" Love one another, even as I have loved you"

John 13:31-14:14 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

³¹ Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus *said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; ³² if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. ³³ Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” ³⁷ Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” ³⁸ Jesus *answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Oneness with the Father

⁷ If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

After dismissing Judas, Jesus begins to focus on the remaining disciples. Jesus is preparing them now for what their life and ministry will be after He is gone. The disciples still don't truly grasp that Jesus is going to be crucified and taken from them. Jesus speaks to them giving them a new commandment.

 Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The disciples were told and we also are told that the world will recognize disciples, followers of Jesus if they have love for one another. The key to this love though is that Jesus says we are to love, even as He has loved.

Later, Jesus will repeat this to the disciples. In John 15:12- 17   we read:

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. ¹⁷ This I command you, that you love one another.

The love we are to have for one another, the love that will cause the world to know that we are disciples of Christ, is a sacrificial love. It's  a love that would completely put the interest of others ahead of self, a love that would even  lay down life for others. As we look around in our culture and our society, as we look around our workplaces, our neighborhoods and sadly even our families and churches, we would have to admit that, that type of sacrificial love is hard to find.  Matthew 24:12 accurately describes the condition we see throughout our culture and society, even in our families, as it describes the conditions at the end times.

Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.      The love of God, the love that Jesus loved the disciples and all the world with is an unconditional, sacrificial love.      But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.(Romans 5:8)   The love we see most often today is conditional love. It is self centered and self seeking love. There is a coldness toward others when love is conditional and self seeking. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5   Paul describes again the conditions at the end times.

 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power... 

Here we see the problem that exists even in much of the church today. All of these things and conditions exist in part because they are, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Even in the church we can not love as Jesus loved/loves in our own human abilities.  Man's laws can't cause people to treat each other well, just look at our cities, and sadly our families. The government can't create laws to cause people to love. Neither can the church, through doctrine, regulations or religious traditions cause people to truly love.  Religion causes a form of godliness, but denies and is denied the power. Only in and through Christ can we or anyone have the power to love as Jesus loves. Love is a powerful thing and it requires divine power.  

Jesus tells the disciples and us the truth and the only path to the power of true love. He says:    “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me..... I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 

The works that Jesus did and greater works. It begins with the love that Jesus has. It begins only as we are empowered in Christ. We can not love like Jesus did. We can not do the things that Jesus did without the power of God present and active in our lives.  

The Holy Spirit is that power. Only as we are filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit can we love as God loves. Anything else we do is merely a form of godliness at best, cold love from lawlessness at worst. 

Jesus describes the way.  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life...

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, The Way, The Truth and The Life and precious Holy Spirit. Thank You for both giving an example of true unconditional, sacrificial love and for giving us the power to walk in that love.    I yield to You. Fill me with Your capacity to love others. So I can do the works that You did Jesus, and the greater works that are yet to be done through You.  Amen 

Post script:

Romans 5:7-8 says:   Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

There is one group of people I can think of who would die for others. They are the brave, courageous, sacrificial members of our armed services. They are willing to lay down their own lives to give us and protect our freedom in this world. I want to say to all those who have served or are serving and to all those who's sacrifice has included the loss of a loved one or the loss of their time with you. Thank you. There may be no greater example of the sacrificial love Christ showed us. On this Memorial Holiday wekend I thank you and I thank God for all that He has done through you. May you be blessed and know His peace.