…because he loved him as his own soul. – 1 Samuel 18:3(b), KJV

What does friendship mean to you? For your dearest friend, what would you sacrifice?

One of the sweetest, purest examples of friendship in the Bible is the friendship shared between Jonathan and David. As 1 Samuel 18:1 (KJV) describes it, “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

How much did Jonathan love David? In 1 Samuel 18:4, Jonathan gave up his royal garments for David use. In 1 Samuel 20:30-34, he gave up fellowship with his father to defend David. And, in 1 Samuel 20:42, he gave up his future kingdom (by letting David go) so that his friend, whom God loved, might have it instead. In short, Jonathan loved David enough to give up everything he had for his friend’s sake.

Jesus gave up His kingdom (for thirty-three years or so) so that we, whom God loved, might have access to it, too. Jesus gave up fellowship with His Father on that old rugged cross to defend us from His Father’s wrath, breaking fellowship with the Father when He became sin for us and cried, “My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) And, Jesus will give us his royal garments when we get to Heaven; He’ll clothe us with a body like unto His glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21) In short, Jesus loved us enough to give up everything he had for his friends’ sakes.

I ask again, what does friendship mean to you? For your dearest friend, what would you sacrifice? Our dearest friend, Christ, sacrificed all. Will you?