Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
A Fun Refrigerator Door
My brother, Randy, was the best. He was ten years older than me and we got along wonderfully. We shared the same sense of humor and he made my life a delight. He was engaging, fun, entertaining, ingenuitive, patient, thoughtful, and kind.
One snowy winter day, when I was six to eight years old, Randy found an old refrigerator door by the barn and brought it to the house. He tied a rope to it, told me to get on, and then he pulled me around the yard on the snow as I sat on the fridge door. Like the witch of Narnia, I had my very own reindeer and sleigh! Back in the 1960s, we made use of what we had and simply created our own fun. My brother made my day and that’s why I still have this delightful memory tucked away in my heart.
Randy has been gone since June 2022, and I miss him. He did his best to stick around for his family, but one summer day he drew his last breath and slipped away to Heaven. My sweet brother reminds me of this scripture, “…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV). This verse is often applied to the intimate walk we have with Christ Jesus, and I agree with that theology. Like a good brother, Jesus is there. Like a bridge over troubled waters, Jesus is there.
Being a friend and having a friend go hand in hand. There are friends and then there are special friends, such as a dear friend, best friend, close friend, bosom friend, etc. A genuine friend is someone in whom you have a strong bond, dependable, keeps your secrets, and is honest and trustworthy. Jesus is a friend like no other. No matter how many fantastic friends you have, Jesus outshines them all.
Notice that Jesus called Judas Iscariot “friend” when he betrayed Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. “So Judas came straight to Jesus. ’Greetings, Rabbi!’ he exclaimed and gave Him the kiss. Jesus said, ‘My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for’” (Matthew 26:50 NLT). This was an atrocious act because the kiss was a symbol of friendship and honor. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke with gentle compassion even though Judas’ heart was as hard as stone. Jesus is a true friend that will not betray you. He’ll stick with you like Gorilla glue.
Jesus was known to be a friend of sinners and He would often join them for supper. Saving sinners was the purpose of His coming, so He spent time with them in order to introduce the gospel and welcome them into the kingdom of God (see Matthew 9:9-13).
In the 1800s, Joseph Scriven wrote a poem and sent it to his mother to encourage her because she was ill. He wanted to remind her that she had a never-failing Friend in Jesus. The poem later became a much-loved song in our hymnals: “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
The Key: Believers have a special Friend in Jesus and He will stick even closer than a big brother.