John 15:15: Fools and Friends
Friday, June 13, 2025
Jesus reminds us that he calls us his friends. To think we are otherwise is foolish.
I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father.
As we consider what it means to be a friend of Christ, we remember this Favorite written on November 1, 2009. Sirach 22
There are many verses in this chapter that to make us smile and at times laugh aloud. Jesus ben Sirach knows human nature well; and he understands the importance of true friendship in which even the action of drawing a sword against a friend can be undone. Yet, in these verses there are gentle warnings: the rest of us stand aloof from those who harm friends, treachery can drive away any friend, prosperity can get in the way of friendship, insults cause great harm in close relationships.
Equally significant are the verses pertaining to fools and those addicted to laziness. Who among us has not been a fool at one time or another, and who among us has not been damaged by a fool? Sirach advises well when he writes: teaching a fool is like gluing a broken pot, or disturbing a man in his sleep . . . speak seldom with the stupid man, be not the companion of a brute . . . neither can a timid resolve based on foolish plans withstand fear of any kind.
We find many examples of foolishness, laziness, brutishness; and we see the value of tending to friendships. In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul plays with the ideas of foolishness and weakness in humans and in God. We become weak and foolish as humans in order to become strong and wise with and in Christ. We give over our worldly wisdom and strength in order that we might submit ourselves freely to God’s will and power. This is the secret of inversion in Christianity; and it is a truth we sometimes find difficult. In 1 Corinthians 3:18-23 we read: Do not deceive yourselves. If anyone of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness” and again, “the Lord knows that their thoughts are futile.” So then, no more boasting about men . . . all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Today we have something to ponder as we wind down into the evening, into prayer and into sleep. What or who do we see as foolish? What or who do we see as wise? What or who do we see as strong? What or who do we see as weak? Do sincere friends abound? Who and what do we suffer and why?
Sirach presents a stark contrast in this chapter as do our own lives. Everywhere we look we see the lights and darks that present an ever-shifting world; but the one true place we will always find a steady foundation is the masonry bonded with wooden beams . . . not loosened by an earthquake . . .This foundation is Christ.
A resolve that is backed with prudent understanding is like the polished surface of a smooth wall. This resolve is funded by Christ.
Small stones lying on an open height will not remain when the wind blows . . . so this is why we must stand on the rock of Christ. All else is weak.
Neither can a resolve based on foolish plans withstand fear of any kind . . . and this is why we must place our friendship in Christ. All else is foolish.
We consider our friendship with Christ as we pray Psalm 122, and repeat the antiphon, For the sake of my family and friends, I say it again: live in peace.
Tomorrow, becoming salt.
For more reflections on friendship, enter the word friend into the blog search bar and explore.
The Noontimes 