Friend

 Matthew 11:19  Luke 7:34

Jesus is described in the Gospels as a friend of sinners.  I think when I have read that previously I have, in my mind, focused on the 'sinners' part.  The fact that Jesus chose to hang out with and be associated with 'undesirables'.   Which of course is a source of hope for all of us as we are all sinners.  But today I have been thinking about friends.  What it takes to be one and what it means to have one.

Friends usually have things in common.  Either a hobby, or a job, or other friends or a location.  We bond with people who are like us.  We like people who share our worldview.  It is easier to get on with those people than the ones who argue with us about everything!  Friendship is a two way street.  You cant have a one way friendship - its reciprocal.  And that must surely have been true for Jesus.  It wasn't just a case of Him condescending to spend time with those who were beneath Him.  He genuinely liked people and enjoyed spending time with them.  And they liked Him and wanted to be with Him.  He was funny.  He was kind.  He was super generous.  He told a good story.  He helped people.  That's the sort of friend you want to have.   But for Him to be a friend He must also have been willing to accept kindness from others, receive love.  We see it at Mary and Martha's house.  He goes for lunch.  He sits and chats.  He lets them serve Him. He accepts their hospitality.

I always find it amazing that God called Abraham His friend.  Does God need friends?  Clearly even if He doesn't need them He wants them.  He spoke face to face with Moses. Hanging out with him on the mountain.  The creator of the universe having a chat - its kind of mind bending really isnt it?  Given that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and He has no favourites.  If He wanted to chat to Moses and be friends with Abraham, and if Jesus wanted to live with simple peasants and enter into theological debates with learned Pharisees then He probably wants to be friends with us too

Friends trust each other.  I know that I trust God, but the amazing thing is He also trusts me.  I can talk to Him and He talks back.  He has opinions, but I think He wants to know mine too.  He has a cracking sense of humour and He wants to make me laugh.  He laughs with me ( and sometimes at me).  He is kind, but like any really good friend He also sometimes speaks difficult truth and gives hard to follow advice.  He has scrupulously high standards and expects nothing less from me.  But if I mess up He forgives and forgets.   I never need to forgive Him.

At Christmas Jesus came to save and redeem and forgive and reconcile.  But He also came to be our friend.  Im reminded of a line from an Adrian Plass novel from decades ago.  When Adrian is trying to figure out what faith is all about he meets someone who simply says '  It's easy.  God is nice and He likes us.'   I think about that often.  God is nice and He likes us.  Sometimes we just need to grasp the simplicity of it and let it sink in.



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