‘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.’ (v15)
Just take a moment to let that sink in. The Almighty Creator of the universe calls you his friend. No other religious worldview contains this idea. We are servants, subjects, vessels – but not friends.
For followers of Jesus, however, we have this unique, wonderful privilege. It doesn’t happen by accident – it is Jesus’ choice (v16). A choice is an act of will – Jesus wants us to be his friends. Do we want to be friends with him? Can we imagine relating to God in that way? I hope so!
This friendship is signified by the extraordinary access we have: ‘everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’ We can know the mind of God, through the teaching and wisdom of Jesus. He holds nothing back, to those who earnestly seek him. We have the pages of scripture, and the divine Advocate, the Holy Spirit, ‘teaching us all things’ (14:25).
This access is reciprocal: (v16) ‘whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’ As we observed previously, this promise rests on the assumption that Jesus can put his name to it – something that comes naturally to those who, through Jesus’ teaching, know the divine will.
Finally, this friendship is not just Jesus’ choice, it is Jesus’ purpose: (v16) ‘I… appointed you so that you may go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.’ As we become like our rabbi and friend, we have the kind of transformative impact he had, and still has. Maybe on a smaller scale, but powerful nonetheless.
You are a friend of Jesus. Take a few moments today to reflect on that amazing truth. How will you enjoy this day, sustained by his friendship?