Love one another, the key to greater works

John 13:31-14:14 From the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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.

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.

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.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”     Jesus is speaking to the disciples about the qualification or evidence of being disciples. There are times that Jesus speaks of loving others, loving your neighbor, even loving enemies. Here though Jesus is speaking to the disciples and so to us, saying that it is by their/our love for one another that men will know they/we are disciples of Jesus. It’s no wonder then that there is so much confusion in the world about the disciples of Jesus. The divisions that exist between denominations and people who follow different doctrines could hardly be described as loving one another. Christians separate around matters of tradition and preference, around music styles and service structure. It is not that we should compromise our core values and beliefs, but should we slander each other and have an air of superiority toward others as if any of us know all there is to know about God?

We have a tendency, in the western church, to fellowship with, worship with and gather together with those who are like us. There will be one group who focuses on worship, one that is strong in prophecy, another group will be mission and outreach minded, ministering in the streets or in third world countries and so on. No one church or denomination will appeal to everyone or be able to meet the needs of and minister every group of people. If we would love one another and value the strengths and the attributes each one brings we would be becoming Christ’s church, we would be fulfilling what Jesus says here: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

All that being said, the importance of the church, we as believers and disciples showing the world that we love one another and are not divided, Jesus says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”    He also says:  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.      We then are called to do the works Jesus did and greater works. Jesus said throughout His ministry on earth that He did what the Father showed Him, He said what the Father told Him to say. In today’s text He says:  “The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”     Jesus says that He will do whatever we ask in His name. We need to recognize and understand that we cannot ask and expect Jesus to answer and give us something that is contrary to the nature and character of God. What then are the works which Jesus did, which we are to do? Jesus showed unconditional love to the poor, the outcasts and the unlovely. That work we too, should do. Jesus preached and taught in the temple and in the synagogues, sharing the good news of the kingdom of God. That too, we should do. Jesus prophesied and called people out of darkness into light. That too, we should do. Jesus healed the sick, caused the blind, both physically and spiritually, to see, He raised the dead and came to bring abundant life. That too, we should do. Jesus forgave sins, did not judge or condemn, but shined the light into the darkness. That too, we should do.

 None of us are called or equipped to do all the works that Jesus did. The reason we can do greater works is because in going to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to us. In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul says:   And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;  until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.    When we love one another, when we each and all do what Jesus has called us to and the Spirit has gifted us to do, we together will do greater works.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit may we indeed be one. May we indeed love one another, that the world will know we are Your disciples. Then as each and every one walks in the fullness of our gifting and calling may we do the works that You did.   Amen