friends of Jesus

It is a privilege to be considered a friend of Jesus.  He gave us this exalted title when He spoke of His Greater Love for us, shown in His laying down His Life for us and in His giving us everything that He learned from His Father.  He chose us to be His friends, so that we can choose Him as our Lord, do what He commands us, and bear fruit for Him (John 15:13-16).  What an honor to be in the company of Abraham, who was called the Friend of God (James 2:23).

Obviously, Jesus' twelve disciples were His friends.  Among them were three - Peter, James, and John, who were his inner circle.  It's not that Jesus loved them any more than the others, but perhaps they were the most responsive as His friends.  

I wouldn't presume to count myself among the twelve, and certainly not the three.  But three others seem to fit the model of the kind of friend that I believe I can be to Jesus.  Whereas the twelve are like the five-talent people in Jesus' parable, these other three seem more like the two-talent servant, the kind that I can see myself becoming.

Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany are friends of Jesus who love Him no less than the twelve or the three, but who serve Him in ways that enrich our understanding of being a friend of Jesus.  Essentially, they show Him hospitality, welcoming Him into their home and hearts.  It appears as if Jesus enjoyed being with them as the three cared for His physical and emotional needs.

This is the kind of friendship we can offer to Jesus, welcoming Him into the ordinary aspects of our lives: our homes, our hearts, our thoughts, our activities.  Though Jesus no longer needs our hospitality as He did from those in Bethany, we can nonetheless minister to Him out of our love even today, as we befriend Him in small and greater ways.