In today’s Scripture reading, Jesus is spending the last few precious hours with his disciples before their lives change forever. He has seen one of them leave the group and knows the heartbreaking betrayal that will set events in motion is coming. Soon he will be going away, where they “can’t come.” What does he tell them? What is the most important thing he has to ask of them? To overthrow the Romans? Is it to punish the Jewish leaders for not understanding who he is? No, the most important thing Jesus has to command his followers, these people he loves, is to love each other! He loves them (and us) so much that he is getting ready to die for them, and that is what he wants them to do to honor him and change the world.
Jesus asks the disciples to follow his example of love for each other. He gives them a “new” commandment. “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” And, we, as his disciples centuries later, are asked to do the same. Love one another as Jesus loved us. Show the world who Jesus is by loving the way he loved.
We know that Jesus’ disciples did not always get along. They had trouble understanding the example Jesus was showing them of how God’s Kingdom was supposed to work. They worried about their status. They worried about the politics of the age they were living in. They worried about the lifestyles and reputations of some of the people Jesus spent time with and loved. They were so much like us. Sincerely wanting to change the world in Jesus’ name, but so often missing the straightforward instructions. “Love one another as I have loved you.”
It sounds so simple, but we find that in practice it can be very, very hard. Love the brother who is angry with you. Love the sister who disagrees with everything you say. Love the person who refuses to see the value of things you hold to be vitally important. Love the neighbor whose yard signs make you crazy. Love the brother or sister who has hurt you. Speak kindly to everyone, whether you understand their opinions, politics, lifestyles or way of dealing with others. That’s pretty hard. Honestly, most of us have to admit that it is impossible to do consistently. It doesn't help that our current culture encourages us to be angry most of the time.
Jesus knew this would be hard. The culture that night, when one of his beloved disciples walked out the door in anger to betray the Teacher who loved him, was pretty angry, too. That’s why he wanted his disciples to begin by loving each other and then carry that out into the world.
Let’s start with those closest to us. Our families. Our friends. Our fellow church members. When we interact, let’s make sure we look and speak and love like Jesus. As we move from our close circles out into the world, where everyone looks different, where people speak in ways we don’t understand, where the actions of others confound and frustrate us, let’s continue to make sure we look and speak and love like Jesus.
Let’s help each other, not with judgement, but with love and caring and encouragement, so we can follow Jesus together.
Lord, we want to follow you. We long to be like you and love like you. Help us look to you when it’s difficult to love someone close to us or someone we barely know at all and can’t understand. Let the world see us loving each other and reaching out to those who need your love, and let them see what that love looks like through our loving actions. Amen.
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October 20, 2021 at 09:41PM
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Love: the definitive sign of a disciple - Leawood - Church of the Resurrection
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