My brother, my sister, on today’s verse Jesus says: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Do we really measure what it means?
In our everyday life, people sometimes behave with us as if they are our masters and we are their servants (at work, friends and so…metimes our families or even at church). They want us to serve them, while they themselves are not even displaying the attitude of a loving master. Jesus broke the code of His time by calling people His friends, which was totally opposite to what the Pharisees and religious leaders used to do. Therefore, the Church should not take people back to that patronising system of master/slave relationship, for Jesus has set us free from slavery.
However, there is a common expression that says too much familiarity kills the respect and friendship… and many believers have misunderstood that Jesus being our friend does not mean we should lack Him respect. As we grow intimate with the Lord, we should never forget that He remains the Lord of lords and the King of kings… if a friend of queen Elisabeth visits her, they still have to bow before her out of protocol and respect. And respect is “A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements”… The way we truly appreciate what Jesus has done for us should urge the fear of the Lord in us, not the disrespectful things many people do every day while calling Him their Lord and Saviour: can someone who respects queen Elisabeth chew chewing gum in front of her, arrive late at an appointment with her, dress anyhow before her? So little things that people do without even measuring the scope of their disrespect of Jesus. My friend, Jesus is your friend. The only friend who can truly help you out of any unwanted situation, the only one who can save you from eternal death… so learn to take everything in prayer to Him, showing all the reverence and deference He deserves. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.