Jesus repeatedly expressed His desire for deep, personal, abiding closeness with His disciples—not as distant subjects, but as those united to Him in life, knowledge, presence, and shared purpose. The Bible uses terms such as “coworkers” (1 Thess. 3:2), “fellow heirs” (Rom. 8:16-17), “friends” (John 15:13-15), and even “brothers” (Matt. 12:50) to describe Jesus’ intimate relationship with those who love Him. To be God’s friend- what could be a greater honor, a greater joy?
The way God speaks of lowly human beings shows what I’ve talked about before: God does not have pride but perfect love. Jesus’ love for us, His disciples, is a love we can’t explain. John tries to in John 13:1 (ESV) Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The Expositor’s Commentary says this about the verse and the last three words in particular: “To the fullest extent” is a better rendering of the original eis telos than KJV “unto the end.” It does not mean that Jesus continued to love his disciples only up to the end of his career but that his love has no limits.” God’s love for us has no limits; it is infinite.
In the transition verse from chapter 12 to chapter 13 in his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul points to this as well: 1 Cor. 12:31 (ESV) But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. The Greek word translated “excellent” here is huperbole, from which we get our word “hyperbole.” Paul is saying, no matter how much we might try to exaggerate our understanding of the love of God, it isn’t even close.
In philosophy, God is defined as, “That of which there can be nothing greater than.” This is what Paul is saying about God’s love. If you can think of something greater than your current understanding of God’s love, then that is the best you can do to define it . . . for now.
So, how can we access this intimate closeness Jesus offers to all who love Him? A. W. Tozer is credited as saying, “Every man is as close to God as he wants to be.” I think that’s true. Our level of intimacy with God is totally up to us. God is waiting for us to take the first move:
Jeremiah 33:2-3 (ESV) 2 “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Rev. 3:20 (ESV) 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
God is a gentleman. He won’t intrude on us if we’re not seeking Him.
Why is this important?
Eternal life itself is defined as relational knowledge of the Father and the Son—not mere information, but personal intimacy. John 17:3 (ESV) And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
God uses the most intimate of terms to address us but also offers the most intimate term to us in addressing Him: Gal. 4:6-7 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Don’t get me wrong; we must still recognize Who and What God is. He is still the God the train of whose robe filled the temple, Who is Holy, Holy, Holy, Whose glory fills the whole earth (Isa. 6:1).
It’s hard for us to balance this in our minds: a God who wishes to be intimate but is so great that He spoke and the entire universe came to be. Personally, I think this rests on God’s lack of pride. While He desires intimacy with each of us, He is also worthy of all honor and praise, glory and majesty, dominion, and power. This same infinite eternal Being says to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us as His children.
There are several photographs of President Kennedy working in the Oval Office where his son, “John Jr.,” is playing at his feet. Maybe it’s a little like the positions the photograph shows: while JFK was the most powerful man in the free world, this did not lessen his desire for intimacy with his son or the freedom of access John Jr. had to his dad.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 