But it’s not Haldeman’s knowledge of himself that is so
amazing; it’s his knowledge of his boss, Richard M. Nixon. In his later years, after prison, Haldeman
wrote a memoir entitled The Ends of Power
in which he spoke at length about the Nixon he knew. In the book he notes that Nixon’s greatest
hero was not Theodore Roosevelt, who he cited often. It wasn’t Winston Churchill. It wasn’t some other American President. It was the French General, and former
President of France – Charles de Gaulle.
In fact, whenever Nixon referred to de Gaulle, he’d always use his full
name – Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle.
He not only admired the French President, he revered him.
Nixon admired de Gaulle’s toughness. He admired his aloofness – it is said that de
Gaulle had no friends or close associates.
He was quite paranoid of those he considered to be his enemies. In fact, it was de Gaulle who reportedly
first said to a staffer, “We have no friends, only interests!”
The longer I live the more I find that most people, though
they might never admit it, live by that adage.
It’s a universal sentiment and it’s nothing new. That’s why, of all the statements of Jesus,
none is more striking than what He says to His disciples in the waning hours of
His earthly ministry.
Here on the eve of His betrayal and execution Jesus says, “I
no longer call you servants…but friends.”
Think of it. At a time when
personal interests would, for most, trump every other commitment, Jesus turns
from personal interests to those He calls His friends. He renames them. He establishes with them a completely new
relationship. They are no longer His
students or servants, but His friends.
And while the timing of this announcement is striking given
Jesus’ immediate future, what’s more incredible is the immediate actions of His
friends. Within hours they will betray
Him. They will abandon Him. They will forsake Him completely. The ones He’s just called friends treat Him
just like His enemies.
In thinking about this week’s topic – the fourth treasure of
the Son of God to His people – Forgiveness – I was struck by the undeniable
connection between Jesus’ friendship and His forgiveness. Without His absolute and total forgiveness of
them there’d be no lasting friendship.
Indeed, His declaration of their new identity is inexorably linked to
His forgiveness of them. They are His
friends not because of something they’ve done or will do. They are His friends because of what He will
do. Nothing could be plainer than
that. While His friends will flee from
Him, He will hang on a tree for them.
But interestingly, Jesus’ establishment of friendships
begins well before the Upper Room.
Throughout His three-year ministry we see Him “making friends”
throughout Palestine. A perfect example
is in Jericho as He’s making His way to Jerusalem.
That’s where we will be this Sunday as we examine Luke
19:1-10. In preparation for Sunday’s
message you may wish to consider the following:
1. Henri
Nouwen’s definition of friendship in Out
of Solitude: 3 Meditations on the Christian Life.
2. Check
out C.S. Lewis’ definitions of friendship.
3. What
were some of the differences between Jesus and other Rabbis of His day in terms
of disciples?
4. In
John 15 when Jesus calls His disciples “friends’, how unique is this?
5. How
is Jesus’ friendship tied to His forgiveness?
6. What
is the significance of Jesus making a friend in Jericho on His way to the cross?
7. Why
is Zacchaeus up a tree?
8. Why
is Zacchaeus named by Luke three times and Jesus once?
9. What
is Jesus commanding him to do in verse 5?
10. Why
does Zacchaeus divest himself of his fortune in the presence of Jesus’
friendship?
11. How
does friendship hinge on forgiveness?
In the 8:15 and 11:00 services we will conclude the message
with a video clip of Brennan Manning speaking on friendship to a group in
Philadelphia in 1999. If you are
planning to attend the 9:30 service you may want to view it by Googling Brennan
Manning Kingdom Works Video 1999. The
clip itself is found at the 32:22-35:40 mark, but the whole message is terrific!
See you Sunday!
