FRIENDS VERSUS SERVANTS

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:14-15).

Devotion 10 of 13

WONDERFUL REVELATIONS!

Christ's words in John 15:15 declare that He reveals things to His friends that were previously hidden. To Him, friendship means sharing the objectives of His Father. What a marvelous consideration! Is this still true for us? Indeed, it is! We do have the Scriptures, and we cannot do without them. In fact, there is not a valid and accurate thought of God in the universe that has not come from the Word of God! The Word of God, however, is like a seed enveloped in a shell. Unless the shell is cracked, we cannot behold wondrous things in the Word. This is precisely the point of this expression in the 199th Psalm; "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (verse 18).

Illumination?

How is it that we can be "illuminated" (Heb 10:32). It is really true that when we take "earnest heed" to the fulfilled prophecy proclaimed in the Gospel that "the day" will "dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts" (2 Pet 1:19). This is a time when the magnitude of the glad tidings bursts upon our soul, and confidence floods our heart. This is the experience Cleopas and his companion realized when Jesus "opened" the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:32). They knew the Scriptures. They had devoted their minds to them, and lived in conformity with them. But they had not seen the splendor of them. This experience was duplicated later that day when He appeared to the rest of the disciples. It was then that Jesus "opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). THAT IS A FULFILLMENT OF HIS PROMISE TO FRIENDS!

If you have come to comprehend the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of God, do not think it is the result of your effort alone. Jesus is still active in the ministry of enlarging our grasp of the truth. This is the reason for Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth; and to know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Col 3:16-19).

Christ dwells in our hearts to enable our comprehension of divine love because we are His "friends." This is not something enjoyed by mere servants, or slaves.

Hidden and revealed

There is a separation that takes place in this illuminating ministry. What is perceived by one may be hidden to another. This is at the discretion of Deity, although the receptivity of the heart plays a significant role in the process. This is why Jesus broke forth in thanksgiving to His Father. "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matt 11:25).

In the sense of our text, those to whom these things were hidden were not "friends." Those to whom they were revealed were friends. "Babes," in this case, were those who did the bidding of their Lord gladly, and without reluctance. Their lives were uncomplicated by rebellion and callousness. The "wise and prudent" were those who relied upon their own resources, and saw no need for reliance upon the Lord. Both classes remain with us.

Jesus revealed to Peter

In the good confession of Peter, we see Deity opening to humanity the significance of truth. Peter, you will recall, confessed that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16). His acknowledgment of the Person of Christ was not the result of human analysis, although that was doubtless involved. The Lord Jesus identified the source of Peter's insight, so there is no question about it. "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matt 16:17). Jesus had told Peter, and the rest of the Apostles, repeatedly Who He was, and why He came. But it took the revealing power of God for Peter to see it clearly. Peter was a "friend," that is why he was so blessed.

Paul later confirmed the truth of Christ's words in his proclamation to the Ephesians. He informed them that he had been given insight into God's eternal purpose. Although that divine objective had been in place "from the foundation of the world," and although it had been recorded in Scripture, the Lord opened it to His "friends." "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph 3:5). Initially, these kingdom secrets were revealed to the Apostles and prophets. Those who give heed to their words will find they are still being revealed to the hearts of Christ's friends.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for revealing these things to "babes," for I free like a struggling infant in the bright light of Your revelation.

-- Tomorrow: RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR FRIENDS --