Written during Passover Season

A particular “foundational stone” of Passover addresses the maturing of God’s people into the identity Christ has identified as “His friends.” This identity adds awareness to one of the privileges found within the Blood Covenant for all His disciples throughout the generations. During Jesus’ time with His eleven disciples, right before revealing Himself as The Passover Lamb, as the apostle of their faith, He exemplified and taught the integrity of friendship, putting the purity of such a bond into place. 

Not long before the events at Gethsemane and after His betrayer was identified, Jesus explained the depth of true friendship with His eleven disciples. Jesus took the time to personally communicate the depth of His love for the eleven and defined the actions of genuine Kingdom love. 

The disciples listened as Jesus said, “As My Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His Love. 

These things I have spoken to you, that My Joy may REMAIN IN you, and that your joy may be full. 

This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. 

Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” 

Christ Jesus was setting up the expectation of selflessness among this circle of friends. He was revealing the gold of His Kingdom. He was ushering them into the “space” of He and His Father’s relationship. They were about to be revealed as sons of God. Such an identity as friends of Christ reveals the profound place in the Spirit as sons of His Father who choose to walk in service and accept God’s opinion of them as sons adopted, working in tandem with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. “My life is My Fathers. Im going to give my life for your sake, and you will give your life for My name’s sake; in the same token, you will give your life for one another.” 

“Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” Jesus reminds them that they are His friends and expects them to come into the fullness of “For the joy set before them, they will endure their “cross” – drink their cup – become one with Me!”

Jesus was their greatest Intercessor, Mentor, Rabbi, and Brother, Lord, Messiah ….. He would ascend only when all things were prepared for them in the Spirit. He prayed to His Father, “I am no longer in the world; yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” John 17:11

In Christ’s conversation, the mystery of sustaining strength was revealed to be JOY. As the disciples were about to embark on the most incredible Apostolic trek in their lives, their commitment would contain the endeavor of courageous obedience as Holy Spirit reminded them of their Rabbi’s’ exchanges. Jesus, their Rabbi’s way of life, would always be before them. The memories would be substantial. The disciples would soon find out that every act of obedience (manifesting love) would release the reality that Jesus was within them, as His emotion of joy would burst forth from their spirits, strengthening them, for Christ in them is the hope of glory and His joy their strength. (Colossians 1:27/Nehemiah 8:10)

The Potter And The Cup

Jesus Christ, also their Potter, was about to drink a cup that no human could. Yet, He, as the Potter, had already begun to prepare individualized cups of suffering for His disciples. During this night, Jesus told them it was time to prepare for the cup’s delivery to each of their hearts. They would watch Jesus suffer. It’s not like they hadn’t already, but the suffering would converge tonight, revealing Christ as the Ultimate Gift of Love, darkness for the first time given permission to invade His flesh, but would have no entrance into His Spirit. For the devil had nothing in Him. 

Jesus equipped the disciples’ spirits by revealing their future, “”If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this, the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake because they do not know the One who sent Me.” (John 15)

Many of us have not known suffering or persecution to the point of bloodshed. While looking at this photograph of the Potter molding this cup, the question came to me, “How far along in the development of my cup into maturity by the hand of the Potter is my cup? How about yours? 

Becoming a friend,

briskilla