Confrontation and the Insult of a Friend

I was out the other night with friends and someone (and it matters not who this person is) insulted a close friend of mine. They felt with great justification the words they shared were fair even if they were very pointed. I was disappointed as I felt my friend was being poorly represented and I very lamely tried to argue against it.

A few days on from this a few things have become clear to me, a) I don't deal with confrontation too well, b) I care very much for my friends but c) if I am unable to defend my friend who I see how can I defend my closest friend who I can't?

What has become so very apparent to me is that as a Christian I am no longer just me, but I am Christ plus me. I am His representative. And in some cases I am the only Christian some people will meet, therefore I have an obligation, a responsibility as a representative of Christ. I think of scriptures like 1 Corinthians 6 v19 which says that we are not our own but have been brought at such a high price, the whole passage talks in part of how we should live our lives. Or Jesus' words in Matthew 28 to his disciples about what we are to do in his absence. Or the words recorded by the Apostle John "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13 v35).