Being Both a Bondservant and Friend of Jesus – a Paradox

We have been examining some of the components of the character qualities of a bondservant of Christ.  Some might object to our calling ourselves a bondservant or slave of Christ when Christ Himself called the twelve apostles “Friends”:

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you…  This is my command: love each other (John 15:13-15, 17b NIV, emphasis added).

The New Testament apostle James refers to Abraham as God’s “friend” [James 2:23] and it appears that the Lord Himself in Isaiah 41:8 refers to Abraham as “my friend.” Apparently, at least one basis for Abraham being viewed by God as His friend, is that God disclosed to Abraham some of His intentions.  Before God destroyed Sodom, He said to Himself “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do” [Genesis 18: 17 NIV] and then proceeded to inform Abraham of His plans to visit Sodom and determine its destiny based upon the behavior of its citizens.  In other words, the “friendship” between God and Abraham seems to have been, at least in part, based upon God’s disclosure of very private intentions of His will and plans. This private disclosure of God’s intentions enabled Abraham to intercede with God for Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom.  In a similar way the Lord Jesus, in the John 15 passage cited above, indicates His reason for calling the twelve apostles “friends,” and that is due to His disclosure to them of His plans for the Kingdom that He had learned from the Father.  The Apostle  Paul also was given many revelations, so many in fact, that Paul himself says that he was “given” by God a thorn in his flesh to prevent him from becoming arrogant or puffed up with pride.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations [i.e., revelations given to Paul from God], there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12: 7-9 NIV).

But this same Paul had no trouble referring to himself as a slave of Christ.  Abraham’s status as a friend of God apparently did not puff him up, since the scripture narrative indicates he humbly served God whom he viewed as the sovereign Lord of the universe.

Similarly, as quoted above, the Lord Jesus says “you are my friends if you do what I command.” It would not be normal for a “friend” to command another friend to do this or that. Thus, it does not appear that the Lord’s use of the word “friend” in regards to the apostles is taking away or nullifying in any way the status of bondservanthood for those who are followers of Christ. There are many components to a healthy friendship: commitment, loyalty, devotion to the other’s welfare, acceptance of one another, sharing of lives and sometimes deep secrets or confidential information, and sharing of time and material resources.  These components of friendship are evidenced in the relationship between Jonathan, King Saul’s son, and David.

The scripture refers to Jesus as the “friend of sinners” [Luke 7:34].  This is a reference, most likely, to our Lord’s acceptance of, and willingness to receive, sinners who had never enjoyed, or who had walked away from a relationship with, or even a belief in, God–perhaps partly due to their lifestyle and conduct (Heb 4:15-16).  Thus, He is a friend to all who recognize their neediness, and who seek to be reconciled to God.  He is also a “friend” in the sense of His devotion and commitment to us, His openness to our sharing our pain, struggles, doubts, concerns, and innermost heart and life with Him [see Hebrews 4:15-16].  So in a very real sense we live out a paradox of being in some special way a friend of Jesus but, at the same time, as we grow in recognizing who He is, and what He has done for us, we will long to serve Him as His bondservant, offering up our life as a willing slave of our beloved Master.

In Deuteronomy chapter 16: 12-18 Moses issued regulations regarding a Hebrew owner of a fellow Hebrew slave.  After completing six years of service, the owner was to set free the slave and “furnish him liberally” with provisions.  However, if the slave opted to decline the grant of his/her freedom, saying “ ‘I will not go out from you’, because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever.  Also, you shall do likewise to your maidservant.” It may seem shocking that a slave having been denied his freedom for six years, would ever feel love toward his/her master. But the above passage envisions a warm, caring relationship between the slave and master, each receiving a needed benefit from the other.  In spite of being granted freedom by the rules of civil law established by Moses, the freedom-granted slave could decline his freedom along with the abundant material provisions otherwise required from his master, and exchange his freedom for continual servanthood to the master he had grown to love.  It is not therefore, incongruous, or contradictory for us to be, at the same time, both a friend of Jesus, and yet view ourselves as a devoted slave of Christ, the Master we have grown to love, and under whom we have indeed“fared well”.

How would you explain to someone the seemingly conflicting roles of being a “friend” and yet “slave” of Jesus? Do you believe it is possible to be both? How would you describe the nature or component of each role [i.e. friend vs. slave]? Similarly to the slave in the Deuteronomy passage cited above, have you fully exchanged your “freedom” to live as you please in this world for a life-long service to Christ as His bond-slave?