I can say, “Yes, I am my brother and sister’s keeper. I have a responsibility to my sisters and brothers in the human family. I am a servant of all,” then I cannot share in a friendship that is a partnership in the kingdom of God.

When Jesus says to his disciples, “Everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you,” what is he talking about?

Jesus is certainly not talking about a mere sharing of information. Surely he is talking about a relationship, a shared intimacy, a sharing of God’s passion and heart for the world.

This is why Jesus can say, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15:16).

This fruit is what flows from our lives quite naturally when we abide in Christ, when we share Christ’s heart, love and passion for the world.

To be a friend of Jesus is to share and bear the intimate knowledge of God’s love and passion for the world. It is to share in what God is doing and how God is doing it.

The fruit of friendship with Christ consists of acts of peacemaking, works of forgiveness and reconciliation and restorative justice, deeds of healing and compassion.

This is why Jesus could say, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” And, of course, what Jesus commands is love (John 15:12,17)

Friendship with Jesus is both a wonderful gift and a terrible burden. It’s an immense joy to be able to share first-hand experience of God’s great love for the world. It’s also a crushing weight.

This burden is hard to explain. Perhaps the best analogy is a mother’s love. A loving mother suffers with her suffering child and would gladly bear the suffering herself if she could. The loving mother suffers more when her child suffers than when she herself suffers. That’s the burden of friendship.

Tony Campolo tells the story of being on a landing strip in northern Haiti, waiting for a small airplane to pick him up.

As he waited, a woman approached him holding her emaciated child in her arms. She held up her child to Campolo and began to plead with him, “Take my baby! Take my baby!” she cried, “If you don’t take my baby, my baby will die!” 

Campolo tried to explain why he couldn’t take her baby, but she would not listen. When the plane finally landed and he boarded, the woman ran alongside the plane as it started to take off, the child in one arm and with the other banging on the plane. 

Halfway back to the capital, Campolo says it hit him with a force. He thought of Matthew 25, where Jesus says to the righteous, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink … in as much as you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me.”

Then he realized that the baby was Jesus.

It feels good singing, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to have a friend to help us bear our griefs and sorrows?

But the more important question: Does Jesus have a friend in me? Am I the friend of Jesus?

Chuck Queen is pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Frankfort, Ky. He blogs at A Fresh Perspective .

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Home » Kids World » Best Friends 1-8

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Series 1 Lesson 8: Jesus is my Special Best Friend

Dear Friend,

Jesus is my Savior and my Lord; He is also my special Best Friend! Perhaps you are thinking, "Why do you say that Jesus is your special Best Friend?" I was hoping that you would ask that question! Let me tell you why He is my special Best Friend.

Jesus is my special Best Friend because He knows me better than anyone else. He is God, and He knows all about me. He even knows my thoughts!

I am very important to Jesus! I may not be important to some people, but Jesus really cares for me. He even knows how many hairs I have on my head. He has them all numbered! He said, "…the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30).

A best friend is one who loves you just the way you are, and yet helps you to be all you can be. Jesus is my special Best Friend because no one has ever loved me as He does. He loved me so much that He gave His life for me. And He loves me today just as much as He did then. Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

The Lord Jesus loves me just the way I am, but He loves me too much to leave me the way I am. He is living in me and He is making me more like Himself day-by-day. He knows about my faults, but He loves me, and He will never take His love away from me.

Jesus is my special Best Friend because He wants only what is best for me. He will guide me in making decisions if I will ask for His help and trust Him.

In His Word, the Bible, the Lord Jesus tells me the things I should do, like obeying my parents and teachers. He also tells me things I should not do, like telling lies and saying hurtful things to others.

What about things that are not mentioned in the Bible? In this case I should ask, "Would Jesus like to see me do this?" If I think that He would not like to see me do it, I must NOT do it!

My Special Friend

by Amanda Rawlings

A third-grade teacher gave her class an assignment to write a report about a "special person." Amanda wanted to tell her classmates about Jesus, so she chose Jesus as her "special person." She was able to read her report to the class. Here is what Amanda wrote:

He is special because He is God's Son Jesus. He is special because He is always there when I need Him.

I talk to Him a lot. My special Person is nice and forgiving. He came to be special to me when I went to church and learned about Him.

I felt even more love for Him when I read my Bible in my room. I chose Jesus as my special Person because He is the most important Person in my life.

I always put Him first in my life. I always trust Him to lead my path. If I am ever in trouble, He can always help me.

I really love Him and He loves me even more. I cannot imagine ever living without Him. I never go to bed alone, I never am alone because Jesus is always there.

