A SEMPER–FI FRIEND (August 1, 2012)
Text : John 15:14
John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. (NRSV).
Although you might think the title refers to a marine, in this case, it is being used to refer to friendship. If you ever see a USMC bumper sticker, it will more than likely say “Semper-fi” which is Latin for always faithful. Faithfulness is an admirable quality because it means that one is not easily persuaded by distractions, shortcuts or difficulties. Friends who stick by us like that are hard to come by. As long as the prodigal son had money, he had friends. But, when his money was gone so were his sc-called friends. It has been said that if we have five true friends (simper-fi-stick-with-it through-thin-and-thin friends) in our lifetime, then we have been blessed.
Recently I was inspired by a song I heard by a group known as Pirates of the Mississippi. They once sang a song called “Feed Jake” . That song was about a master’s love for his dog. The singer talked about how dependable his dog was. In the event that anything happened to his dog, he wanted to make sure that others would feed his dog Jake. Jake was perhaps his best friend!
There is no greater friend than Jesus, because there is no other friend who could justify us and help us get right with God! Jesus tells us that we are His friends if we do what He commands us (John 15:14). If we keep His commandments, then we abide in His love (John 15:9). Jesus wants us to be semper fi friends!
MAN’S BEST FRIEND
Who do we often hear is man’s best friend? We often hear that a dog is man’s best friend. However, in the Bible dogs were thought of in a derogatory way (see Mark 7:27). Dogs were considered to be unclean animals by the Jews. Jews would sometimes refer to Gentiles as dogs which was considered offensive. People call others a dog or dogs in a derogatory way even today. The Bible records masterless dogs that devoured dead bodies (see I Kings 14:11). Obviously, those kind of dogs were not tamed. So how then did dogs get the reputation of being man’s best friend? The way that Jesus speaks of a dog eating crumbs form his master’s table alludes to the idea of a dog that was domesticated. What are some of the things that a dog can teach us about how to be better disciples?
If you had to list qualities that dogs possess that reflect something of the character of our Lord Jesus what would your list look like? Your list might look have these qualifies listed: loyal, a good security guard---watch dog, a shepherd’s aid, a companion. There may even be other qualities of dogs such as a seeing eye dog, a diabetes dog, a dog that is trained for different kinds of scents, like a cadaver dog or a narcotics dog. Let’s not forget the hunting dog. Pete Fabisiak told me about the dog that worked by his side as he was trained to pick out a human scent which helped to save lives in the rubble of 9/11 as part of a group of rescue personnel dispatched from a fire department from another state.
VIGILENCE
Are dogs vigilant? Have you ever noticed how some dogs are attentive to strangers? Dogs do have some vigilant qualities about them. In fact, some dogs have certain qualities in their breed. When I was a child here in Aiken county, I would sometimes get annoyed with a neighborhood dog named Prince. Prince was a collie. He had a shepherding instinct because that is one of the things that collies do. Every time I would play with the neighborhood kids, I noticed Prince would circle us and bark. I often got annoyed with Prince. Then, one day my older sister Chris explained to me that collies were born to be herders. That was why Prince would circle us and bark. He even accompanied me on my paper route, even though he was not my dog. I learned to appreciate his vigilance. Even to this day, I appreciate his vigilance.
Paul Harvey once told a story about a dog who was so vigilant that he went to his master’s grave every day for fourteen years. The dog’s name was Bob. John Gray, Bob’s master was buried In Greyfriars church yard in Edinburgh in the spring of 1858. Paul Harvey said that John Gray who otherwise might have been forgotten is even remembered today because of his little ruffle coated Skye Terrier that loved him. The is a fountain dedicated nearby Edinburgh in memory of Bob who was buried beside his master. (Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story. New York: Bantam Books, 1978, pp. 137 – 138).
So can a dog like Prince teach us about Jesus? Jesus saw some people as sheep without a shepherd. Not only that, but Jesus came to minister to the least, the last and the lost. Who would have dreamed that a dog could teach us so much about God? Prince taught me lessons that I even remember to this day. I recall his vigilance of the neighborhood kids as a group and also an individual person. Prince was hard of hearing, so if you summoned him he could not always hear you. Nevertheless, Prince was always there and always on duty without fail even for those who were not his master or his master’s children. If you asked me who Prince’s master were today, I could not tell you. I just knew that he belonged to someone in the neighborhood. But, if you asked me who Prince was, I could tell you as I have been about his vigilance. The fact that he was often there by my side has often reminded me of how Jesus is our Immanuel our God with us (Matthew 1:23).
Was Prince a disciple? It might sound like a funny question to ask if a dog could be a disciple. But, it should not be surprising because dogs can be a lot like people. We often read about how people are like sheep in the Bible. We can also see how dogs can be like people. Some are leaders and some are loners and some often look after others. So yes, dogs can teach us a lot about discipleship. Dogs are often referred to as man’s best friend probably because of their love. Jesus taught us that others will know that we are His disciples by the way that we love (John 13: 34 -35). Again, Jesus tells us that we are His friends if we do what He commands us (John 15:14). If we keep His commandments, then we abide in His love (John 15:9). Jesus wants us to be semper fi friends!
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
