Jesus is Friend - or- It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Preparing for Easter

Its our fourth week together at Pleasant View.
We are looking at the thought of Jesus being a friend. 

Can Jesus be a friend to us? Do you think of our Lord, Savior, King, Master - as a friend?

For some, that is exacly how they were introduced to Jesus. 
Jesus is a friend indeed. Our hymns suggest that closeness. 
For others, that kingly, old man with the long white beard sitting in a large throne chair image is what shapes their thoughts about God. 

What is the proper picture to have in our minds when it concerns the subject of Jesus being in our lives?

This week we move on to John 15 as we think about our subject matter.
Jesus has used lots of interesting language between chapters 13 and 16 to convey what he needs his followers to understand before heading to the Cross. Lets take a look what he says here.

Friendship is something that can take time to develop. Maybe you find that person who just clicks with you right from the start. Your friendship goes waaaaay back. Maybe you've known that kid since kindergarten, but it wasn't until recently that you discovered the two of you had some things in common. Funny how someone you didn't like for so long could turn around and become someone you don't know how to live life without. Jesus has known these men intimately now for 3 1/2 years. They have also known each other for this time and space. They haven't always gotten along. They have argued about who was the greatest amongst themselves. A couple of them have asked to sit on his right hand and his left. They have doubted and asked trifling questions. There have been moments when Jesus has felt exasperated. Angry, maybe. Ready to lose his cool. They haven't always listened. They haven't always believed. And, yet... Jesus calls them the one thing many of us treasure to be called. 

Friend. 

It's a special word. Sometimes the best word we can find

As I'm typing this message, I realize it is very easy to misspell.

I hit just one letter or leave it out and we have either friend or fiend.

It's that night in the Upper Room that Jesus' heart must be breaking. 

I really appreciate the way The Chosen series has played out the character of Judas. 
They have portrayed him not as some truly dark person with a eerie past. 
His is an entrepreneur. He wants good things. He has a mind for business and how to grow things. 
But, it's not exactly the inspiration and direction our Savior want to grow His Church. 
In the end, those few coins will be the undoing of what could have been. 
Jesus turns to Judas that night and finally says, "Do what you have to do."

Our Lord has broken bread with the man. Lest we forget, Jesus washed the feet of Judas just like he washed the other 11. The forgiveness Jesus is offering is for all. Truly. 
The friendship he extends is for all. However, by the time we get to this discourse in John 15, Judas is long gone. He is rounding up the authorities to bring them to where Jesus is waiting in the Garden. Judas misses out on the precious moment of being call "friend" along side the others. 
What are we finding more important in our lives than being there to hear our friend speak to us?

 

What we want to see this morning is a clear picture of what this friendship looks like.
We have seen many ideas floated in front of us over the years in media and movies and books. 
Charlie Brown & Snoopy are a good pair. From one of my favorite movies comes and example of standing with someone through thick and thin and never forgetting or letting that person go. The intertwined relationships from the movie Forrest Gump are about as entertaining as it gets. The pair of Lieutenant Dan and Forrest are an example of what it means to stand by with someone through thick and thin. From Forrest saving Dan in the midst of a firefight in Vietnam, to Dan standing up for him in New York City on New Years Eve when some ladies wanted to make fun of him, to showing up on a boat dock one day because Dan made a promise that he would come help Forrest if he ever became a shrimping boat captain. "But, think that I'm ever calling you Sir!" Forrest was more than happy just to have his friend by his side. 

Many of us were forced to read "Of Mice and Men" while attending an english or literature class during high school. The insanely entertaining closeness of George and Lennie, two migrant workers who are on their way to a farm outside of Soledad, California. The book tells the story of how George and Lennie’s friendship is tested by the isolating and predatory reality of life for poor migrant workers in Depression-era America. George and Lennie are the protagonists, and their friendship is unique in the world of the novella: almost every other character notes that they have never seen such a close partnership between two migrant laborers before. George and Lennie’s biggest struggle is centered around surviving their oppressive, impoverished circumstances and becoming financially stable enough to own land together. This dream of one day purchasing a farm is complicated by Lennie’s inability to stay out of trouble on the job, and George’s inability to stay angry at Lennie long enough to leave and find work on his own.

There in lies the truth about friendship. It cannot be done on its own. It is impossible befriend one's self. We need that personal touch that only someone who "gets" us can give. Of all the people in the Gospel accounts we read none were as close as Jesus and Peter. Peter, the outspoken fisherman who begs Jesus to go away from him because he is a sinful man. Peter, the one who didn't want Jesus to wash his feet and then wants his whole body cleaned once he hears that he cannot have a part in Jesus unless he is cleansed. Peter, who adamantly states that he will go with Jesus all the way, until the end, and then leaves his friend once he is questioned about his faith. How many of us can put ourselves in the shoes of Peter? How many of us have "opened mouth, inserted foot" over the years? It is exactly these circumstances that Jesus finds people who can learn to follow Him and be the kind of disciple he needs. 

"I no longer call you servants... I now call you friends..."

If Jesus can be a friend to sinner like us, can we in turn be friends to others outside the faith who need to know how much God loves them? Are we willing to be tolerant and accepting to those who have a spark of faith in them, but haven't worked out all the particulars of righteousness and morality yet? Is there anything more we need to learn about friendship before we can be of use in the Kingdom? Many of us grew up with a friendly face on our TV screen who encouraged us to do exactly this. His name was Fred Rogers and for several decades his series "Mr Rogers Neighborhood" spoke to many a child and the receptive adult who would take a chance to listen, that Mr. Rogers emphasized the importance of friendship, teaching children that friendships are a valuable and healthy part of life, even when they don't always run smoothly, and that everyone is special and unique. Friendships are important. He consistently highlighted the value of friendships, both in his show and in his writings, emphasizing that friendships are a source of joy and support. Friendships are about mutual caring. Mr. Rogers believed that strong relationships require kindness, patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.

The people Fred Rogers interacted with on his show and in real life had no question how much he cared for them. "Won't you be my neighbor?" Everyone he met was a friend. Our Lord and Savior was the example. Everyone he came in contact with knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were loved. Can the people in our circles of friendship say the same?

"Won't you be, won't you please, please won't you be, my neighbor?"

Blessings

Jeremy