Have you ever felt like you are alone? Have you ever been afraid? You don't have to be afraid and you don't have to feel alone because Jesus is always there. He is truly my special Best Friend!

Jesus is my special Best Friend because He always has time for me. I can talk to Him at any time. I can talk to Him in any place. No one cares for me like Jesus. He wants me to come to Him about everything that concerns me.

Jesus is my special Best Friend because He is always the same. In the past I have had friends, and somehow they changed and we were no longer friends. But Jesus never changes! The Bible says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

The Lord Jesus is always the same wonderful Person who loves me with all His heart. He is always there to listen to me, to help me, to encourage me. He is truly the best Friend I could ever have.

Jesus and I are "Best Friends forever," but I must never forget who He is. He is my Savior, My Lord, and my God, and I treat Him with respect and reverence. I do not call Him "the Man upstairs."

Being a child of God is the most wonderful thing in all the world, but let me tell you a secret: Your life here on earth as a child of God will not always be easy. Jesus said,

"In the world you shall have tribulation [many troubles]; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

I will have many trials and troubles as I travel to my home in Heaven, but I do not need to be afraid. The Lord wants me to remember three things:

Jesus is always for me

Jesus has all power in Heaven and in the earth, and He is always for His believers. Every moment, there on the throne, He is thinking about me. He wants me to tell Him everything that concerns me. He wants me to bring all my problems and burdens to Him. He wants me to tell Him all that is on my heart.

Jesus is always with me

The Lord Jesus Himself is in Heaven , seated at the right hand of God the Father, but He also lives in the hearts of His believers by His Spirit. The apostle Paul said, "Christ lives in me!" You and I can say this too. Jesus promised that He will never leave us. He said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b).

Since Jesus is always with me, I must ask myself some questions: Is the Lord Jesus pleased when I am around those who are using bad language? No, He is not.

Is Jesus pleased when I am watching a TV show or movie with bad stuff in it? No, He is not. Does Jesus enjoy listening to music that has dirty words in it? No, He does not.

This means that I must not hang around those who use bad language. I must not watch bad stuff, and I must not listen to music with dirty words.

Wherever I go, the Lord Jesus goes with me. Whatever I watch, the Lord Jesus watches it with me. Whatever I listen to, the Lord Jesus listens to it also. If I truly love the Lord Jesus, I will not want to do anything that displeases Him.

I can always enjoy Jesus

Jesus is not a "force" ; He is a Person! He wants me to love and appreciate Him. He wants me to enjoy Him, the way best friends enjoy each other.

The way to enjoy a person is to love that person. The more you love Jesus, the more you will enjoy Him. When you fall in love with Jesus, you will be a happy child of God.

The Lord Jesus is the most wonderful Person in all the universe. God tells me to rejoice in Him—who He is and what He has done for me. No matter what happens, I can always rejoice in Him. The Bible says, "Rejoice in the Lord always…" (Philippians 4:4).

Memorize this verse:

The story so far…

Maria told her mother about everything she had done including her lies. Maria's friend Susan learned about God's forgiveness.

Chapter 8 Maria Shows the Way

For the next few days , Maria was very sick. Her head and chest ached and her temperature was high, even after taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor. Her parents often looked worried as they bent over her bed.

Steven came to sit with Maria each day after school. One day when he was sitting beside her, Maria whispered to him, "I want to see Grandma. Do you think Mommy and Daddy would let her come?"

"I will ask Daddy if she can come," Steven said, getting up.

The next day Maria dozed off to sleep for a few moments and when she woke up, there was her grandmother sitting next to her bed. She smoothed Maria's hair back from her hot forehead and talked to her in a soft voice.

Maria gave a tired sigh. "Oh, Grandma, I prayed that you would come. And now you are here. God does listen to us, doesn't He?"

"Yes, Maria," Grandmother answered. "Steven told me that you both belong to Jesus. Now God is your heavenly Father and you are His child. He loves you, Maria, and He wants you to ask Him for everything you need."

"I just needed you," Maria said as she fell asleep again.

The next afternoon Maria's father came to sit with her while Grandmother was resting. "Would you like me to read to you, Maria?" he asked.

"Yes," Maria answered. "Read to me about the 'Lamb's Book of Life' where my name is written."

"What book is it in, Maria?" he asked.

"It's in Grandma's Bible there on the table," Maria told him. "I think she left it open at the right place."

Her father picked up the Bible and found the verse—Revelation 21:27. He read it out loud. Then he said, "It seems to say that those who do bad things and tell lies cannot got to Heaven, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Do you understand it, Maria?"

