January 13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.

FRIENDSHIP among men arises from the possession of some real or supposed amiable quality in the object of regard; but the friendship of Christ arises from no excellency in its subject. His regards are all undeserved. What were they when he first took knowledge of them? Unworthy of the least possible favour, undeserving, ill-deserving, and hell-deserving creatures. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” Behold! and see what friendship he has manifested towards us. He “who thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” taking upon him the form of a servant, becoming “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;” “who though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich.” What friendship! See him “bruised for our iniquities,” that by “his stripes we may be healed,” and dying that we may live. “Behold,” said the spectators at the grave of Lazarus, when they saw him weep, “how he loved him!”

And we can look up and see his friendship to us marked even in stronger colours. What did the angels think of him when they saw him bleeding on the cross? Behold how he loved them! What friendship! See him delivering us “from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” What friendship! to wash us from our sins in his own blood-to sympathise with us in all our sorrows, and to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities now in his glorified state.