March 6, 2021
John 15:15-17, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
The word ‘servant’ here is complex. It’s the word ‘doulas’ in the Greek which is also translated ‘slave,’ and it’s a frequent word in the New Testament. The ESV translates this word as ‘bondservant’ most commonly, as this is what is in view, not something like North American slavery as we know it in our nation’s history. But Jesus is using this word in yet another sense: that we will all serve somebody, to quote Bob Dylan. ‘No man can serve two masters,’ (Matt. 6:24), Jesus says, we are either a slave to sin or a slave (bound to him) to God. Paul picks up on this theme in his encouragements in Romans 6:1-7. Jesus is saying in this text in John, you are no longer ruled by your sinful hearts, but instead you are with me - and so close with me that I can call you ‘friend,’ knowing even the disclosed plans of God.
Then Jesus gets all Calvinistic on us - ‘you did not choose me, but I chose you.’ These are challenging texts that indicate our faith is a gift from God himself - but they are important truths, not meant to put us into mental or philosophical quandaries. They are instead meant to build humility within us and a deep gratitude for what God has done in showing us who he is. A verse like John 15:16 does not contradict verses like Romans 10:13 or Acts 2:21, that those who call upon the name of the Lord in truth will be saved. All of those things are absolutely true at the same time. We believe with our mind and hearts, trusting in the Lord personally and authentically, and then we give all glory to God for showing us the truth.
Prayer: Father, we give you thanks for the gift of faith. We thank you for showing us who you are, and working in our hearts a trust in you that overshadows our doubts and fears. By your spirit, continue to grow in us this heart of humility, trust, and gratitude. We saw true love come down when Jesus came to this earth to save us - let that kind of love change our hearts into grateful worshipers of God. Amen.
40 Days of Joy: The mighty, wondrous ocean. It’s so massive. It’s a place that makes any person stop and wonder at the awesomeness of it all. Think of your favorite time near a huge body of water.
