Lent Day 28 [4.5.2025] / The Power of Friendship

Scripture: Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26 / 마태복음 9:1-8, 마가복음 2:1-12, 누가복음 5:17-26

John 15:15 -  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Overview:

The second blessing in this encounter that we cannot miss is the blessing of a friend. In every account, Jesus took notice of their faith. This refers to the faith of the friends who went through great lengths to care for the paralyzed man and bring him before Jesus. Every account also records that after Jesus had spoken and the paralyzed man was healed, the crowd was filled with awe of Jesus’ authority and power. Countless instances throughout our lives, we may identify with the paralyzed man. For a few of us physically, but for most of us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. There are moments when we feel helpless, confused, gripped with fear, and unable to recover. Some of us have been through deep seasons of mourning, trauma, and heartbreak and have lost all our motivation and hope for life and for faith. In these moments, how precious is a good friend?

There are four great loves through which God reveals His love for us: Individual, Familial, Friendship, and Romance. Of the four, we often forget how precious friendships are and what a God-send a trustworthy friend really is.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24.

A Good Friend:

What does being a good friend mean? The book of Job reveals what a bad friend looks like. Amid Job’s suffering, his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and then later Elihu, seek to comfort him. However, rather than providing help and reassurance, his friends accuse Job of some secret sin that only God could see and therefore is being punished. In response to their words, Job would exclaim:

“You are miserable comforters, all of you!” – Job 16:2

Rather than supporting their friend and guiding him out of misery, they pushed Job into greater despair and ruin leaving Job without a shoulder to lean on.

Contrarily, the biblical example of a good friend could be found between David and Jonathan. David, the son of Jesse, was anointed to be the next king of Israel after Saul. As time passed, the people began to fall in love with David causing Saul to be filled with envy. This envy drove Saul mad enough to pursue David with murderous intent, and for nearly twenty years, David would roam the land as a fugitive. During all of this, David’s relationship with Jonathan never faded and their friendship shared a bond even beyond family. Jonathan was Saul’s firstborn son and next in line for the crown; David would have been his competition. Once news about David’s anointing had spread throughout all of Israel, what would Jonathan have thought? Yet, Jonathan would remain loyal to whom God chose as king over him and save David’s life countless times. In the end, Jonathan would die beside his own father in battle and in one swift motion, God would wipe out the line of Saul to make way for David to sit on the throne. Despite receiving a crown, David would mourn for Saul in respect, but for Jonathan in pure love.

The Power of Friendship:

While we may not have the ability to choose our family, we can choose our friends. The wonderful truth about how God identifies through the love of our family is the inseparable nature of its relationships; however, the beauty of friendship comes from how easy it is to abandon and therefore what love it takes to remain. God identifies in this type of love that chooses to be faithful even unto death:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” - John 15:13-15

We have an eternal friend in Jesus who has chosen to give up everything including His life for us. A love not out of obligation, but of personal will and desire. He will never abandon you nor forsake you; He is faithful and just (1 John 1:9). When we feel like we are alone, when we have nowhere go, no one to take our side, remember to turn your heart to God who declares us to be His friends.

Reflection:

1. What does being a friend of God mean to you?

2. How can we be a Godly friend to others?

   
   

Prayer:

1. God, thank you for calling me your friend and revealing your great love for me.  

2. Jesus, thank you for considering me your friend and even dying on the cross to save me.  

3. Holy Spirit, help me to be a Godly friend to those around me. To show them the same kind of love and faithfulness you have shown me.

   
   

개요:

이 만남에서 우리가 놓쳐서는 안 될 두 번째 축복은 친구의 축복입니다. 모든 기록에서 예수님은 그들의 믿음을 주목하셨습니다. 이는 마비된 사람을 돌보고 예수님 앞에 데려가기 위해 큰 노력을 기울인 친구들의 믿음을 의미합니다. 모든 기록은 또한 예수님께서 말씀하시고 마비된 사람이 치유된 후에 군중이 예수님의 권위와 능력에 놀라워했다고 전합니다.

우리의 삶을 통해 무수히 많은 경우에 우리는 마비된 사람과 동일시할 수 있습니다. 일부는 신체적으로, 대부분은 감정적으로, 정신적으로, 영적으로 그렇습니다. 무력감, 혼란, 두려움에 사로잡혀 회복할 수 없을 때가 있습니다. 어떤 이들은 깊은 슬픔, 트라우마, 심적 고통의 시기를 겪으며 삶과 신앙에 대한 모든 동기와 희망을 잃었습니다. 이러한 순간에 좋은 친구는 얼마나 소중한가요?

