John Chrysostom (347–407), archbishop of
Constantinople, said this about friendship: “Such is friendship, that through
it we love places and seasons; for as . . . flowers drop their sweet leaves on
the ground around them, so friends impart favor even to the places where they
dwell.”
Jonathan and David illustrate the
sweetness of a true friendship. The Bible records an intimate and immediate
bond between them (1 Sam. 18:1). They kept their friendship alive by
demonstrating their loyalty to each other (18:3; 20:16, 42; 23:18), as well as
nurturing it by expressions of concern. Jonathan gave gifts to David (18:4) and
watched out for him through many difficulties (19:1-2; 20:12-13).
In 1 Samuel 23:16, we see the highest
moment of their friendship. When David was a fugitive on the run from
Jonathan’s father, “Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods
and strengthened his hand in God.” Friends help you find strength in God during
the low points of life.
In a world where most relationships are
about what we can get, let us be the type of friends who focus on what we can
give. Jesus, our perfect Friend, demonstrated for us that “greater love has no
one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The
glory of life is to love, not to be loved; to give, not to get; to serve, not
to be served. (RBC)
