FRIEND
The man who has made friends along life’s way is, indeed, a very rich person. I use the word “made” because having friends is brought about because we have been friends to others. The use of the word implies something beyond ourselves. Jesus spoke about those who would be His disciples. They begin that journey of being a disciple of the Lord by denying self (Matthew 16:24). It is movement out of the world of self and entrance into the lives of others. Some would intrude into the lives of others by being busybodies. A friend gains entrance into the hearts of others because he is there when they need him.
Jesus, on one occasion, faced a lawyer who was intent on tempting Jesus (Luke 10:25). The lawyer raised a question about eternal life. Jesus put it back on the man’s heart by asking him, “...how readest thou?” The lawyer answered correctly. One is to love God and to love one’s neighbor. Jesus told him that if he practiced that, he would live. The lawyer then sought to justify himself and raised the question of who is my neighbor. Jesus then used a parable to answer his inquiry.
Starting with verse 30 through verse 36 of Luke 10 we find the parable of what is called the good Samaritan; a man is beaten by thieves who leave him for dead. A priest passes by and sees him and continues on his way. A Levite at least comes over to look him and continues on his journey. A Samaritan passes, stops and helps the man. He gets him to the next town where he can began to heal. He pays for him to be taken care of and then goes on his way. When Jesus finished the parable, He asked the lawyer, who was the man’s neighbor. Again the lawyer answers correctly. It was the one who showed mercy.
Jesus replies and gives us insight into the meaning of being a friend. Jesus says to the lawyer, “...go and do thou likewise”. The Samaritan did what he did to a total stranger. He intruded into the life of this man because as Jesus told the parable, “...he had compassion on him.” Friendships that last for a lifetime are born from hearts of compassion. Have you ever seen someone who has injured their life and reputation because of wrong choices? What is to be our response? Some might say, they got just what they deserved. Still others, “I knew that was what was going to happen to them, you could just tell”.
The response from a heart of compassion is not to pass by or pass judgment but rather to go over and help. We do no service to the sinner by condoning the evil. We render no service to God by allowing our judging to move us on down the road either. We condemn the sin but search for ways to help the injured one back to life again. It is an expensive way of life but the heart of compassion will allow no other. At times then we can be friends to total strangers by an act of compassion. We can demonstrate our willingness to follow the Lord by gaining entrance into the lives of the injured by a heart of compassion.
How many times have we heard the _expression, “fair weather friend”? We all know what that means. It is one that when trouble comes, then they travel on down the road. God declares that a friend loves all the time (Proverbs 17:17). When someone disagrees with us, is it now time to sever friendships? At least for some, friendship is based only on what the other person does that I like. When they disagree with me or make wrong choices, then it time for me to get on down the road. This is not someone who continues to love. Compassion is not a “light switch” to be turned off and on based on what others do but rather it is like a “burning fire” on to which we must continue to throw logs to keep it burning.
When there is trouble in the brotherhood, let us be friends, either to those who have made wrong choices or to those who disagree with us. Jesus said we are His friends if we do what He says to us (John 15:14). Too many today take the road of being busybodies or just simply going on down the road and turning our backs on those we once called our friends. May compassion rule the day in our thinking and in our actions toward others.