6th Sunday of Easter John 15:9-17
I read this story of a soldier in the first World War, who asked his commanding officer if he could go out into the “No Man’s Land” between the trenches to bring in one of his friends who’d been seriously wounded.
“You can go,” said the officer, “but it’s not worth it. Your friend has probably died, and you will throw your own life away.” But the man went. Somehow, he managed to get to his friend, lift him on to his shoulder, and bring him back to his own trench. The two of them tumbled together and lay in the bottom of the trench.
The officer looked very sympathetically on the would-be rescuer, and then he said, “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it. Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.” ”It was worth it, though, sir,” he said. “How do you mean, ‘worth it?’ I tell you your friend is dead.” “Yes, sir,” the soldier answered, “but it was worth it, because when I got to him, he was still alive, and he said to me, ‘Jim, I knew you’d come.’” In verses 14 and 15, Jesus chose us to be his friends. Jesus says, “I no longer call you slaves or servants… I call you my friends.” And Jesus tells us, “I have something greater yet. You are no longer slaves, you are my friends.”
And Jesus died on the cross for everyone, in fact, if you were the only person in the world Jesus would have died for you, why because He loves each one of us.
Jesus calls us to be his friends. We can come to him at any time. We are full partners with him in trying to save this world because He has made His business known to us.
We are fully fledged partners with Him in the cause of bringing the world into God’s kingdom. We are his partners… his ambassadors. Jesus chose us to be His voice, His hands, and feet. He has appointed us to ‘go and bear fruit’ in other words, “go and get results.” There are many ways in which our friendship with Jesus can find expression. The fruits of love that we bear for Christ are limited only by our imagination and by the depth of our love of Jesus.