"Yes," Maria answered. "Grandma explained it to me. You know about my lies, but I asked Jesus to forgive me and come into my heart. And I know He did. Now I am not afraid to die, because I know I will go to live with Jesus in Heaven."

"You are not going to die," her father said quickly. "Don't even think about such things, Maria!"

Maria smiled. "But, Daddy, I like to think about Heaven and about my name being written in Jesus' beautiful book. Is your name in the book, Daddy?"

"I guess not, Maria. I have been too busy to think much about it," he said.

Maria lay quietly for a while. She watched her father as he looked through the Bible, stopping now and then to read silently. He seemed to have forgotten all about her.

At last Maria said, "Daddy, you could come to Sunday school with us. Maybe that would show you the way to Heaven so you could get your name in Jesus' Book."

Maria's father leaned toward her and whispered, "Don't worry, young lady. You have shown me the way clearly enough. I am just not ready yet. But I promise to think about it. Now, it is time you went to sleep."

A few days later Susan came to see Maria. "Oh, Maria," she said, "I am sorry you have been so sick. Miss Wilson gave me your books and said I could help you catch up on your lessons. She said it was one way I could show you how sorry I was for spoiling your notebook."

"You told her?" Maria said, surprised. "I am glad, Susan. Now she knows that I was telling her the truth."

"Yes," Susan said. "And when I told her that I had asked Jesus to come into my heart, she said she was going to let us both participate in the camp contest. She liked it that we told her about the wrong things we did."

"That is wonderful!" Maria said. "I hope we can go together, Susan."

The girls were still working on lessons when Grandmother came into the room. They told her all about what Miss Wilson had said. Then Grandmother asked, "Maria and Susan, do you think you will ever do anything wrong again?"

"I hope not," Susan said, "but maybe…"

"Jesus can keep us from doing bad things." Maria added.

"You are both right," Grandma said. "Because Jesus is living in your heart now, you won't want to do bad things. But sometimes you will do wrong. Just remember that Jesus is ready to forgive you. And He will help you to do what is right, if you ask Him."

"I am going to ask Him every day," Susan said as she got up to leave.

That evening when Grandmother had finished reading the Bible to Steven and Maria, Maria asked, "Grandma, do you think Mommy and Daddy will take Jesus as their Savior?"

"Yes," Grandmother answered. "If we pray for them and keep showing them that Jesus changes us."

"I think Mommy will pretty soon," Steven said. "This morning when I took out the trash for her, she asked me why I did not complain anymore. I told her it was because I had Jesus in my heart."

"And Daddy promised to think about it, too," Maria told them. "Now, if only you could stay with us, Grandma, everything would be just right."

"Well, I have a surprise for you," Grandmother said with a smile. "Your parents have arranged for me to spend the weekends with you."

"Great!" Steven shouted. "No more Uncle Bill's."

"Oh, Grandma," Maria said. "I have my name in Jesus' beautiful book. And now I will have you, too." Maria's eyes sparkled. Her heart was filled with joy.

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Why Jesus Loved Friendship

By Peter Wehner

Mr. Wehner is a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum.

The enduring significance of Christmas is that it represents perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Christian faith — the concept of the incarnation, the belief that God took human form in Jesus. Theologians refer to the “hypostatic union” of Jesus, meaning the mysterious fusion of his divinity and his humanity.

The humanity of Jesus manifests itself in his moments of grief, agony, anger, frustration, joy and compassion. But one particular aspect of that humanity that has long intrigued me is his professed friendship with the rest of us.

In the New Testament, this point is made emphatically in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John. The context is Jesus’ discourse with his disciples, in which he tells them that as God the father has loved him, so he loves them. His command to his disciples is that they love one another. Jesus then says this : “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you.”

John Swinton , an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and a professor at the University of Aberdeen, calls this shift from servant to friend a “profound act of renaming.”

I understand why the relationship between an all-powerful deity and less than all-powerful human beings — between the creator and the created, the perfect and the imperfect — would be defined by the latter’s awe, reverence and obedience. But a relationship between God and us — between God and me, between God and you — that is defined by true friendship is startling. Why would a divine, transcendent entity, referred to in the Scriptures as the everlasting God, the Lord Most High, not only condescend to become human but also initiate a relationship with us that is defined by mutual affection, intimacy and self-revelation? So I reached out to ministers and theologians to ask: What does it mean for Jesus to call us his friends?

The thread of friendship can be traced back to the Old Testament, to the book of Isaiah, where the prophet conveys God’s description of Abraham as “my friend.” The concept of God as a friend is not foreign to the Hebrew Scripture, then, though it seems to have been limited to Abraham and, in a somewhat different way, to Moses, “as if they have an especially intimate relationship with God in distinction from others,” in the words of the Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III. “But there is an intensification and expansion of intimacy as we move to John 15.”