하나님께서 우리에게 사랑을 나타내시는 네 가지 큰 사랑이 있습니다: 개인적 사랑, 가족 사랑, 우정 사랑, 그리고 배우자의 사랑 입니다. 이 네 가지 중에서 우리는 종종 우정의 소중함을 잊고 신뢰할 수 있는 친구가 얼마나 큰 하나님의 선물인지 간과합니다.

“친구가 많아도 해로울 수 있으나, 어떤 친구는 형제보다 친밀하니라.” - 잠언 18:24

좋은 친구:좋은 친구가 된다는 것은 무엇일까요? 욥기의 이야기는 나쁜 친구가 어떤 모습인지 보여줍니다. 욥의 고난 중에 그의 친구들 엘리바스, 빌닷, 소발, 그리고 나중에 엘리후는 위로하려 했지만, 오히려 욥이 어떤 숨겨진 죄를 저질러 하나님께 벌을 받고 있다고 비난했습니다. 그들의 말에 욥은 이렇게 외쳤습니다:

“너희는 다 재난을 주는 위로자들이로다!” - 욥기 16:2

친구를 지지하고 고통에서 벗어나도록 인도하기보다는, 그들은 욥을 더 깊은 절망과 파멸로 몰아갔습니다.

반대로 좋은 친구의 성경적 예는 다윗과 요나단 사이에서 찾을 수 있습니다. 이새의 아들 다윗은 사울 왕 다음으로 이스라엘의 왕으로 기름 부음을 받았습니다. 시간이 지나면서 백성들은 다윗을 사랑하게 되었고, 사울은 질투로 미쳐 다윗을 죽이려 했습니다. 거의 20년 동안 도망자 신세였던 다윗과 요나단의 관계는 결코 변하지 않았습니다.

요나단은 사울의 장남이자 다음 왕위 계승자였음에도 불구하고 하나님의 선택을 존중하며 다윗의 생명을 여러 번 구했습니다. 결국 요나단은 전쟁에서 아버지와 함께 죽었고, 다윗은 왕위에 올랐습니다. 왕관을 받았음에도 다윗은 사울을 존중하며 애도했고, 요나단을 순수한 사랑으로 애도했습니다.

우정의 힘:가족은 선택할 수 없지만, 친구는 선택할 수 있습니다. 가족의 사랑은 그 관계의 불가분성을 통해 하나님의 사랑을 보여주지만, 우정의 아름다움은 쉽게 버릴 수 있음에도 불구하고 끝까지 남아 있는 사랑에서 나옵니다. 하나님께서는 심지어 죽음까지도 충실하게 선택하는 이러한 사랑을 통해 자신을 드러내십니다:

“사람이 친구를 위하여 자기 목숨을 버리면 이보다 더 큰 사랑이 없나니, 너희가 내가 명하는 대로 행하면 곧 나의 친구라. 이제부터는 너희를 종이라 하지 아니하리니, 종은 주인이 하는 것을 알지 못함이라. 너희를 친구라 하였노니, 내가 내 아버지께 들은 것을 다 너희에게 알게 하였음이라.” - 요한복음 15:13-15

우리는 모든 것을 포기하고 심지어 생명까지 내어주신 예수님 안에서 영원한 친구를 가지고 있습니다. 이는 의무가 아닌 개인적인 의지와 소망에서 비롯된 사랑입니다. 예수님은 우리를 결코 버리지 않으시고, 배신하지 않으시며, 신실하고 의로우십니다(요한일서 1:9). 우리가 외로움을 느끼고 어디로 갈지 모를 때, 우리를 친구로 선언하신 하나님께 마음을 돌리야합니다.

묵상:

1. 하나님의 친구가 된다는 것은 무엇을 의미합니까?

2. 우리는 어떻게 다른 사람들에게 하나님을 닮은 친구가 될 수 있을까요?

   
   

기도:

1. 하나님, 저를 친구로 불러주시고 그 크신 사랑을 보여주셔서 감사합니다.

2. 예수님, 저를 친구로 여겨주시고 저를 구원하시기 위해 십자가에 돌아가 주셔서 감사합니다.

3. 성령님, 저를 주변 사람들에게 신실한 친구로 만들어 주시고, 주님께서 보여주신 동일한 사랑을 나누게 해 주세요.