Friendship is the BEST… but as we all know, friendship can be the hardest. If you were to think of some of the most difficult moments you’ve had to navigate in life, I’m guessing a majority of them had to do with some sort of relational hardships.
Again, friendship is truly a gift, something to be pursued and protected. And when ‘friendship hurts’ becomes a reality for you… and not to discourage you, but at some point, it will, well, GOOD FRIDAY and EASTER have something to say about how we should navigate that hurt.
As I’ve been preparing for ALL that will transpire this upcoming weekend, I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ friendships, very specifically, his ‘best’ friendship. When you think Jesus’ best friend, I’m guessing Peter comes to mind… maybe John? Those two are clearly strong candidates for Jesus’ best friends, but when I think of Jesus’ best friend, an unlikely character comes to mind… JUDAS.
I’m guessing for you, Judas is not the guy that immediately comes to mind as the one disciple who was closest with Jesus… the one who held that proverbial title of Jesus’ best friend. I know it seems at best odd to see Judas as Jesus’ closest friend. But for me, there is a ‘prophetic’ Psalm that speaks to just how close Jesus and Judas were.
Before we consider Psalm 41 together, let me offer an explanation as to how best we are to understand Prophetic Psalms. Prophetic Psalms work on two levels at once: they arise from a real moment in the Psalmist’s life, yet the Holy Spirit shapes their language so that their fullest meaning stretches beyond the Psalmist and finds completion in Jesus.
As we turn to Psalm 41, David’s experiences become a Spirit-inspired preview of the Messiah’s story, so that when Psalm 41:9 speaks of a ‘best friend’s’ betrayal, it ultimately points forward to the betrayal Jesus would endure.
Let’s see this together…
“Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.”
Psalm 41:9 (NLT)
A powerful Psalm that points to the depth of friendship that Jesus had with Judas, the one who ultimately ‘turned against him.’ So how do the events of Good Friday and Easter speak to how you and I might navigate relational hurt?
In short and not to be missed…
THE FAILURE OF A FRIEND DID NOT CHANGE THE FAITHFULNESS OF JESUS
Judas’ betrayal didn’t harden Jesus’ heart towards him, nor did it create distance between He and Judas. The impending betrayal did not stop Jesus from kneeling with a towel around His waist and washing Judas’ feet, and his betrayal certainly didn’t stop Jesus from walking all the way to the cross for him.
When friendship hurts — when someone you trusted wounds you, disappoints you, or walks away — I encourage you to let Good Friday and Easter remind you that you have a Savior who knows that pain from the inside. And more than that, you have a Savior who kept loving, kept serving, and kept moving toward the very people who broke His heart.
And as way of reminder, as you continue to cultivate your friendship with Jesus, that’s the kind of love He pours into you and me so that we might pour that into our friends, especially when friendship hurts.
As you prepare to celebrate GOOD FRIDAY and EASTER this weekend, yes, 100% INVITE family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and classmates to be with you at GENESIS this weekend.
But if I may, I wanted to encourage you to consider inviting the one who has hurt you. Not an easy invitation to extend I realize, but who knows, maybe, just maybe Jesus will use that invitation to bring redemption to hurting hearts and restoration to broken friendships.
