Friends

When was the last time you saw your friends in person? For a lot of us, it’s probably been a while. Through various apps we’ve managed to still hang out and play games with our friends but, as fun as it is, it’s just not the same as being together in person. We all need friends. We were not made to do this life alone. After each thing that God created He said, “It is good.” There was only one thing about which the Lord said, “It is not good.”

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.’” (Genesis 2:18)

“It is not good for man to be alone.” For some of us, that’s all we’ve been for quite awhile: alone. Having a companion, a friend, is so crucial in our lives. We need close friends; we tend to call them “best” friends. Hopefully, if you’re married, your spouse is your closest friend. This is the person you can tell anything; you laugh with them, you cry with them. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been apart—when you see them again it’s like you were never apart. Jesus called all twelve of his disciples His friends.

“‘I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.’” (John 15:15)

Of these twelve friends, it seems Jesus had three close friends: Peter, James, and John, and of those, John seemed to be the closest or best friend. Throughout John’s gospel, he refers to himself as “the one [or disciple] Jesus loved.” Even Jesus needed a close friend, so how much more do we need that close friend?

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Jesus saw this proverb lived out in His life. When all had abandoned Jesus and fled as He was arrested and nailed to the cross, it was John who stayed with and comforted Jesus’ mother.

“Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, ‘Dear woman, here is your son.’ And he said to this disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from then on this disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:25-27)

Jesus, dying on the cross, made sure that His closest friend was going to take care of His mother. That is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. When you go through a rough time in your life, when your world comes crashing down, some of your friends might abandon you, but you’ll find out who your true friends really are because they will stick closer than a brother. Hopefully you know who your close friends are. Truly, the closest friend we will ever have isn’t our best friend and it isn’t even our spouse. It is our Lord, our King, our Savior.

“‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.’” (John 15:13-14)

He not only called the twelve disciples His friends, He’s extended that privilege to us. We are Jesus’ friends when we do what He commands. Our King calls us friends, not servants. That’s how close of a relationship Jesus wants with us. He is our King and yet He calls us friends and He has proven how great His love for us is as he laid down His life for us, His friends.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)

We all need friends. Going through life alone is the one thing in creation God said was not good. Not even Jesus went through this life without a close friend. Show that you are Jesus’ friend by following and obeying His commands. We were not made to be alone. Hanging out with your friends may look different right now, but it’s still important to have them in your life. Most of all, don’t neglect your relationship with your closest friend, Jesus Christ. Talk with Him every day, multiple times a day, and thank Him for all He has done, including calling us His friends.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed