Jesus prepared his disciples for his absence in John 13-17, he called them into relationship with him by saying they were no longer servants but friends. The forgiveness of our sin flows into friendship with God. We’re saved from sin and to relationship with God. We have a friend in Jesus and spiritual relationships with one another.
Love One Another As I Have Loved You:
John 15:12-13
Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the need to be connected to him as a branch is connected to the vine. We draw life from Christ and are able to bear spiritual fruit through our dependence on Jesus. Nine times in John 15:1-11 Jesus commanded his disciples to Abide in him. To abide is a posture of rest and reliance and at the same time something they are commanded to do. We are instructed to abide in the word and prayer, by recognizing God’s love, following his commandments and through Christian community (John 15:8-12). This command to “love one another as I have loved you” is not given in isolation to the command to abide, but is one of the ways we are called to follow Christ and abide in him.
That begs the question, what was Jesus love like? There are many adjectives to describe Jesus’s love, but let’s look at three that come from what we see in our text: sacrificial, pure and unearned.
His love was sacrificial. Jesus told them that there is “no greater love than this, to lay down your life for your friends.” On his path to the cross Jesus pointed out how his death on the cross was for their forgiveness, reconciliation and part of God’s plan to make all things new. They struggled to understand this in the moment, but would later see it. John would comment on it in 1 John 3:16 “by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” Jesus was not just doing the bare minimum to get us cleaned up for God the Father, instead the cross displays what kind of love he has for us and he called his followers to emulate that kind of love.
His love was pure. Jesus never used people for his agenda or his ego. His love pushed people towards holiness and never encouraged people to sin. You can see this in the various interactions between people and Jesus in the gospels, they always leave his presence changed and he brought dignity and selfless humility into each of those encounters. We can be suspicious of people who are kind and loving towards us and concerned they have ulterior motives, but never with Christ, his love is pure.
His love was unearned. Jesus told his disciples that he chose them, they did not choose him. Jesus did not call the best and the brightest to follow him. The gospel emphasizes that our salvation is not based on our worth or our loveliness but God’s grace. This choosing language is often the basis of the doctrine of election which emphasizes God’s role in opening up our hearts to hear the gospel and respond to his grace. This focus on God’s choosing usually emphasizes his grace and his love. For example, Ephesians 1:4-5 highlights that before the foundation of the world we were chosen to be adopted in love. Paul writes that before we could do any good or bad, God loved us and showed grace to us. When it comes to the love of Jesus, it goes first and is not in response to our having loved him first; his love is unearned (1 John 4:19). Beloved, Never loan your heart to hatred; it pays you back with self-destruction. Majority of people living are not aware that anger is an acid that destroys its own container.
SHALOM!
REV SAMUEL MUWONGE.
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