The Lord tells us that we are not his servants, but his friends and even children.  We say that often, but I think we forget what it means.  Our friends are the ones who look out for us, do favors for us and stick with us.  Real friends won’t let us off the hook either, even if we are out of line.  They are the ones who will challenge us, because they love us.  Jesus is telling us the same thing.  He treats us as friends, which is a sign of his enormous respect for us.  A servant can be let go at any time if they are not up to standard, but you don’t let go of a friend, even if they are not up to standard.

Jesus is telling us that this is the regard he has for us.  I find that very comforting.