SECRET FRIENDS
John 15:15
The New Testament uses a very strange word to describe our relationship to God. It is the word doulos. In most English translations, this Greek word is rendered “servant” or “bond-servant”. Occasionally, it is translated more correctly as “slave”. That is what it really means in Greek – slave. But not just any ordinary slave. The doulos slave was a slave of the lowest rank. This slave was nothing more than property with no more rights than livestock. Life for slaves depended entirely on the whims and benevolence of the master.
Many people were under compulsory service in the Greek culture. Some were slaves due to economic hardship – bondservants who were working off debts. Some were slaves because they were the offspring of slaves. And some were slaves due to the spoils of war. The designation doulos emphasizes the utter dependence of this slave. Since freedom was one of the highest ideals of Greece, the Greek culture looked on these people with scorn. Their plight was not a subject of social conscience. If anything, they were overlooked in the social structure. Slaves were not part of the state and had no position in the state. For all intents and purposes, they were not human.
This background makes the New Testament choice of this word even more peculiar. This is especially true since the designation doulos is not only applied to followers of Christ; it is applied to Christ himself. In the summary statement of the incarnation (Philippians 2:7-8), Paul tells us that Christ emptied himself of the essence of divinity and took on the form of a slave. The word that he uses is doulos. The action of the incarnation deliberately results in a humanity of total dependence. We are to understand that Christ was not a god hidden in the shell of human flesh. He was not a supernatural figure radiant and resplendent in power. He was a totally dependent slave, without personal rights and purposes, completely under the control of his master, the Father. This is the model of the proper New Testament relationship between the master and the servant. It is not a relationship of mutual cooperation in plans, purposes and actions. The role of the slave is the completion of instructions given as orders by an owner to his property.
If the concept of doulos finds its focus in any single doctrine, it must be in the doctrine of sovereignty. God is in total control, as both creator and owner. His plans are the only plans that matter. His will is the only will that counts. Slaves can do nothing more than repeat the mantra “Thy will be done”.
In the circles of human relations, slaves face a very uncertain existence. Human masters are notorious abusers, as history has repeatedly confirmed. But the slaves of God never fear such evil. Because the sovereign Lord is also the Holy God, His ownership is never grievous. He rules with grace and compassion – but nevertheless, He rules. His purposes are always aimed at bringing the slaves into full status as children by deliberate adoption. I may voluntarily place myself in the role of doulos without fear for as the doulos of God I am assured of His care, protection and salvation.
For many years, Jesus was in the company of men who voluntarily placed themselves in the role of slaves. He was the master. They were the pupils – the slaves. While the relationship was not one of ownership, it carried the same obligations. Jesus commanded them. They obeyed. Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus opened his heart to these men. He knew that soon he would be taken from them. In a quiet discussion, he signaled that the relationship they were used to was about to change.
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you”. John 15:15
Jesus tells these men why they have been in the position of slaves in the past. They were slaves because they did not know the plans of the Master. They only followed orders. Their wills were bent to the secret purposes of the Master. This description often fits our own relationship with God. He seems to have secret purposes. We believe that we stand in the position of douleia, attempting to obediently execute His orders. But if we truthfully confessed our situation, we would probably say that we are lost in the clouds when it comes to answering the question: “What is God’s purpose in this situation?” How many times have you heard a fellow Christian say, “God has His reasons”. Of course, what is implied in such a response is that we mere mortals don’t have a clue about what is going on.
Notice, however, that Jesus changes the status of his followers from doulous to philous – friends. We need to take a very close look at this change. First, the verb tenses in this verse are important. Jesus says that he no longer calls his followers slaves. The verb call is in the present tense. This implies two conditions. The first implication is that up to this moment, it was appropriate to call these men slaves. The second implication is that as of this moment, their status has changed. From now on, their moment-to-moment relationship with the Lord will be as friends.
