John 13:31-35
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son
of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God
has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will
glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for
me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you
cannot come.' 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have
loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.
·
John’s Gospel takes us back to the
Upper Room and the Last Supper once again. Jesus speaks to his disciples as
Judas leaves to do what he felt he had to do.
·
Jesus is preparing his disciples for
what is to come. He is preparing them for his own suffering and death as well
as what will come following his Resurrection and, even further, what will come
when he is no longer with them. He is preparing them for tragedy, for joy, and
for ministry. He does this by giving them a new commandment: Just
as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
·
In John’s narrative, Jesus has just
washed the feet of all his disciples, telling them they should do as he has
done. Their love for one another is seen in how they serve one another in what
can appear to be very down-to-earth ways.
·
Jesus has also shared his food with
Judas, his betrayer. When Judas leaves, anyone reading this might expect some
sort of condemnation of Judas and his actions by Jesus. This does not take
place. Jesus goes on to tell of his mission to those who remain, the mission
that will be theirs.
·
Peter declares his willingness to die
for Jesus, no matter what. Jesus tells him of his coming denials without any
blame or correction. He continues to tell his followers of the mission and he
continues to prepare them for all that is to come.
·
If we continued to read this Last
Supper discourse in John’s Gospel, we’d hear Jesus tell his disciple that there
is no greater love then to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. We know, as
did the readers of John’s Gospel, that Jesus is making a reference to his own
crucifixion. He would show his love for his friends in dying for them.
·
Service in simple ways and love even
to the end of life are the two examples Jesus gives in John’s Gospel. Simple
enough, right? We all know that it is harder than it sounds. Still, it is what
we are called to by Jesus’ new commandment.
·
Here in this passage of chapter 13, Jesus demonstrates his love for all
of the disciples, who we know, and who Jesus appears to know, will fail him
miserably. Jesus washes and feeds Judas who will betray him, Peter who will
deny him, and all the rest who will fail to stand by him in his hour of
greatest distress. The love that Jesus demonstrates is certainly not based on
the merit of the recipients or on what they have earned or deserve, and Jesus
commands his disciples to love others in the same way. We all know that this is
a huge step. It is also the cornerstone of any understanding of salvation by
grace.
·
That salvation by grace is often the stumbling block. We want to be
judged on our own merits and on what we have done. We want our rewards (or our
punishments) to fit the idea we have of how things are to be
·
As disciples of Jesus, we have continually fallen far short in our love
for one another as well as in our love for those outside the Church, the
community of faith. Theological and ethical arguments often descend into
personal attacks and name-calling; personal interests often trump the common
good of the community; those in need of compassion find judgment instead. We
judge according to what we feel is deserved, often in comparison to what sort
of judgement we have received and continue to receive. We decide based upon
what we see and know, but we don’t see all things and don’t know all of the
situation.
·
In speaking about what will be the sign of
discipleship, Jesus could not be clearer: It is not by our theological
correctness, not by our moral purity, not by our impressive knowledge that
everyone will know that we are his disciples. It is quite simply by our loving
acts -- acts of service and sacrifice, acts that point to the love of God for
the world made known in Jesus Christ.
·
We have a new commandment – to love one another. We
have an example: Just as I have
loved you, you also should love one another. Even if we fail at
keeping this new commandment, the love Jesus has for us will urge us to try
again and that trying is always the beginning of keeping the commandment.
Beyond anything else the church might do, it is the love for one another that
reveals both our discipleship and the love of God living in us, the love the
world always desperately needs.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.
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