UASV’s Daily Devotional All Things Bible, Friday, April 18, 2025

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What Does It Mean That Jesus Called His Apostles Friends in John 15:15?

A Study of John 15:15 and the Unique Relationship Between Christ and the Apostles

John 15:15 stands as one of the most intimate and revealing declarations Jesus made to His apostles during His final hours before the crucifixion. Spoken within the Upper Room discourse recorded in John chapters 13 through 17, this verse marks a shift in the relationship Jesus shared with the men He had personally chosen to be His witnesses and servants. The verse reads:

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

This verse, when interpreted within its immediate context and within the broader biblical framework, emphasizes the profound trust, revelation, and communion Jesus extended specifically to His apostles—not as casual acquaintances or equals, but as trusted associates in His mission, chosen to carry forward His Word after His departure.

The verse begins: “No longer do I call you servants…” The word translated servants here is the Greek term δοῦλοι (douloi), which literally means slaves or bond-servants. Throughout Scripture, this term is used to describe a person entirely devoted to the will of another. It is a term of submission and service, not of mutuality. Many of God’s faithful were described this way—Moses (Joshua 1:2), David (Psalm 89:20), Paul (Romans 1:1), and others gladly bore the title servant of the Lord. It was never derogatory. Rather, it reflected faithful obedience.

However, Jesus here tells the apostles that their role is now being elevated beyond that of mere servants. He is not denying their obligation to obey, nor is He removing the requirement of submission to His will. In fact, just a few verses earlier in John 15:14, He had said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” The relationship still includes obedience. But the point in verse 15 is that Jesus is drawing attention to the kind of access and understanding He has given them. A servant simply follows orders without understanding the master’s full intentions. A friend, on the other hand, is brought into the inner counsel of the master’s plans.

Jesus then explains: “…for the servant does not know what his master is doing…” This highlights the key distinction. Servants are often kept in the dark. They perform tasks without knowledge of the larger purpose. But the apostles were not being treated this way. Jesus had taken great care to disclose to them everything the Father had given Him to reveal. This pattern of disclosure is consistent throughout His ministry. In John 17:8, during His prayer to the Father, Jesus said of the apostles, “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them…” The apostles were not given partial truth. They were entrusted with full access to divine revelation, because their role would be to communicate that truth to the world.

Jesus continues: “…but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” The phrase “I have called you friends” (φίλους, philous) is deeply significant. In ancient contexts, friendship implied close association, trust, and shared purpose. This is not sentimental friendship. It is covenantal closeness and mission-based intimacy. It reflects the special relationship the apostles had with Jesus as His chosen witnesses. Unlike others who received parables and veiled teaching, the apostles were given direct instruction, full explanation, and unfiltered revelation. Jesus had not hidden truth from them; He had revealed the Father’s will in its entirety.

The phrase “all that I have heard from my Father” reinforces the divine source of Jesus’ teaching. Nothing that He taught originated with Himself. He was the perfect messenger of the Father’s words. As John 12:49–50 states, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment… What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” The apostles were not left with vague impressions or philosophical ideas—they were taught the very words of God, delivered from the Father through the Son.

Importantly, this designation of “friend” was not extended universally to all believers. Jesus was speaking directly to the eleven apostles who remained with Him after Judas’s departure (John 13:30). The relationship Jesus describes is based on their unique role as recipients of divine revelation, eyewitnesses of His ministry, and future proclaimers of the gospel. This is confirmed by the language Jesus uses throughout chapters 14 to 16, including promises about the Holy Spirit teaching and guiding them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13), and the commission to bear witness because they had been with Him from the beginning (John 15:27). These promises and titles are specific to the apostolic office, not general spiritual encouragement for all Christians.

Nevertheless, the concept of friendship with God has precedent in the Old Testament. Exodus 33:11 says, “Thus Jehovah used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Abraham was also called God’s friend (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). These were not casual labels—they were titles of honor, reflecting deep covenantal trust and direct communication. In calling His apostles “friends,” Jesus is placing them within that same tradition—those who know the revealed will of God, and who walk with Him in mission and obedience.

But even in friendship, the apostles were not equals with Jesus. They did not command Him or negotiate terms. The friendship Jesus describes is not horizontal but graciously extended from the divine to the human. It is a friendship rooted in divine initiative and maintained through obedience. As He said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Their obedience did not earn the title—it proved the relationship. Friendship with Christ, as defined here, is always conditioned upon faithful response to His Word.

This verse also provides a foundational basis for understanding the authority and reliability of the apostolic message. Because the apostles were given the full disclosure of Jesus’ teachings, and because He referred to them as trusted friends who were brought into the fullness of the Father’s plan, their writings carry divine authority. The New Testament is not the product of religious reflection or personal opinion. It is the Spirit-guided, Christ-taught testimony of those whom Jesus called friends, entrusted with the message that leads to eternal life.

In application, while Christians today are not apostles and do not receive personal revelation as they did, we do have access to the same truth—preserved in the Scriptures delivered by those men. Through the inspired Word, we are invited into the knowledge of God’s will and are called to obey it with the same reverence and submission that marked the apostles. Our relationship to Christ is not defined by direct communication from Him, but by our obedience to the message He has already given.

In conclusion, John 15:15 does not universalize the title “friend” to all who profess belief. Rather, it recognizes the apostles’ unique role as those to whom Jesus disclosed everything the Father gave Him. Their knowledge was not partial—it was complete. Their role was not general—it was foundational. They were no longer treated as mere servants who follow without understanding, but as trusted men who would carry the revealed truth of God to the world. The church today continues in their doctrine (Acts 2:42) because their message, entrusted to them by the Lord Himself, remains the authoritative revelation of God’s will for all mankind.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).