Who has such a friend?

Who has such a friend?

Luke 11:5-10, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

I can remember hearing, when I was a youth, that a true friend was a rare thing, and that if I had more than one in my life, I would be most blessed. I have always desired a close companion, one with whom I could enjoy a similar sense of honor, right, humor, and one who would improve my personality, as Proverbs 27:17 promises, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

I found such a friend in my wife. We share all the best that can come from friendship and closeness. However, a fellow man would be a different thing altogether. I cannot help but feel that great power and strength would come from such a true friendship.

Perhaps I place friendship into a lofty and an unattainable category. It may be that friendship is potentially present in all relationships or present in a relationship merely when enmity is absent. Perhaps a friend is simply someone who is not an enemy. We tend, in modern vernacular, to differentiate between friends and acquaintances in that way.

Maybe I make too much of it, maybe not. I cannot speak from experience. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” It is this friend that sticks close, of whom I wish to speak now. As we reflect upon our lives and ponder the stream of people whom have entered and exited our life, touched, helped, or supported us, can we find a friend that has stuck closer than a brother? The question becomes even more poignant, “Who has such a friend?”

In the story above, Jesus asks us if any of us have a friend to whom we may go at midnight and ask for food. It is obvious that He is making the situation as awkward as it can be, as inconvenient for the friend, and as frivolous a request, as possible, to make the point. Bread, though essential for life, is not necessary at midnight; it could just as well be placed before his traveling friend in the morning if his arrival was late. His friend, upon whom he has laid his burden of hospitality, is in bed and likely was asleep when this man called.

Jesus has set up a scenario of unnecessary aggravation to test this friendship and push kindness to its limits. He does this for a reason. He wishes to show us the value of a friendship that has no limitations, a friendship that has identical values and importance.

Many times we find our friendships strained when one of the two parties considers something important that the other does not. It is obvious in this story that the man in bed did not care that his friend had no bread to set before his traveler, for his friend pleads with him, “… lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.” (Luke 11:5-7) Here Jesus shows that one friend has a problem that the other does not evaluate as important.

It is when we put friendship to these kinds of tests that it proves to be worthy or not. Let us go from this understanding to what a friend we have in Christ. It is Christ who proves time and time again to be a true friend of those who follow Him. It is well established what a friend we have in Christ, but what kind of friend has He in you? As we follow, we should make those things that are important to Him, important to us. We are to show ourselves “friendly.” For if we are to have a friend, even if it is Christ with whom we wish to be friends, we must show ourselves friendly. We do this by making His concerns, our concerns.

Who is At the Door?

If it is occurring to you that the friend in bed is not Christ, but us, you are starting to see the picture.

Many times this story is told that Christ is the friend in bed with whom we plead to help us. We are told that, although He really does not care about our needs, if we make enough noise, if we pray long enough, if don’t give up, He will eventually come to the door and give us whatever we are whining about, and send us on our way.

What a sorry example of a friend! Christ is not that kind of friend at all! It is He who calls upon us and is given excuse after excuse. It is when He calls us in the small hours that we are too tired to spend thirty minutes in quiet devotion. We are the ones who say, “Trouble me not, the door is now shut, I cannot rise and give thee.” It is only for Christ’s importunity that we act at all. It is because He does not give up that we finally obey.

He goes on to make clear that when there is a mutual friendship, when we pray, He will respond, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10) He shows us that His part of the friendship will be carried out without delay, but will ours?

If we were true servants of Christ we have to respond to His every wish. If it were a servant in bed on that cold night of request, a servant would have pushed his children into the floor to rise and give his master all he asked, but he was not his servant, he was his so-called friend. Therefore, he felt that he had a choice… he chose, as many of us do… he chose wrong.

I will say something that may sound strange to you at first. Jesus does not desire to be our Lord forever, though that is surely the beginning of our relationship to Him. We cannot come to Christ without surrendering our will to Him and accepting His Lordship. But, His ultimate goal for us is to be His Friends. Listen to Him talking to His disciples in John 15:15, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” These words stand out to me, “for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth.” When I hear the man on the outside of the house confess, “For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him,” I hear Christ telling us what servants would never be told. Take a moment and think about this.

But, what could Christ ever “need” from you? As Christ receives men who come to Him, He must receive physical men into a spiritual Kingdom. This is undoubtedly a difficult process that, to make the transition easier, can require help from someone here, someone entering in themselves, someone who has the “Bread” to give the new friend of Christ. Jesus could command you at any time to make your bread available to such a one. In the midnight hour, someone may find Christ, as their long journey comes to an end. You may be needed to make available real and tangible assistance to this one, and welcome him into this glorious Kingdom of our Father. Now, can you hear these words of Christ in new light? “Friend, lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine, in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.”

Christ is looking for a Friend that sticks closer than a brother. One upon whom He can depend, one who feels the importance of the moment, one with whom He can share intimate details and purposes. The mutuality of dependability marks the sort of friendship Christ is seeking. He makes it plain that He will be there for your needs. He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” but, will you be there for Him? Are you that friend who would rise at midnight, or must He become importunate and aggravate you into obedience? Hear His longing, when He asks, “Who has such a friend?”

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