The reason that they were called slaves is that they did not know what the Master was doing. The verb tense of “did not know” is the perfect tense in Greek. This tense is used to indicate an action in the past that has continuing impact in the present. This means that their ignorance in the past (the reason they were called slaves) had consequences that continued up to this moment. They were still in the dark, and as a result of their ignorance, they still maintained the status of slaves. Now things are going to change.
Jesus continues. “But I have called you friends” uses a different Greek verb although we translate it with the same English verb – to call. In the first phrase (I no longer call you slaves), the verb is lego. It means “to speak or say” and is generally associated with verbal communication. In this case, Jesus is saying that his followers are spoken of as doulous. The word doulous is attached to them. But the phrase “I have called you friends” uses the verb ereo. This verb means “to say, declare and promise”. It is used in 4:1 in an adjective form for “expressly”. The difference between these two verbs is subtle but important. In the past, the disciples were spoken of as doulous but now Jesus is declaring them to be friends. The active agent in this change of status is Jesus. The change did not occur because these men were suddenly enlightened or because they applied themselves to deeper understanding. Their status is being changed solely because Jesus declares them friends. These men did nothing spectacular on this particular day that earned them the status of friends. It is Jesus who initiates the change. It is Jesus who takes on the responsibility of friendship for it is Jesus who will now act toward them as a friend.
Jesus tells us why he is declaring the change in status. Once again we find that the reason is entirely within the agency of Christ. He declares them friends because he has given them the knowledge on which friendship is based. He says:
“for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
We can expand the translation as follows:
because everything that I heard (the tense means I was the active agent of a action that occurred in the past) from beside my Father I have made known (again Jesus is the active agent and this action has also happened in the past) to you.
Several important points need to be clarified. First, Jesus received all of this knowledge prior to the present announcement. Secondly, all of this knowledge has been faithfully passed on to the disciples. They have already received all of the knowledge needed to initiate their change in status. Thirdly, the knowledge that they have been given is not deficient in any way – it includes everything required. Finally, this knowledge was given to Jesus para tou (from beside) the Father. This is everything that Jesus heard while in the closest possible proximity with God. It is not knowledge of God as though Jesus were simply communicating facts about God. Jesus is communicating relationship, not a rationale for God’s existence.
What Jesus is implying is that the secrets that the Father has shared with him have been shared with his disciples. He has withheld nothing. His teaching has been an open expression of exactly what He learned in closest harmony with God. Now that these men know such personal secrets, they cannot be considered douleia. They are philous. God has let them in on the greatest secrets of life.
There is a great gospel blues song by Aretha Franklin called Precious Memories. The refrain is a wonderful statement of the reality of this change in status. It’s magnetic melody rings out, “secrets He’ll unfold”. Jesus has opened heaven’s door. When we hear what he says, we are transported into the world from God’s perspective. But what Jesus communicated to his followers was not just a glimpse of heaven’s splendor. He tells these disciples that everything he heard while close to the Father has been revealed to us. As he prepares for his death and resurrection, he tells these men that they now have all of the secrets that he has. They know all they need to know about God. More importantly, they have lived in the same proximity with him as he has lived with the Father. The chain is unbroken. They are now friends of God.
How often have we taken this statement as seriously as Jesus meant it to be? It seems that we are more likely to complain about our role as slaves than we are to take up the responsibilities of friends. We are inundated with religious material claiming to make God’s purposes known to us. We take courses, attend seminars or complete personal inventories in efforts to discover God’s secret plan for our lives. We all want to know what God’s will is for us. Jesus must find such efforts disappointing. He told his followers more than two thousand years ago that he had already communicated to them everything he heard from the Father’s own voice. They were already inside the circle of trust. Now we stand on even more open ground. We are the post-resurrection friends of the risen savior. We should be able to hear God’s instructions without difficulty.
Perhaps our preoccupation with our personal and unique purpose is really an expression of our own faithlessness. Maybe we need to listen more intently to what Jesus said instead of piling up endless requests for more information. Then we can be philos too.
It’s the life of Jesus that shows us everything we need to know. It’s his life put into action that makes us everything we need to be. If you are his friend, you have all you need to follow in his footsteps.
