A Friend In Sorrow

A Friend in Sorrow

Read: John 13:21-30

“I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”

John 13:21

“A Christian is someone who shares the sufferings of God in the world.”

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

IN WORD As John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” reclined against Jesus at the Last Supper, he surely felt the comfort and joy that not only accompanies a close human relationship but that comes only from knowing divine companionship. Perhaps the other disciples, while enjoying the company of Jesus, envied John’s closeness with Him. We, too, long to recline at the table with Jesus. We crave that familiarity. So we draw near to Him, and pray that He draws near to us. And what do we expect to find? Like John, do we hope to feel the comfort and joy of this human yet divine companionship? We are right to think so. But there is more. Piercing the moment is this sorrowful revelation: “One of you is going to betray me.”

Divine intimacies bring not only joy but sorrow. Do we want fellowship with Christ? We may have it, but with all of its magnificent rewards comes a cost—partaking in His sufferings. Paul knew it, too. He wanted to know not only the power of the Resurrection but also “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).

IN DEED If we are to reach any depth of maturity in Christ, we must know that He and this world do not mix. There is enmity between them. We tend to avoid pain at all costs, but we are unrealistic and deny His call when we expect to know Him without knowing the grief of His rejection. When we recline and dine with Christ, we are choosing the magnificence of His incomparable glory. But, like John, we are close enough to know His pain. As He warns us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).