Several people I heard from mentioned how revolutionary this concept of friendship was, pointing out that it would have been almost unheard-of for an ancient king, let alone God, to refer to his subjects as friends in the way Jesus did. An earthly king would certainly not have walked and lived among them in the way Jesus did. In ancient times people of unequal wealth and status were very unlikely to be friends. But Jesus shattered those expectations and the hierarchical relationship between God and human beings.

“Jesus is elevating his listeners,” the philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff told me, “treating them as on a level with him.” Jesus is recognizing the intrinsic worth of human beings, who are not only made in the divine image but also are his confidants and companions.

Scott Dudley, senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Wash., pointed out to me that the exchange in John revealed God’s radical love and grace. “You would expect God to befriend worthy people, educated people, brave people, or, at bare minimum, moral people,” he told me. But instead, Jesus chose to be his followers the uneducated (several fishermen), the reviled (Matthew, a tax collector for the hated Roman regime), a person who would deny him (Peter) and even betray him (Judas). Access to the divine is no longer the province of a special caste of influential, privileged people. And what Jesus did in the process is profoundly alter the understanding of the power dynamic between God and mortals.

“Power cannot generate love,” Pastor Dudley told me. “Power can generate obedience, fear, awe, grudging submission — but not love. The God who comes to us in Jesus doesn’t want grudging submission; he wants us to love him and be loved by him. He wants relationship, including friendship, and so he came in vulnerability, not in power.”

The concept of a vulnerable God, meek and lowly in heart, was almost unfathomable to many at the time, and for many people it still is. But a vulnerable God is an essential part of the Christian story. We see it in Jesus’ life, from his birth in a manger to his weeping over the death of his friend Lazarus to the anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was betrayed on the night before his crucifixion. Jesus was accompanied by three of his closest friends — Peter, John and James — whom he asked to stay awake and pray with him. (They failed, with Jesus finding them sleeping, “ exhausted from sorrow .”)

Renée Notkin, a co-pastor of Union Church in Seattle, in explaining the friendship verses in John, told me that Jesus’ words “Love one another as I have loved you” are essential to understanding what Jesus meant. Among other things, a proper understanding of friendship radically changes our perspective on how we are to live in community.

“Our witness is not right doctrine; it is our relational orientation,” Pastor Notkin told me. “As friends of Jesus, we love one another — and that includes people different from us. In fact, no one can be an ‘other’, because in Christ we belong to one another.” We are called to love one another, honor one another, welcome one another, encourage one another and bear one another’s burdens. “Instead of being people who stink with judgment and criticism,” she told me, “we are to be an aroma of blessing, hope, joy, peace and love.”

John Swinton contrasts friendship as understood in contemporary Western society with what Jesus had in mind: “The friendship modeled by Jesus is for ‘the outsider,’ the socially marginalized, the stigmatized, the outcast, the prostitute, the sinner.”

“If the church claims to be the community of the friends of Jesus,” he adds, “it must engage in Christ-like friendships toward all people, particularly those who have been and are marginalized. The gift of friendship shows and reminds people that they are valued and indeed valuable individuals. That is a gift the church must offer all people.”

The theologian Curtis Chang told me that in the lives of Christians, friendship with Jesus doesn’t replace the call to be obedient to him or his authority. Mr. Chang compared it to an employer-employee relationship that has moved to a deeper level of trust and shared knowledge. In this reading, we must still submit to the authority of our employer, but the relationship has expanded to include much more than just that. Jesus does not relinquish his role as Lord and teacher; he has added new dimensions to it.

“In true friendship, there is mutuality,” Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, told me. “When Jesus called his disciples his friends, he both elevated them and brought them closer.” Their worlds merged.

When Jesus told his disciples he would call them friends rather than servants, he was expressing in words what he showed during his life, which is that God is seeking above all else to be in a meaningful relationship with us. Jesus modeled what it means to take us into his confidence, to self-disclose, to encourage and correct us, to weep with us, to love us, even to die for us.

Those are the qualities — more than God’s power, more than his perfection — that ultimately won the affections of my heart as a person of the Christian faith. It is the knowledge that we can be seen and known by God, and that we can see and know God. That we need him, but that also, in some essential way, he needs us.

But the friendship Jesus speaks of comes with a condition attached. In articulating what Gail R. O’Day calls his “ theology of friendship ,” Jesus says if we are his friends, we will do what he commands, and several times in John 15 he is specific about what that means: Love each other as I have loved you . There are countless ways to love others, based on our talents and life circumstances, but the command is clear enough. We are not only to experience love; we are to extend it to others.

