Affectionately Devoted

Now Jesus agaped Martha and her sister and Lazarus. (John 11:5)

The Greek word John used to describe Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters is a form of agapaō (ἠγάπα). In this story agapaō is synonymous with phileō. Look how John reported Jesus’ love through the eyes of onlookers:

Yeshua wept. So the Judeans said, “See how He loved (phileō) him!” (John 11:35-36 TLV)

Lazarus was viewed by the Lord and the apostles as their friend. Lazarus’ family befriended Jesus and His disciples.

This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” (John 11:11)

Is it possible for any of us to imagine that Jesus and His disciples did not return this friendship? To me, that is inconceivable. Most likely, this family was blessed with the grace to respond to the Messiah and His disciples’ love for them.

Their perspective was most likely something along the lines of this: “He, and they, are our friends.” Their reciprocal response to this friendship earned them the description of being His, and His disciples’, friend.

What type of friend do you think the Lord is? What type of friendship would His disciples offer? What form of friendship would Martha, Mary, and Lazarus have for them?

Let’s briefly look at a few verses describing good friendships from Proverbs.

A good friend loves at all times.

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)

He sticks closer than a brother.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

Friends are willing to loyally tell you the truth about yourself.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:6)

A friend’s counsel is sweet and is there when you are in trouble.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend. Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. (Proverbs 27:9–10)

We might ask, “But how good do I have to be before I experience Jesus as my friend?” Here’s some good news: you can never earn it. You can never be good enough, loyal enough, etc. Where’s the good news in that? Here:

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:19)

His friendship begins before we are worthy. Before we become His affectionately devoted friends we experience His friendship. He befriends us into being His friends.

Remember, Jesus is the exact image of our Father.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3a)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

When we see His friendship towards this family we see the Father’s friendship.

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9)

As with their friend Lazarus, agape driven friendship ultimately reveals itself in resurrection power. To me it is amazing that the power to raise the dead was revealed in the midst of empathetic tears.

³³When Yeshua saw her weeping, and the Judeans who came with her weeping, He was deeply troubled in spirit and Himself agitated. ³⁴“Where have you laid him?” He asked.

“Come and see, Master,” they tell Him.

³⁵Yeshua wept. (John 11:33–35 TLV)

Please reconsider this proverb:

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)

Jesus reveals that the Father is affectionately devoted to you.

Please pray along these lines:

“Lord, help me receive Your friendship and the friendship of those who are devoted to You. I yield to Your initiative and believe that my experience of Your friendship will transform me into one of Your best friends. Thank You. Amen.”

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Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

And a book on Leadership

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City