Forgiveness, the Friendship of God

It is hard to think about a better example of intimacy with God than Simon Peter’s interaction with Jesus on the beach after the Lord was raised from death.

Simon Peter had just absolutely lost the plot in failure.  In sleeping on the job when asked to sit and keep watch at Gethsemane, Peter could not stay awake.  Then, having been warned by Jesus that Peter would disown Him, not once but three times, and having vigorously said he wouldn’t, Peter disowns the Lord thrice.

~

As a friend, Peter had failed.
Peter had promised Jesus not once, 
but twice, he would not fall away.

Peter declares,
“Even if all fall away, I will not.”
(Mark 14:29)
Then Peter insisted emphatically,
“Even if I have to die with you, 
I will never disown you.”
(Mark 14:31)

Jesus knew better, still he loved Peter.
This love is the mercy of operationalised forgiveness.

What is forgiveness if not friendship?

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Friendship has faithfulness about it.  Friendship is that aspect of life that is thoroughly redemptive.  Friendship affirms, encourages, builds up, and it provides opportunities for growth through challenge and commitment.  Friendship holds us strong through warning.

Friends speak truth in love.

~

The trust enjoyed in friendship transcends the fragility featured in relationships that operate on performance alone.  There are too many of those relationships in our world.  It is terribly sad when relationships are called “loving,” yet they are inherently conditional.  This is the tragic default.  Rare is it that true friendship is offered and shared.

But Jesus transcends these limits, offering us the utmost psychosocial safety.  Though performance (how good a friend I am) is one key indicator of relationship health, friendship looks beyond mere performance as the model for relationship.

But good friends OFFER such performance out of love.

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Friends share tangible trust.
Friends give the capacity of ‘home’.
Friends are a blessing in everyone’s life.
Friends exemplify merciful hearts.

~

Getting back to that beach scene nearly two millennia ago, imagine for a moment the setting.  It is clearly reminiscent of Simon Peter’s very first encounter with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11).  Peter was clearly very deeply jaded about having fished all night only to come up empty handed.  Peter is probably at the end of himself.  Indeed, he probably went out to fish feeling that way.

Jesus calls out from the beach, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”  At that point, those in the boat—Simon Peter with Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples—did not know who it was calling out to them.

As in that very first encounter three years beforehand with Simon Peter, Jesus tells them to “Throw your net out for a catch.” (John 21:6)

We might imagine Simon Peter rolling his despondent eyes.  In the first case, he does not yet realise who Jesus is.  In this second encounter, he does not quite register who it is 100 yards away on the beach.  In both scenarios, once those nets hit the water, they instantly fill with fish.  Peter responds enthusiastically in both situations.

~

God often works in repeat. 
The works of the Lord often have 
a familiarity about them, as much 
as to say, “Can you see Me in this?

Do you see this in your own life?

It is one fundamental way that God 
evidences His presence WITH us by our faith.

~

FRIENDSHIP FEATURES FORGIVENESS

There are no two ways about it; genuine friendship features forgiveness.

We imagine that two friends have equal stake in the relationship.  One sins, the other forgives, and the one being forgiven is incredibly grateful.  When situations are reversed, reciprocity is the order of the day.  Each time a friend is forgiven, trust is enhanced.

The interesting thing about the friendship between Jesus and Simon Peter—and between Jesus and all His friends to be honest—is how one-sided the relationships are.  The sinning occurs only one way.  And yet, the exemplative response from Jesus, the heart of God no less, is a grace to forgive that is as perfect as the One who never sins.

Jesus shows Simon Peter a grace that not only restores him to friendship but that also raises him to leadership—of the world’s church.

~

God’s friendship with us 
is unequivocally merciful.

No matter how much we sin, 
we are forgiven.

What makes some form of difference, 
however, is our contrition.

It is important in whatever relationship 
we have in terms of friendship 
that we can see where WE are wrong.

~

GOD’S FRIENDSHIP AND PERFECT FORGIVENESS

God’s friendship is unconditional love.  It is a love that transcends all conditions that we humanity must ultimately buckle to.  Even if we, like Simon Peter, may think we never will.  God simply understands and accepts our sinful natures perfectly and more than we can.

God’s friendship reflects what was done at the Cross.  Our debt is paid, our sentence is served, our battle is won.  And it all has nothing to do with us and our performance.  It has everything to do with God and His performance.

God’s friendship and perfect forgiveness can only be accepted.  Indeed, perfection as far as humanity is concerned is exactly that—acceptance of the free gift of grace offered through our perfect Christ Jesus.

~

Friendship with Jesus is accepting 
His love, adding nothing to it.

Acceptance of friendship with Jesus 
is our commitment to follow Jesus.

~

COMMITMENT TO LOVE... AND TRUTH

Our capacity to be a friend is our commitment to forgive, especially where others show their capacity to exist with us in friendship.

Where people cannot exist with us in friendship, then we can still offer to be friendly.  That is, to forgive them anyway, but of course when we are not friends so-to-speak, trust in not ordinary to, and a co-commitment of, the relationship.

Love is just as effective with boundaries.  Another way of saying it is we can love people well with the truth.  If it were not for the truth, it would be enablement.

‘WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS...’

The old hymn is profound in its theology around hardship and trial yet with intimate fellowship with the Lord through prayer.  The concepts of suffering are in fact conjoined to God via prayer that reaches out and up, “Lord, are You there?  Do You hear me?  Help me!”

The author of the hymn, Joseph Scriven (1819–1886), wrote the hymn in 1855.

Scriven himself was no stranger to grief and despair.  He had suffered significant ill-health as a younger man.  And having lost two brides-to-be to death before each wedding, his first fiancée the night before they were to wed.

What the hymn teaches us is the very true and perfect nature of the friendship we have with Jesus.  He is not only our Saviour, Lord, and King.  He is our dearest, most faithful Friend, who always has our back.

Jesus is someone who forgives to the degree that He desires to take ALL our cares, to bear ALL our crosses, as He did that first Easter long ago.  Jesus forgives our self-sufficiency.  His mercy is ever ready at the time we hand our struggles over to Him in prayer.

“Have we trials and temptations?” the second stanza asks.  Life would suggest the answer is obvious.  What we need most is a friend who will walk with us through it all.  A friend who already forgives every transgression.  This friend knows the frustration in our hearts.  This friend understands how limited we are.

~

In life, we do not have as faithful a friend as we need, 
but our eternal Lord is everything we need.

God is ever available and ever capable 
when we find people we trusted untrustworthy.

~

The friendship of God operates perfectly even if it is an unrequited relationship where we get mercy and God gets little but our occasional scraps of allegiance.  And yet, God knows it is us, ourselves, who must wander and ponder this lonely life, often feeling all alone in the world.

~

God knows it is US who needs a friend.

The friendship of God is our key need.

Providing this friendship to another is important.

We know how much they need it, 
for we know how much we need it.

Being the friendship of God in other 
people’s lives is our Christian calling.

~

On that beach two millennia ago, 
Jesus charged Peter with friendship.

~

“Simon son of John, do you love me?” Jesus said, not once but three times.  Inviting Simon Peter to friendship, he repeated Himself to make the point—“Come toward me and accept my calling of friendship and service.”

Everything is about friendship 
because everything is about love.

Forgiveness paves the way 
for the sustainment of friendship.

Forgiveness is the wisdom of God
and friendship is its manifestation.