So often throughout history, and certainly in the present day, Christians have fallen short, far short, of Jesus’ command; in so many cases the Christian faith has been shorn of love. When that happens, Christianity becomes a religion characterized by hard edges and judgmentalism, by brittleness and moral arrogance, by mercilessness and gracelessness. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus but behave in this way become not his friends but his enemies.

For 2,000 years, despite the failures, there has always been at least a remnant who patterned their lives in the way Jesus asked them to — men and women whose lives have been touched and transformed by the grace and love of God. I know such people. For me, when my own faith was jumbled, uncertain and abstract, when I had more questions than answers, when God seemed a million miles away, they have been reflections of the divine.

These people have shared in the joys of my life and helped sustain me through times of grief and loss. They have loved me, as Jesus loved them. They are friends of Jesus; they are also friends of mine. And that has made all the difference.

Peter Wehner ( @Peter_Wehner ) — a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush — is a contributing Opinion writer and the author of “ The Death of Politics : How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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A Prayer Thanking Jesus for Friendship and Our Friends

More by scotty.

      After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 1 Sam. 1:18:1-3 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” ( Jn. 15:13 )”… I have called you friends…” Jn. 15:15

Scotty Smith is the founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. You can follow him on Twitter .

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Jesus on Friendship

‘Nobody talks about Jesus’s greatest miracle – having 12 close friends in his 30s.’

This joke has done the rounds a bit in recent years. I confess, when I first saw it, it did make me chuckle. But it also made me stop and think. It makes a good point – I don’t know many people in their 30s who could say they have 12 close friends. Jesus seems to have been unusually good at friendship and to have really valued it. His attitude towards friendship seems to have been somewhat different to the dominant attitudes in modern western culture. So maybe we should stop and reflect on that. What did Jesus say and think about friendship?

There are a few ways we could answer that question. We could look at what the Gospels reveal about Jesus’ approach to friendship. And there’d be lots we could learn. But we can also look at what Jesus taught about friendship. We might easily forget, but at a key moment in his life, Jesus took the time to speak to his closest followers about the nature and importance of friendship. That moment is on the night he was betrayed, after he’s washed the disciples’ feet, and it’s recorded for us in John 15:12-17. In this passage, Jesus teaches us about both his friendship with us and our friendships with each other.

Friendship with Jesus

John 15:14 contains what I think are some of Jesus’ most extraordinary words:

‘You are my friends.’

Just ponder that for a moment. The Son of God, the one through whom all things were created, the one who for all eternity past has existed in relationship with the Father and the Spirit, takes on flesh, comes to earth and on the night before he’ll be brutally executed on a Roman cross for them, looks at his closest followers and says, ‘You are my friends’. It’s astounding. And what’s even more astounding is that we can trust that by extension Jesus says those words to us too. Jesus says to all of his followers: ‘You are my friends’.

Jesus wants to help the disciples to understand what the greatest love is really like, and he doesn’t turn to marriage or sex, he turns to friendship. For Jesus, friendship is a relationship of deep love.

And what does he mean by that? What does it mean to be friends? It’s actually quite a hard thing to define when you stop and think about it. Here in John 15, Jesus seems to imply that at the heart of friendship is love: ‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). Jesus wants to help the disciples to understand what the greatest love is really like, and he doesn’t turn to marriage or sex, he turns to friendship. For Jesus, friendship is a relationship of deep love.

There’s another way we can see that to be true. Jesus says that we are his friends if we do what he commands (John 15:14). We’ll have more to say on this later, but notice one thing for now. Not many verses earlier, in John 15:10, Jesus has promised ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.’ Keeping Jesus’ commandments means we abide in his love, and it means we’re his friends. Those two things overlap: friendship is a relationship of deep love.

And there’s something else Jesus notes about friendship. Friendship is also about openness.

‘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 15:15).

Jesus says something new is going on. God’s people haven’t always been called his friends. In the Old Testament, only a few individuals are acknowledged as friends of God (e.g. Abraham in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8, and Moses in Exodus 33:11), and the relationship of the average Israelite and God is perhaps best described as that of servant and master (e.g. Leviticus 25:55).

But now, things have changed. Through the work of Christ, God’s people can once again be known as his friends. And Jesus notes that one element of this change is a new openness. Previously, as servants, they didn’t know what their master was doing. A servant has to get on with their tasks regardless of whether they understand them. But now, Jesus says, he will share with his followers all that God the Father reveals to him. As Paul the Apostle will later say, God has now revealed the ‘mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed’ (Ephesians 3:4-5). Friendship is characterised by openness: an honesty and transparency between friends.

