jordanabina
How many friends do you think Jesus had? Was that even possible for Him? Could Jesus be friends with someone while also being the savior of the world and the creator of the universe? I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, I would say, yes. Not because I believe there was someone Jesus met that carried all the characteristics of the type of friend He was looking for but because of Jesus’ security in the Father, He was able to be the type of person who could be the truest form of a friend to anyone He chose. Jesus didn’t stumble over what we stumble over. He wasn’t insecure, He wasn’t tempted to only hang out with people who were like Him, and didn’t seem to mind random people showing up.
That’s me, I don’t like the random people showing up in my “all figured out life.” When I feel like I have my small group of friends, my temptation is to raise the bridge, guard the walls, and protect what I’ve found. As you can probably guess, this type of life doesn’t bode well for people living in the Kingdom, let alone for people who have given their lives to missions. I’ve been asking Jesus lately, how did you make friends? How did you find the time to be around people you liked? Was it even about that for you?
What I’ve seen from Jesus in the scripture is a man who invites the unexpected and considers it to be the will of His Father. In other words, Jesus is a pro at expecting the unexpected. But not just with circumstances, but with people as well. Everyone seemed to be worth His time, everyone was worth listening to, and everyone had the opportunity to be friended by Jesus. This in itself is a miracle, one that probably doesn’t get enough attention. Even with the Pharisees, Jesus wasn’t rejecting them, He was inviting them. Just ask Nicodemus.
Eye contact isn’t a big thing here in France. It can be interpreted as threatening or invasive so usually, people aren’t doing too much of it with strangers. But, every once in a while you meet someone in a bakery, at a cafe, or wherever; and the opportunity opens itself up. How will I invite this person to be a friend? I’ve found that just by asking that question to myself, my opportunities for conversation have multiplied.
The good news is this, our family has made a lot of new friends. We’ve been invited over for dinners in people’s homes, we’ve been invited to celebrations of restaurant owners, we’ve been invited to attend events, all because Jesus is teaching us how to make friends as He did. It’s not always easy, especially because we miss so many of our friends back in the States. But Jesus, the one who sticks closer than a brother, is taking us by the hand and sometimes carrying us on His back as we re-learn what it looks like to make friends the way Jesus did.
