What does it mean to be a Friend of the King of Kings?
Today’s gospel builds upon the message we heard last Sunday about the vine and the branches. This week, we continue to develop the concept of “remaining” in Jesus, but now we replace the vineyard analogy with language that speaks of friendship.
As branches on the Vine, we take comfort knowing the inexhaustible strength of Christ is available for us to draw upon. As fruit bearers, whose fruit has in it the seed for more fruit, we grasp that we are part of something eternal. Now, as we turn this week to the language of friends, Our Lord speaks about peace, love, and joy.
Surely from these teachings we see that Christ’s purpose is to give us an abundant life, not a joyless existence. We have strength, we are fruitful, and we have permanence. We have peace, love, and joy -- all because we are friend to the King of kings.
And what does it mean to be a friend of the King of kings? For sure, it is a humbling relationship. We have this privileged position only because of His grace. We did not choose Him; He chose us! And He chose us because He loves us.
Our friendship with Christ involves love and obedience. It involves shared knowledge, shared values, and mutual sacrifice. But, this is more than a “me and Jesus” relationship; it is a relationship with the whole body of Christ, with his whole Church.
We were chosen for special service. We have graciously been set apart by the Lord in order to go into the world and bear fruit. Fruit which is intended to benefit others. He sends us into the world to tell others about the King and His gift of salvation.
Let us rejoice that:
(i) Christ chose us for joy. However hard the Christian way is, it is, both in the traveling and in the goal, a way of joy.
(ii) Christ chose us for love. Sometimes we live as if we were sent to compete with one another, but the Christian is to live in a way that shows what it is to love one another.
(iii) Christ chose us for peace. This peace may not always be with the world, but it should for sure be within our community of faith, within the Church, with one another.
One of the greatest privileges we have as friends of Jesus is that of learning to know God better. “Each of us is as close to God as we choose to be.”
Over time, some friends really get a sense of one another. They intuitively understand each other. Sometimes, they finish each other’s thoughts or know just the right thing to say or do at just the right moment. You develop similar habits, and quite practically, you could substitute for one another without missing a beat. You know each other oh so well.
This is the type of relationship Christ is inviting us into. In this relationship there is a mutual indwelling. We intuitively know what God is asking of us. But, these relationships do not just happen. Many of us have invested years working and living with someone before this level of relationship is achieved.
How often have you said to yourself, “If I just knew what God wanted of me I would do it, but I just am not sure.” One way to be sure is to cultivate a level of relationship with Christ Jesus such that his will is second nature to your will, much like many of you have done with a close friend.
This of course takes time, effort, and creativity, but it is worth every minute and every ounce of energy you give it. You will enjoy peace. You will be free from anxiety. You will experience the most powerful sense of being loved and of loving that exists. You owe it to yourself to give it your best shot. And, what’s more, you have Christ’s word on it that it will give you great JOY!!!
We build a relationship like this by deliberately taking steps to do so. For most of us, it means arranging life, arranging prayer, and arranging silence in such a way that there is never a day when we are absent from Him. If we strive to do this, our love for Christ will increase daily.
Today, if you ask some of us why we exist – what is the meaning or purpose of our lives – you may get two different responses. First, some will say we were created by God, in His own image and likeness, in order to know, love, and serve Him in this life and to enjoy eternal happiness with Him in Heaven. Second, others will have a different response; a response with no acknowledgment that God is the Author of Life, no clear understanding of the purpose of human existence, and no reflection of belief in an afterlife to be shared with God in eternal happiness.
These differing responses reflect differing relationships with Christ Jesus. A friend of Jesus lives out the first response; a casual acquaintance of Jesus flounders under the second. Let us resolve today to work hard to put ourselves in the camp of the friends of Jesus. Our Joy, will then be the flag flown from the castle of our heart where the King is in residence.