And in friendship with Jesus, there is also challenge. Because of course this isn’t a friendship of equals. And so, we, the friends of Jesus, are also to be obedient to him: ‘You are my friends if you do what I command ’ (John 15:14, emphasis added). Obedience doesn’t make us friends of God, but our obedience flows out of our friendship with him. (Just as Jesus’ obedience to the Father doesn’t make him God’s Son, but it flows out of his position as the son. See John 15:10.)

Here is one of the most amazing, most incredible of all the blessings that come to us through the gospel. If we are a follower of Jesus – we are one of his friends. And that friendship is characterised by love and openness.

Friendship with one another

If Jesus said nothing else, this alone would challenge our view of friendship. Think of the dignity and importance Jesus gives to friendship when he says that we are his friends. But this is not all he says. In fact, Jesus’s declaration that we are his friends is sandwiched within teaching about our friendships with one another.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15:12).

‘These things I command you, so that you will love one another’ (John 15:17).

Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved us. Think of what that means. At this point, Jesus has just washed the disciples’ feet, taking on the role of a slave, the lowest of the low in his cultural context. And he knows that the very next day he will die on a Roman cross for them. That’s how Jesus has loved them and his command is to love each other with the same kind of love. That’s a big challenge!

And with what kind of love does Jesus love us? With the love of friendship. ‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). So, when Jesus commands us to love one another as he has loved us, he is calling us into friendship, commanding us into it. It’s true that we can only have deep, meaningful friendship with a small number of people and that we are called to love all fellow friends of Jesus in this way, but it is in a few close friendships that we will most deeply and powerfully be able to live out Jesus’s command. Jesus calls us to model our friendships with each other on his friendship with us. He’s raising the stakes on friendship.

The marker of being a friend of Jesus is being a good friend to others.

But I think he goes even further. Remember, Jesus has said that obedience to what he commands is what marks us out as his friends. What commandment does he have in mind? Well, there’s only one command mentioned in this chapter. It’s given twice, both times it’s explicitly identified as a commandment, and the two occurrences actually bracket this whole piece of teaching: ‘Love one another’ (John 15:12, 17). The obedience which marks us as Jesus’ friends is loving one another; it’s being good friends. The marker of being a friend of Jesus is being a good friend to others. That’s how important Jesus makes friendship. That’s how central to Christian faithfulness he makes it.

What a challenge that is to so many of us. Do we see being a good friend as central to Christian faithfulness? I think often our attempts at Christian faithfulness – good things like leadership and serving – can actually be the things that consume so much of our time and capacity that we don’t invest in friendship. Perhaps we’ve missed something important in what Jesus has to say to us.

There’s a cost to laying down our lives for others. Real love costs something, and real love is what Jesus calls us to in friendship.

And what will these friendships look like? I think Jesus has already shown us. Friendships are relationships of love – genuine love, expressed love, love enacted through self-sacrifice. Is that how we view friendship? Is that the sort of friendships we seek to cultivate? Often we don’t. Perhaps we think we don’t need them. Perhaps we fear we’ll be misunderstood if we love our friends too deeply. Perhaps we just don’t want the disruption. But if friendships are about the love of self-sacrifice, perhaps they should be disruptive. There’s a cost to laying down our lives for others. Real love costs something, and real love is what Jesus calls us to in friendship.

Friendships are also relationships of openness. We cultivate true friendship when we are open and honest. As we share with one another, intimacy is fostered, hearts are united. Openness creates connection, and the gospel allows openness. We can be open, even about our weaknesses and our failings, because we know that we are always loved and accepted. We need not feel ashamed, because Jesus says that we are his friends. Of all people, we as friends of Jesus should have the freedom to be open in our friendships with others.

The challenge of Jesus on friendship

Jesus’ teaching on friendship is incredibly challenging. There’s the challenge to accept and experience the depth of Jesus’ love for us in our friendship with him, and there’s the challenge to live out our identity as his friends by loving one another in deep, meaningful friendship. There’s the challenge to cultivate friendships of self-sacrificial love and openness and to value friendship as highly as Jesus does. That’s Jesus’ challenge to you. What will you do with that challenge?

Published 25th October 2022

Andrew Bunt

Andrew is part of a church on the south-east coast and is Emerging Generations director at Living Out. He studied theology at Durham University and King's College London and is the author of 'People Not Pronouns' (Grove Books) and 'Finding Your Best Identity' (IVP). In the words of one of his friends: 'On paper you should be boring, but you're actually quite good fun.'

