I'VE FOUND A FRIEND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22836, 21 March 1936, Page 2

I'VE FOUND A FRIEND

Written for the Otago Dally Times, Br the Rev. D. Gardner Milleb. Jesus was an amazingly friendly person. He was always willing to stop and chat with anybody. He made friends of the most unlikely people. I mean, unlikely in the sense that most of us use the word, namely, people outside our social circle —which means really beneath us, if we had the courage and the honesty to say so. But Jesus never looked upon people In that light. The social circle never troubled Him. He was at home in the well-to-do man's house. He was also at home in the fisherman's cottage. There waß never any condescension about our Master. He was always the eame to anybody and everybody, a perfect gentleman. When I turn over those wonderful pages of the New Testament that tell His life story I am so glad that most of the space is taken up in telling us about those friends He made, what He said to them, what they said to Him, and the beautiful thing that happened to them because of His friendship. One of those friendships is told at great length in the Gospel of Johnjust what you would expect John to remember, for he had great insight—and it is about the friendship He made with a woman. My pen is itching to write about the lovely friendships Jesus had with womenfolk and how He told them great things about God and faith and forgiveness that men only got second hand, but I dare not let my pen run away with me. Now, I am back to this woman friend of whom John speaks. You will find her story in the fourth chapter. Read it slowly, at least twice, and then sit back and let the wondrous graciousness and redeeming power of it sweep over you.

It Is a lesson in how to be gracious to read how Jesus gradually won this woman's confidence. He did not force His way into her life. Neither did He treat her as an inferior. He simply spoke to her as a man should speak to a woman. He knew there was sin in her life, and He wanted to help her, but He refused to make His knowledge a stick to beat her into submission.

As you trace the conversation you find that she starts a religious argument about God. I always smile when I come to that part in the story, for it is such a common practice even today with men and women who try to evade a spiritual issue. An argument about God is as fine a smoke screen as I: know to prevent you from getting at close grips. This woman tried it, but Jesus drove through the subterfuge and told her something about God which He never told anyone else and which is so simple and profound and liberating that it should prevent all of us from trying to think that we have God safely locked up in any of our church systems. You find what He says in verse 24.

At last this woman found out something. She found out that the friendship of this Man, which her heart was craving for, could only be had on one certain condition. And that condition was confession. Jesus insists that we do not try to hide anything from Him. Sometimes we think that, because we know that Jesus knows all about us, there is no need to tell Him anything. That is a sorry mistake. No peace can ever come to the human heart unless the tongue repeats all that the heart feels and the conscience tells. Divine knowledge cannot save us from our follies. It is only when we confess our follies that the knowledge of God becomes the grace that forgives. Once confession is made, satisfaction flows into the starved heart like the inflowing tide over the empty beach. The friendship of Jesus is a transforming friendship, really and truly, only on the basis of confession. There are Christians who do not enjoy this friendship to the full because they are keeping something back. It may be something done to another, or something that happened years ago and has never been put right. But until confession is made to God and restitution is made to others, as far and as honestly as you can make it, the supreme companionship of the friendship of Jesus is not yours, or mine.

This woman couldn't keep all to herself this wonderful thing that happened to her. She simply couldn't. She had to tell others. " Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did." I daresay she added that now she was a different woman and she wanted everybody to know about it too. I've known people who made perfect nuisances of themselves by always speaking of their religious experiences. I hate a religion that is cheap and flippant. I will talk about Jesus with anybody, but I shall not force Him on anybody. My religious experience is so real and intimate that I shun making a spectacle of it. I find people, all kinds of people, very ready to talk about religion, but they would resent any bombardment. The rule to observe is this: Keep yourself in the friendship of Jesus and be on the lookout for opportunities—don't force t li em —to speak to others about the joy of your friendship.. You will never lack opportunities if you go about it the right way. No one must take this ns an excuse for being silent. Rather it should be an inducement to be alert. Let your life show that something wonderful has come to you. Don't be afraid to speak about it when God puts an opportunity your way. I would like to have heard more about this woman John speaks of; I expect she just went on in a quiet way until one day she went through the White Gate and met her Friend again, face to face. I've found a Friend, O! Such a Friend I am His, and He is mine, for ever and for ever.