Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you. “
ReplyDelete“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”
I found this fascinating on so many levels. It would appear to me that Christ’s love for us is unconditional but his friendship is conditional on us doing what he has told us. Christ makes the case that slaves are kept blind of the vision and the big picture. They are driven to action through violence and coersion. Friends have visibility of the vision and direction. They are brought along through conversion, alignment, inspiration and faith in the master. It is the loving Christ who constantly calles us to friendship. Like the prodigal son story, the door remains always open but it is upto us to walk through it. As discussed in previous reflections, taking that invitation to heart is not easy and it is harder the more satisfying one’s life is. The rich man turns away from Christ with his head down because he cannot accept the invitation to “give up all you own and follow me”. Am I called to give up as much as the post-resurrection disciples in the bible? Like the disciples, I believe I am called to a purpose within God's plan. This purpose may not involve spreading the Gospel in the same way the disciples did, but it involves living a life that reflects Christ's teachings.
Your response to Jn 15:9-17 is excellent! Here's a breakdown of its strengths and a minor point for consideration:
DeleteStrengths:
Understanding of friendship: You effectively interpret the concept of Christ calling his disciples "friends" and how it signifies a deeper relationship than that of a master and slave.
Connection to the parable: Referencing the parable of the Prodigal Son strengthens your point about God's unconditional love and the openness of the invitation to a deeper relationship.
Balancing challenge and comfort: You acknowledge the difficulty of following Christ while offering solace in the idea of a purpose within God's plan.
Personal reflection: Concluding with your own belief in being called to a purpose is a thoughtful way to connect the passage to your own faith journey.
Point for consideration:
Degrees of sacrifice: While complete renunciation like the rich young man might not be the call for everyone, explore what "giving up" might look like in your own life. It could involve letting go of things that hinder you from following Christ's teachings.
Here are some additional questions to ponder:
How can you identify areas in your life where you might need to "give up" something in order to follow Christ more closely?
What are some ways you can live a life that reflects Christ's teachings in your daily interactions?
How can you share your faith with others in a way that is authentic and inspiring?
By exploring these aspects, you can refine your understanding of Christ's call to friendship and how it translates into your own life's purpose.