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100 Bible Verses about Jesus As A Friend

John 15:15 esv / 1,595 helpful votes helpful not helpful.

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 ESV / 1,398 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Proverbs 18:24 ESV / 1,312 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 17:17 ESV / 1,188 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

James 2:23 ESV / 909 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

John 15:14 ESV / 802 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Proverbs 27:17 ESV / 788 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 12:26 ESV / 643 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 22:24-25 ESV / 558 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

James 4:4 ESV / 557 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV / 553 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Proverbs 27:9 ESV / 540 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Proverbs 16:28 ESV / 526 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 13:20 ESV / 503 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

John 15:12-15 ESV / 493 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay 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.

James 4:8 ESV / 468 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Proverbs 27:5-6 ESV / 460 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Revelation 3:20 ESV / 449 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Matthew 11:28 ESV / 442 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Job 2:11 ESV / 430 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.

Romans 5:8 ESV / 422 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Proverbs 27:6 ESV / 419 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

2 Kings 2:2 ESV / 415 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

1 John 3:1 ESV / 404 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Luke 7:34 ESV / 390 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

1 Samuel 18:1-3 ESV / 385 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.

John 15:13-15 ESV / 365 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay 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.

1 John 1:9 ESV / 357 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 6:31 ESV / 349 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Proverbs 17:9 ESV / 349 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Matthew 11:19 ESV / 328 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Proverbs 20:6 ESV / 311 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

Exodus 33:11 ESV / 309 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV / 307 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Philippians 2:1-30 ESV / 292 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...

Proverbs 22:11 ESV / 288 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV / 280 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV / 277 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

John 14:6 ESV / 266 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 5:10 ESV / 262 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV / 254 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Romans 12:10 ESV / 253 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Colossians 3:12-14 ESV / 251 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Ruth 1:16-17 ESV / 250 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Revelation 1:1 ESV / 244 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 24:5 ESV / 232 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

Matthew 28:20 ESV / 228 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Ephesians 5:2 ESV / 227 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 3:16 ESV / 223 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 4:12 ESV / 221 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Isaiah 53:5 ESV / 221 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

2 Samuel 1:26 ESV / 219 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

Proverbs 19:20 ESV / 214 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

John 14:27 ESV / 209 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 13:34-35 ESV / 208 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Romans 3:23 ESV / 207 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Philippians 4:13 ESV / 193 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19 ESV / 189 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Luke 5:32 ESV / 189 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Romans 12:2 ESV / 188 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV / 185 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Ephesians 2:10 ESV / 185 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 15:16 ESV / 184 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

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.

1 Samuel 22:23 ESV / 184 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

1 Samuel 20:17 ESV / 184 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

James 1:1 ESV / 183 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 ESV / 183 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ...

2 Peter 1:1 ESV / 182 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Galatians 2:20 ESV / 180 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Philippians 4:6 ESV / 179 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

2 Samuel 15:32-37 ESV / 178 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear.” ...

2 Samuel 10:2 ESV / 177 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites.

Philippians 2:25 ESV / 175 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,

Isaiah 53:4 ESV / 171 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 41:8 ESV / 171 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

Psalm 41:9 ESV / 171 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

John 13:35 ESV / 169 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

2 Timothy 1:1 ESV / 168 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 4:14 ESV / 168 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

Romans 8:1-39 ESV / 168 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ...

Luke 15:1-2 ESV / 166 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Matthew 5:44 ESV / 166 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

2 Chronicles 20:7 ESV / 166 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

Romans 12:15 ESV / 165 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

1 John 4:7 ESV / 164 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

2 Timothy 1:2-4 ESV / 163 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

Colossians 4:7 ESV / 162 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV / 162 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

John 15:20 ESV / 160 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

John 16:12 ESV / 158 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 158 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...

2 Corinthians 2:12-13 ESV / 157 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

Romans 16:3-5 ESV / 156 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 156 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Samuel 20:42 ESV / 148 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord , saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

Proverbs 3:32 ESV / 144 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For the devious person is an abomination to the Lord , but the upright are in his confidence.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV / 140 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 131 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 6:23 ESV / 131 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / 129 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

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Essay on God Is My Only Friend

Students are often asked to write an essay on God Is My Only Friend in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on God Is My Only Friend

Introduction.

In life, we make many friends, but there is one friend who’s always there for us – God. God is my only friend, a companion who never leaves my side.

The Constant Companion

God is a constant companion. Whether I’m happy or sad, God is always there. I don’t need to pretend or hide my feelings.

Unconditional Love

God’s love is unconditional. There are no demands, no conditions. This love gives me strength and courage.

