Before the cross, before the pain, Jesus sat with those He loved most. He knew what was coming. He knew the betrayal, the suffering, the sacrifice. Yet He did not speak of fear. He spoke of love.
He looked at His disciples—not as servants, not as strangers—but as friends. And He told them a truth that would echo through time:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
This was not just a lesson. It was a promise.
A promise He would soon fulfill.
Jesus did not give His life because it was taken from Him. He gave it freely. Out of love. Out of mercy. For His friends. For us.
When everyone else turned away, He stayed.
When the cost was everything, He paid it.
When hope seemed lost, He became hope.
This is the story of a love that does not abandon, does not fail, and does not count the cost. A love that goes all the way to the cross—and beyond.
And even today, He still calls us friends. 
