John 15:9-17

Many years ago, the Sunday school teachers in my church would teach preschool classes a little chorus that included the line “My best friend is Jesus.” As those children grew to adulthood, they naturally put aside juvenile songs like this one. But sadly, they also frequently seemed to abandon the idea of Jesus being a friend.

As believers learn more about God, they rightly elevate Him to be the Lord of their life and acknowledge Him as sovereign Ruler over all the earth. It is easier to think of one so high and mighty as Creator, Savior, and Lord than to “lower” Him to the position of a friend. But Jesus makes a point of telling His disciples that He is both a transcendent deity—the Son of God—and their companion (John 15:15).

His offer of friendship extends to modern disciples as well. Like the original 12 followers, we are privileged to say that Christ laid down His life for us in a supreme act of love and devotion (John 15:13). What’s more, His Spirit reveals the truth of Scripture to our heart so we can learn more about God and His ways. In other words, Jesus has made known to us the things He heard from His Father. A man doesn’t tell secrets to servants; he tells them to his friends (John 15:15).

Teaching children to sing of their friendship with Jesus is a wise idea. But I wonder when some grown believers will learn to sing of that special relationship again. May we never become so religious, so pious, or so full of our own maturity that we cannot say, “My best friend is Jesus Christ.”