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Gospel: John 15: 9-11
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This Gospel passage is a tiny sliver of the final words that Jesus speaks during his final night on earth. He tells his disciples many things about where he’s from and where he’s going.
Then he concludes by saying, “I no longer call you slaves, but friends” (John 15:15).
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At the time of Christ, there was a wide-ranging social hierarchy.
There were slaves, commoners, soldiers, generals, trusted advisors, and at the very top a select group of people known as, “friends of the emperor.”
These “friends” had unlimited access to the king. They could even disturb him in his bedchamber!
They knew everything about him; and, most importantly, they access to his heart.
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“I no longer call you slaves, but friends,” Jesus says. Meaning in Christ we have access to the very heart of God.
There we find all of the grace, mercy, and strength we need for our Christian journeys.
What Jesus asks us in return is to love one another the way that he’s loved us. “By wthis they will know you are my disciples,” he says, “if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
How might we be that kind of friend for another person, offering love, mercy, and strength?
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Image credits: (1) Dreamstime.com (2) Time Literary Supplement, How to be Roman Emperor (Mary Beard) (3) Life of a Minister Mom, WordPress