GOLDEN STARS MONTESSORI ACADEMYSUBJECT: Christian Religious Studies
CLASS: J.S.S. 1
TOPIC: Relationship in the School II: Biblical Examples of Friendship
TEXTS: 1 Samuel 18:1-5; Luke 11:5-13
In our previous lesson, we discussed the nature of relationships within the school environment. We established that as students, you interact with teachers, staff, and peers. Today, we delve deeper into the quality of these relationships by looking at the Bible as our ultimate guide. Friendship is not just about having someone to play with during break time; it is a spiritual and moral commitment. The Bible provides us with blueprints on how to build friendships that are selfless, loyal, and persistent.
The story of David and Jonathan is widely regarded as one of the greatest examples of friendship in human history. To understand this friendship, we must look at the context: David was a young shepherd who had just defeated Goliath, and Jonathan was the Prince of Israel, the son of King Saul. Naturally, Jonathan might have viewed David as a rival for the throne, but instead, he chose love over jealousy.
The Knitting of Souls: The Bible says the soul of Jonathan was "knit" to the soul of David. This means their bond was deep, emotional, and spiritual. It wasn't based on what they could get from each other, but on mutual respect and a shared love for God. In a school setting, "knitting of souls" translates to finding friends who share your values and encourage your walk with God.
The Covenant of Selflessness: Jonathan did something extraordinary to prove his friendship. He gave David his royal robe, his armor, his sword, and his belt. By giving David these items, Jonathan was symbolically saying, "I recognize God’s hand on you, and I put your success above my own status." A true friend in school is one who is happy when you succeed, even if they didn't get the highest mark themselves. They don't compete with you in a healthy way; they support your growth.
Jesus Christ used parables to teach deep truths. In this passage, He tells a story of a man who receives an unexpected guest at midnight and has no food to offer. He goes to his friend's house to borrow three loaves of bread. Even though it is late and the friend is already in bed with his children, the friend eventually gets up and gives him what he needs—not just because they are friends, but because of the man’s persistence.
Reliability and Persistence: This story teaches us that friendship involves being reliable, even when it is inconvenient. The man knew he could count on his friend even at midnight. In school, being a "midnight friend" means being the person others can rely on when they are in a "dark" or difficult situation, such as when they are struggling to understand a subject or facing a personal problem.
The Higher Lesson (God as our Friend): Jesus used this story to show that if an earthly friend will help you because you are persistent, how much more will God, our Heavenly Father, give us what we need? This teaches us that while we strive to be good friends to others, we must also recognize that God is our ultimate Friend who never sleeps and is always ready to listen to our "midnight" cries.
In this lesson, we have explored the biblical standards for friendship through the lives of David and Jonathan, and the Parable of the Friend at Midnight. We learned that David and Jonathan's relationship was built on a covenant of love and selflessness, where Jonathan chose to support David's destiny rather than compete for a throne. This teaches us to celebrate the success of our schoolmates.
From the Parable of the Friend at Midnight, we learned the value of persistence and reliability. A true friend is someone you can call upon in your hour of need, and someone who is willing to be inconvenienced to help others. Most importantly, we learned that these human friendships are reflections of our relationship with God. When we ask, seek, and knock, God responds with love.
As JSS 1 students, your task is to choose your friends wisely and, more importantly, to be the kind of friend that the Bible describes: loyal, selfless, persistent, and God-fearing. By doing this, you create a peaceful and supportive school environment where everyone can thrive.