I Call You Friends

Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)

I was listening to one of our many Wayne Jacobsen audio MP3s today… and he was talking about how in his many travels and speaking engagements, he loves to spend time with the folks there before he gets up to speak. The conversations are always open and genuine and great. Then he is introduced as the speaker, and there are gasps of, “THAT’S who that WAS?!?” and the embarrased attendee will approach him afterward with apologies for not knowing WHO he was.

In fact, they were more right when they didn’t think they knew.

He made the comparison then that I was already making in my head (which is probably what he wanted me to be doing…) That is like Jesus. Jesus is God. But he was also a man, and as a man, he got to spend face-to-face time with the ones he created and loves – without them cowering in fear of the Holy and Awesome God.

How funny is that?! The disciples were hanging out with God… and still found time to bicker, to doubt, and even to have fun and laugh… there was no fear… there was “equal” relationship.

It seems that is what God is longing for. To return to Eden. Where he had an open and amazing relationship with the ones he created. Jesus made that possible again. As a man, without people knowing (really knowing) who he was… he was able to have genunine relationship with everyone.

Have you noticed that since we have figured out that Jesus was God, we have re-deified him? We have created a religion to surround him and separate him from us? We paint halos on him. We have put him back in his “proper” place… as God.

Granted, Jesus is to be worshipped as God. He is God. But I think we see that he also wanted to eat and drink with friends at weddings. He also wanted to hang out with the low-lifes in society. He just wants relationship with us. When we didn’t know who he was, that was even more possible.

If we really knew who he was, it would be better still.

God is so much more accessible than we let ourselves believe. He is not put off by our sin. We are not untouchable. (Look at all the “untouchables” whom Jesus physically touched while he was here) We are the object of his affection, the reason he put on skin and died.

It’s time to remember, rather than subjects in his Kingdom, or slaves who call him Master… he calls us friends.