Devotional Six: Jesus and His Disciples

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 

  –John 15:13 

FROG: I’m sorry to be late Toad. I was wrapping your gift. 

TOAD: Oh. For me? 

FROG: Yes. 

TOAD: I can open it? 

FROG: Of course. 

 –A Year with Frog and Toad 

While on earth, Jesus empowered twelve men to be His disciples. The Bible acknowledges these men as set apart by Jesus for the mission of spreading the gospel. In Matthew 10, Jesus instructs the twelve disciples to go to the House of Israel and announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God. He equips them with the power to heal and cast out demons. Jesus is quite frank with the disciples about the nature of the persecution they will face both now and in the future. Jesus reminds His disciples that “a servant is not above his master” (Matthew 10:24b). Just as Jesus faced persecution and death, the twelve disciples also faced persecution and death. 

Thankfully, Jesus did promise to always be with the disciples. At the end of Matthew, Jesus gives the Great Commission:  

And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20)  

Part of the commission is a promise that Jesus will be with His people to the end of the age. 

Jesus endured many trials while training His disciples, but He never forgot their humanity. The disciples held a special place in Jesus’ heart, and He counted them as His friends. In the Gospel of John, the author records Jesus giving His disciples a special reminder of how He came not to be served, but to serve: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (15:13). Jesus serves as the great example that friendship means more than simply caring for someone, but rather, friendship goes beyond us and to the absolute good of the other. Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life to forgive us our sins and bring us into relationship with God. 

As we watch the story of friendship unfold between Toad and Frog, may we be reminded of the greatest friendship we can find in the love of Jesus.