Guidance in Life

God guides me in all aspects of life. Whenever I’m confused, I seek God’s guidance. God helps me make the right decisions.

In conclusion, God is my only friend who is always there, providing unconditional love and guidance.

250 Words Essay on God Is My Only Friend

The concept of god as a friend.

The idea of God as a friend is deeply ingrained in many religious and philosophical traditions. It’s a concept that transcends the boundaries of traditional theology, offering a more personal, intimate connection with the divine. This perspective shifts the focus from a distant, judgmental deity to a compassionate, understanding companion.

Personal Connection with God

The relationship between an individual and God is highly personal, often shaped by experiences, beliefs, and personal interpretations of religious texts. For many, God serves as an unyielding pillar of support, a confidante who listens without judgment, and a friend who provides unconditional love. This bond is often strengthened during times of solitude or hardship, when human companionship may be lacking.

The Consolation in Divine Friendship

The friendship with God provides a unique form of solace. Unlike human relationships, which are often fraught with misunderstandings and expectations, a relationship with God is perceived as pure and unchanging. This divine friendship offers a sanctuary from the tumultuous nature of human existence, providing comfort and guidance in times of uncertainty.

God as a Friend: A Pathway to Self-Discovery

Viewing God as a friend can also serve as a pathway to self-discovery. It encourages introspection and self-reflection, prompting individuals to examine their actions, thoughts, and feelings in a new light. The divine friendship serves as a mirror, reflecting our true selves and prompting growth and transformation.

In conclusion, the concept of God as a friend offers a profound, personal connection to the divine. It provides solace, encourages self-discovery, and offers a unique perspective on the nature of the divine-human relationship. This friendship is a beacon of hope, a source of comfort, and a journey towards self-understanding.

500 Words Essay on God Is My Only Friend

Introduction: the transcendent companionship.

In the labyrinth of life, companionship often serves as the guiding light, providing comfort and solace in times of desolation. While some find this companionship in people, others find it in the divine entity, God. This essay explores the concept of God as a friend, a unique bond that transcends the physical realm and enters the spiritual.

The idea of God as a friend is not novel. It is rooted in various religious and philosophical traditions. In Christianity, Jesus is often referred to as a friend, while in Hinduism, Lord Krishna is revered as the eternal friend. This concept transcends religious boundaries, providing a universal understanding of God as a source of unconditional love and support.

God as a Constant Companion

In the tumultuous journey of life, relationships evolve, and friends may come and go. However, the divine friendship with God remains constant. The belief that God is always there, listening to our prayers and guiding us through our struggles, provides a sense of stability and constancy. This unwavering companionship becomes a beacon of hope in times of despair.

The Solitary Journey: God as the Only Friend

For some, the journey of life is a solitary one, marked by spiritual introspection and self-discovery. Here, God becomes the only friend, the companion who walks alongside, providing wisdom and strength. This unique friendship is not bound by worldly expectations or societal norms, allowing for a deeper, more profound connection.

God as a Catalyst for Personal Growth

God as a friend serves as a catalyst for personal growth. This relationship encourages introspection, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and the world. It promotes virtues such as compassion, humility, and resilience, transforming us into better individuals. The divine friendship thus becomes a journey of self-improvement and spiritual growth.

Conclusion: The Divine Companionship

In conclusion, the concept of God as a friend provides a unique perspective on spirituality and personal growth. It offers a sense of companionship that transcends the physical realm, providing comfort, guidance, and stability. This divine friendship serves as a beacon of hope, a catalyst for personal growth, and a source of unconditional love. Whether one walks the path of life in solitude or amidst a crowd, the belief that God is a friend can be a source of immense strength and solace.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Effect of Bad Friends
• Essay on Childhood Friend
• Essay on A Day Out With Friends

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Jesus is My Friend

Jesus is my Friend, and O, what joy it is to know

Representative text.

1 Jesus is my Friend, and Oh, what joy it is to know That He will ne’er forsake me, nor cease His love to show; In Him I find sweet rest; I lean upon His loving breast, For Jesus is my Friend.

Refrain: Jesus is my Friend, Jesus is my Friend, Tho’ friends may come and go, ‘tis sweet, this blessed truth to know, That Jesus is my Friend.

2 Jesus is my Friend, and Oh, how sweet it is to dwell Within His blessed shadow, who doeth all things well; Beneath His wing I hide, In peace I ever there abide, For Jesus is my Friend. [Refrain]

Author: Eliza E. Hewitt

• Text Information
• John 15:13 (hymns)
• MIDI file from Gospel Herald in Song #43

Gospel Herald in Song #43