“Ditto”
John 15: 15
Perhaps today you may have a better chance of guessing my age as I share with you the Word of God. Today’s topic consists of one word “Ditto”. I know I’m dealing with a congregation where seventy five percent of the members are under the age of 35 and perhaps your thinking what does “Ditto” mean.
I need for you to travel back in time and try to visualize when typewriters had keys that stuck and the only way to correct a mistake was with liquid white out. Maybe this might be a bit easier for you to imagine a pencil and paper. With today’s technology the need for pencils and paper have rapidly declined. However, believe it or not there existed a time when students used pencils. The luxury of a cell phone and texting was not available during my days of youth. If I wanted to converse with my friend we would have to pass notes in class (and sometimes risk the chance of getting caught by the teacher…not a good memory). If my friend passed a note that simply stated “I’ll be glad when the class ends”… I would simply write “Ditto”.
Ditto means the same as stated before or above; a duplicate or copy and with that being said let’s take a look at today’s text.
St John 15: 15 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
First let’s focus on the word “henceforth”…Jesus is letting his disciples know from this day forth, from this time forth, from now on I will not call you servants. The Disciples of Christ reaches a very important time in their journey. They reach a time of transition. The disciples were transiting from servants to friends.
We should be able to remember at least one occasion when we transition from an acquaintance to a friend.
Because of our human nature when we first befriend someone:
• We’re careful with our words and behavior. Notice how Jesus called them servants at first.
• It’s a natural behavior to be reluctant to show ourselves fully to an acquaintance. Jesus explained to his disciples that the servant doesn’t know what his lord does.
We have to earn trust and friendship. We have a place deep within us that doesn’t take kindly to betrayal. There is a place within us, whether we realize it or not, where we attempt to protect ourselves from hurt.
The word of God tells us in Proverbs 18:19 “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” This passage doesn’t say the brother cannot be won but it will take some fortitude to win back the one who was offended and it also doesn’t state who offended the brother. You may not be the one who offended the brother but because of previous betrayal it is hard for you to befriend that brother.
The wisdom of Jesus knew that the time has come for a closeness that goes deeper than loyalty and faithfulness. The time to be loved was present.
Just visualize the multitude of people that followed Jesus. Matthew chapter 14 tells of the five thousand men, beside women and children that Jesus miraculously fed. When you flip over to the next chapter in Matthew and take a look at verse 38 you’ll find that Jesus fed four thousand men, beside women and children. Okay for all you skeptics saying to yourselves this sounds like a rerun. Listen at this brief testimony… I had a rerun in my life in the year 2008. I had a grandson that was born on Sunday around 11:00 am and the following Monday I had another grandson that was born around 4:30 pm. (two sisters in the same hospital, on the same hall, and one room apart) So yes, you can turn one chapter over and have a similar miracle. Enough of the side bar let’s get back to visualizing the multitude.
Sometimes when we see a person surrounded by a lot of people we assume they have a lot of friends. Jesus was pressed by people on every hand. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out evil spirits, distributed empathy, taught multitudes, and the fame of Jesus went abroad in all the land.
(You know brothers and sisters some people envy public celebrities, those who are in the eyes of the media. We need to keep them lifted in prayer. We need to pray not only for those who don’t know Jesus to know Him, but praying also that they will be blessed with true friends.)
A true friend doesn’t mind if his friend asks to borrow things every now and then. Or if his friend has a need and their able to assist them. We expect this every now and then. Oh, but it would be burdensome if every time you see that friend coming they have their hand out. The human nature in you would start to question that person’s friendship. Maybe you just want to spend some time talking to your friend without them asking for anything.
Wow, who would have ever thought that we could just spend time with Jesus? Jesus stated but I have called you friends…. Will we say “Ditto”? Will we call Jesus friend? Or will we continue to just call him our supplier the one who meets our needs.
Will we tell Jesus “Ditto”? Will someone be able to say LORD I want to be your friend. I want to spend time with you. How about that word we use so lightly…. I want to fellowship with you. Jesus came to reconcile us back to God. Do we ever ask the question why? For the fellowship. God why did you create mankind? Was it just because you wanted us to praise You? You were already receiving that in heaven. Was it because you wanted us to just be servants? Right, You were already receiving that in heaven.
Will somebody say “Ditto” to the statement Jesus made in St John 15: 15
God told Moses in Exodus 3: 14 “…I Am That I Am…” More than one thing and we are created in God’s image and we are more than one thing to God.
Yes, we are His children! Yes, we are His servants! Yes, we are the Bride of Christ! Yes, we are the Body of Christ! Yes, we are ambassadors of Christ! Yes, we are disciples of Christ! Yes, we are the light of the world! Yes, we are laborers in the harvest! Yes, Yes, Yes, we are so many things for Christ.
But will there be just one today that will say “Ditto” and say I am a friend of God. I am one who loves to spend time in His presence, I love to read His word, and I love to talk with Him. Because God and I fellowship, we share the same interest in holiness and righteousness.
And if you believe in your heart that you cannot sincerely say that I am a friend of God, will you say I want to be one? I want to be a friend of God. I want to know God as a friend and not just my provider. I want to be able to say to Jesus henceforth I not only call you LORD and Savior but my friend. Jesus is willing to become your friend.
Don’t be fooled by the multitude that cries out to Jesus. Don’t be fooled by the crowd that comes to worship Him every Sunday. Remember in the end how the multitude insisted that Jesus be crucified. Remember that a multitude of people does not necessarily mean a multitude of friends.
Come now and accept Jesus as your LORD and Savior, but also as your friend.
