Jesus, the Greatest Example of a True Friend

Making friends these days is as easy as clicking on “friend request” on your Facebook page, but is that the true measure of friendship? For Christians, Jesus has many names in scripture, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The Messiah, Son of God, Emmanuel, but one we sometimes forget is Friend. He is also our perfect example for friendship. If you were to list all the qualities of your best friend, Jesus has those qualities and more! Jesus was loyal, brave, humble, honest, compassionate, protective, encouraging, dependable, faithful, kind, loving, forgiving and completely sacrificial (just to name a few!). In John’s gospel He said:

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15

Sometimes we take a list of qualities, like the one above and say we’d like to have more friends like that, but maybe we should switch our focus off what we get out of our friendships to what we put into them. He freely gave Himself. He came to serve and not to be served. He did not try to get anything out of man, but instead, He gave man His all!

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:5-8

When we show ourselves friendly, like Jesus’ perfect example to us, we are reflecting His love. By this everyone will know we are His disciples. (John 13:35)