And right away when Judas came to Jesus, he said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. (Mat 26:49-50)
Why Friend?
Our opening text for today has always made me wonder. Made me struggle. I mean don’t we all have a list of some kind with people we would never in a million years call “friend?” Even though Jesus knew Judas’s wicked heart and actions, Jesus offered called Judas friend. Jesus offered Judas friendship and an opportunity to change his mind on his very wrong course of action. The words translated “why have you come” according to the original language may also mean “Do what you have come to do.”
In Mat 26:50 when Judas goes to betray Jesus Jesus asked Judas
“friend, what have you come here for?”
I have always found it very interesting that Jesus called Judas a friend. Jesus didn’t call him a backstabber. Jesus didn’t call him a traitor. Jesus called Judas a friend. And that intrigues a lot of people. It shows us that Jesus was able to look beyond Satan using a human being, and that we’re wrestling not with flesh and blood, as it talks about in Ephesian 6:12 but against principalities, against wicked spirits in high places. Jesus knew Satan was using Judas. And he was able to look past Judas and see who the real enemy was.
Many times Satan will use people that are very close to us to hurt us. Many times they don’t even know they’re hurting us. Many times they’ll say something that we’ll take offense at. They never meant it to be offensive. They will often do something that we misinterpret. They didn’t mean for us to take it that way. To be hurt by it. Satan is always hurting us with loved ones by having us misconstrue what was said. Misconstrue what was done. The real battle isn’t with our loved ones it’s with Satan. Jesus realized that. Jesus was able to look past that. Past the flesh and blood. Past Judas. Jesus saw the real enemy with Satan. Jesus was still able to call Judas friend. Jesus always called it the way he saw it. I’m sure if Jesus was calling Judas friend, as far as Jesus was concerned, Judas was his friend. I’ve had people tell me:
“that word friend in the original manuscripts, that that just means acquaintance. It doesn’t really mean a close friend.”
In Psalm 41:9 we have a prophecy of Jesus being betrayed by Judas. This verse says “my familiar friend.” Not just an acquaintance. A familiar friend who I shared bread with, meaning, I ate with him. And in Bible times if you ate with somebody that was a declaration of your friendship. And often a public declaration back in those days. That’s why the Pharisees were so upset. When Jesus was eating with sinners, he was declaring his friendship with them. That word companion is a Latin word. A companion is someone you eat bread with. And so when Jesus was eating with sinners, he was declaring, “these are my friends.” When it tells us in Psalm 41:9,my own familiar friend,who I shared bread with,has turned against me that means more than an acquaintance. It means a friend.
Praise God! Jesus was able to look past the flesh and blood and see that the real enemy was Satan. At the cross,we are encouraged to do the same. This is the ultimate example of Agape’ Love! It tells us in 2 Cor 5:19-21 that Jesus became sin for us who knew no sin,so that we may become the righteousness of God in him. And then in verse nineteen, it says,this ministry of reconciliation has been given to us. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us to him. Jesus was treated the way we deserve, so we can be treated the way Jesus deserves. Jesus was treated the way my worst enemy deserves to be treated. Jesus died for all such people.
This can only mean that Jesus fulfilled the law by His death on Calvary. Sadly some Christians view this word fulfilled as somehow saying that Jesus did away with God’s law by dying on the cross. Nothing can be further from the Truth! I guess there are many who feel they can do two things at once. Many people will tell you that they can. But what about going your own way (Isa 53:6) and then transgressing God’s law, or laws, whenever you see fit to cancel out one or more of them? And then trying to follow God at the same time? Has that ever really worked for anyone? Is it possible to have Agape’ and yet knowingly sin, or transgress God’s law?
Love avoids doing any wrong to one’s fellow man, and is therefore complete obedience to Law. (Rom 13:10)
In Romans 13:14 we read:
But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to “fulfill” satisfy the desires of your sinful self. Jesus always lived to “fulfill” or to demonstrate how to live out God’s laws in the everyday life, up to and including the cross.
In the KJV it does use the word “fulfill” We can note here that the word “fulfill” as used and intended in Scripture, is the very same word “fulfill” that we see in Rom 13:10 which reads:
Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
This is a serious matter for all believers. James 2:10 admonishes us:
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, they are guilty of all.
John adds that The Lord’s Church in the last days, in the end times, will be particularly distinguished by a decided obedience to all of God’s commandments:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev 12:17)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Rev 14:12)
Is it too hard to practice Agape’ love today? Is it even possible to be like Jesus and showing the world how to practice God’s law in our everyday life? Well Jesus promised in John 14:15
“if you love Me you will be able to keep my commandments” (John 14:15)
“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands. (John 14:15,TPT)
Obedience Possible in Our Humanity.
We are not to serve God as if we were not human, but we are to serve Him in the nature we have, that has been redeemed by the Son of God; through the righteousness of Christ we shall stand before God pardoned, and as though we had never sinned. We will never gain strength in considering what we might do if we were angels. We are to turn in faith to Jesus Christ, and show our love to God through obedience to His commands {5BC 1142.5}
By God’s grace, we can now treat our enemy the way Jesus deserves to be treated. Jesus gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves. Jesus gave us the example of looking past the flesh and blood and seeing that the real enemy is the Devil. And so seeing that the real enemy is Satan, we can still love our brother and sister. Through Christ, we can bring about reconciliation. The reconciliation that Jesus died for on the cross. That’s what Jesus was thinking when he called Judas his friend’ Instead of calling Judas a traitor. Instead of calling Judas a backstabber. Jesus realized the real enemy is Satan.
True Agape’ Love In Action
Jesus gave to us the ministry of reconciliation.
And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has appointed us to serve in the ministry of reconciliation. We are to tell how God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Not charging people’s transgressions to their account. Jesus has entrusted to us the Message of this reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:18-19)
Does it seem like you’ll never be able to call someone in your life friend? Finding it hard to believe that Jesus is your Friend?
“Love covers ” (Proverbs 10:12).
“Be eager in pursuit of this love” (1 Cor 13:7-13, Weymouth).
Not one person who complies with the conditions will be disappointed at the end of the race. Not one soul who is earnest and persevering will fail of success. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. The weakest saint, as well as the strongest, may wear the crown of immortal glory. All may win who, through the power of divine grace, bring their lives into conformity to the will of Christ. The practice, in the details of life, of the principles laid down in God’s word, is too often looked upon as unimportant–a matter too trivial to demand attention. But in view of the issue at stake, nothing is small that will help or hinder. Every act casts its weight into the scale that determines life’s victory or defeat. And the reward given to those who win will be in proportion to the energy and earnestness with which they have striven. {AA 313.2}
No matter how high the profession, anyone whose heart is not filled with love for God and their fellow humans is not a true disciple of Christ. Though one should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love that faith would be worthless. Some might display great liberality; but should they, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all their goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend them to the favor of God. In their zeal the odd one might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if not actuated by love, they would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite. {AA 318.2}
The Way of Love/Agape’
If I can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but am destitute of Love, I have but become a loud-sounding trumpet or a clanging cymbal. If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, I am nothing. And if I distribute all my possessions to the poor, and give up my body to be burned, but am destitute of Love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited. She does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs. She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth. She knows how to be silent. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance. Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if there are languages, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end.
For our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying; but when the perfect state of things is come, all that is imperfect will be brought to an end. When I was a child, I talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when I became a man, I put from me childish ways. For the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see them face to face. For the present the knowledge I gain is imperfect; but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And so there remain Faith, Hope, Love–these three; and of these the greatest is Love. (1 Cor 13:1-13, Weymouth)