“What a friend we have in Jesus” (St. Luke’s: Friday, May 4th, 2018; Acts 15.22-31; Gospel of St. John 15.12-17)

Do you have any friends?  I don’t mean Facebook “friends”, or acquaintances, or people you say “Hi!” to at church.  I don’t mean people who just happen to be part of the backdrop to your life.  I’m talking about people who put you before themselves, who truly know you, who have seen you at your worst – and didn’t cut you off – people who have forgiven you and whom you have forgiven, people you can be honest with, who genuinely want what’s best for you, people who would go out of their way to help you.  Do you have any friends?

Farewell address.  Today’s Gospel is a vignette from St. John’s lengthy account of the Last Supper (chapters 13 – 17).  This is a moment of great intimacy as Jesus gathers the 12 apostles to celebrate Israel’s national holiday; this is his chance to tell them what he thinks is most important before going to his death.  St. John opens this section of his Gospel with the following words: “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (13.1).  At the end of this section, Jesus prays to the Father for “those whom the Father has given him” (17.7-11).  Jesus tells the apostles that he has chosen them (15.16; cf. 6.70).

Costly friendship.  The Father entrusted these 12 men to Jesus, Jesus chose them to “bear fruit”, and now Jesus calls them his “friends”.  Jesus had invited the apostles to enter into that relationship of mutual self-giving that existed between him and the Father.  Let’s make no mistake.  When Jesus calls the apostles his “friends”, this is no easy-going, shoulder slapping, “let’s watch the game together” sort of camaraderie.  There is nothing “easy” about the fact that Jesus considers the apostles to be his friends.  Since the moment that they entered the Upper Room, Jesus has been modeling for the apostles what true friendship actually is.  Once they had all taken their places at table, Jesus had proceeded to wash the apostles’ feet.  Once Jesus had made his way around all 24 dirty feet, he asked the 12 a question: “Do you know what I have done to you?” (13.12).  Before waiting for a response, Jesus tells the apostles that they call him “teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so.  Jesus says that if he – their Teacher and Lord – has washed their feet, they must also wash each other’s feet.  Jesus tells them that “servants are not greater than their master” (13.16).  Jesus is teaching the apostles how they are to treat each other as they go out into the hostile world, empowered by the Spirit to be agents of the Father’s love.  Jesus is preparing the apostles to be a community of friendship as they continue his work after he has returned to the Father.  They must wash each other’s feet.  Their community must be characterized by humility and service one to the other.

No greater love.  In today’s Gospel, the full implications of genuine friendship are revealed.  No longer is it simply the case that the apostles – as servants and imitators of their Master – must wash each other’s feet.  Now, Jesus gives the apostles a new commandment – they must love one another.  Once again, Jesus doesn’t leave things in a state of ambiguity – the apostles are to love each other as Jesus has loved them.  Jesus then describes the extent to which he will demonstrate his love: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (15.13).  And then, Jesus “springs the trap” – “You are my friends”.  To be among the friends of Jesus is a great privilege, yes, but it is also a great challenge and responsibility.  Jesus will demonstrate his love for the apostles by laying down his life on the cross, and he commands the apostles – if they are truly to be his friends – to lay down their lives for each other.  Perhaps, at this point, we’re saying to ourselves, “Thank goodness I don’t have that many friends”.  There’s nothing easy about being a true friend, and there’s nothing easy about being a friend of Jesus.  As St. John recounts the events leading from the Last Supper to Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, the behaviour of two characters – Jesus & Peter – is juxtaposed so that true friendship and our often-all-too-fallible friendship can be compared and contrasted.  After Jesus has washed the apostles’ feet, Peter – of course, Peter – blurts out, “Lord …I will lay down my life for you” (13.37).  Famous last words… We so often fail to be the friends of Jesus, and to be a friend to others.  However, there is good news for those of us – like me – who are lousy friends – but if you want to know what it is, you have to read chapter 21 of St. John’s Gospel.

A vocation nurtured in friendship.  Even though we often struggle to be true friends to others, friendship has always been a vital and powerful force in the Church.  As a matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for friendship, Saul of Tarsus wouldn’t have become the St. Paul we know and revere.  In today’s first reading, we see the name of the one who befriended Paul immediately after his Damascus-road experience – “Barnabas”.  “Barnabas” is actually a nickname, meaning “Son of Encouragement”.  Joseph – the actual name of this early Christian – is first introduced to us in chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles (Ac. 4.36).  But that is precisely the role that Joseph – a.k.a. “Barnabas” – played in Paul’s life – he was a constant source of encouragement and friendship for Paul.  When Paul first came to Jerusalem after his conversion, it was Barnabas who vouched for him to the Christian community (Ac. 9.27).  After Paul had been sent back to Tarsus by the Jerusalem Church and had languished there for almost a decade, who came to find Paul and bring him to Antioch?  Barnabas.  Who spent a year ministering to the Church in Antioch side-by-side with Paul (Ac. 11.25-26)?  Barnabas.  Who accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Ac. 13.2)?  Barnabas.  And who got into a fight with Paul and stopped travelling with him after the first journey (Ac. 15.36-39)?  Barnabas.  There is no perfect friendship in this life.  But we are called to demonstrate our friendship with Jesus by befriending others.  We don’t know the difference that our friendship can make in someone’s life.  If you don’t have any “friends” as we’ve defined that term this morning, then BE a friend to someone who needs encouragement and support.  May Jesus – our one TRUE friend – be with us as we seek to love as he loved.  Amen.