The Friend

The second verse of the beloved Christian hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, says

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged—Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.

So far, in just one chapter of John, we have encountered Jesus as fully God and fully human. We’ve seen Him as the Creator, the Light and the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Chapter one also mentions that two disciples called him Rabbi, recognizing Him as ‘Teacher’. And now we celebrate a wedding with Jesus as a Friend.

Couples getting married usually invite their closest friends to their weddings. Their intimate circle of family and friends are the people who participate in one of the most significant events of their lives. In John 2, Jesus was invited to a wedding in Cana. Whoever invited Him to the wedding viewed him as a friend. Anyone who has had a close friend or been a close friend knows what friends are for and what they do. They stick with us through thick and thin (Proverbs 18:24). They are faithful (Proverbs 27:6). They love each other no matter what (Proverbs 17:17) and they encourage one another (Proverbs 27:17). Good friends will indeed die for one another if necessary (John 15:13).

The wedding hosts were at the risk of embarrassment for running out of wine. Jesus cared for these people enough that He would not let that happen, and so He performed the first of His miracles that are recorded in Scripture. It seems particularly meaningful that, as He was manifesting His glory in what was the beginning of His signs (John 2:11), He did so as a ‘Friend’. What a friend we have in Jesus!