FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

Our Lord in the gospel reading of today called his disciples friends (John 15:9-17). He contrasted this designation of friendship with that of a servant. He will not call his disciple servants because, as he says, “I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.” (John 15:15). This kind of knowledge which the disciples have makes them unlike servants “because a servant does not know his master’s business.” (John 15:15). 

Jesus calls us friends. We are friends of God! Some people measure their importance by the kind of friends they have. Often a person is said to be important if he has friends in high places or among people of means and influence. If we can gain importance from ephemeral and passing states of things, how much more should we rejoice in the fact that Jesus calls us his friends. 

Friendship among persons require at least two conditions. The first is a certain form of equality or commonality, and secondly contact, and in fact frequent contact. If there is no equality, friendship would be difficult. In this case it might be more appropriate to talk of one being a servant of another. If Jesus is God, how can we have equality with God? But by virtue of his incarnation, Jesus is also man. His humanity makes us have some form of equality with God. Christ has made us friends of God.