Welcome to all. This Sundays’ text is a continuation of last Sunday’s text.
V9 Jesus loves us as his Father loves him. Gods’ love inspired and guided Jesus. It empowered him to walk the way of a servant in everything. Jesus’ love for us is about inviting and empowering us to love and serve him by loving and serving those around us.
V10 To keep Jesus’ commandments is a life-long, non-stop following of him. It is not just a matter of believing but a call to action. His commandments were not a list of rules but a way of living.
V11 He wants his joy, of unity with his Father, to be our joy too. He wants us to have that same unity with him and God, to be in relationship with them.
V12 This is the one commandment Jesus gave: to love one another as he has loved us. We are not to have a list of rules but we are to love one another. As followers of Jesus we have one commandment.
V13 The greatest thing is to give your life away in the service of others. He practiced what he taught when he was crucified for all. He loved us so much that he was willing to die for each one of us. As parents we state we would die for our children but are we willing to die for our neighbors? Our enemies?
V14-15 He now refers to the disciples as friends. This is a change in relationship. Before it was a student/teacher relationship, now they are friends but only if they do as He told them to: to love as he loved. In the Old Testament Abraham, their father, was a friend of God, Isaiah 41:8. Now to be a friend of Jesus is the ideal and to be a friend means to follow him. They now know everything God communicated to Jesus.
V16 The disciples have no status in having this knowledge as they were chosen by Jesus, they did not choose him. They are to be humble servants and live out the knowledge Jesus taught them. If they are following Jesus they can pray in Jesus’ name and it will be given. This means to pray for Gods’ work to be fulfilled in our daily walk, not to pray for our own desires to be given us. We pray to ask God what He wants and to empower us to do it.
V17 Jesus is giving this command of radical love so that it will lead them (and us) to love one another and the world at large.
As stated above this a call to a radical kind of love. To love friends and family is usually easy; to love an enemy or someone that is unlovable is next to impossible. However, we are called to demonstrate that kind of unlimited love. If you’ve ever had a person that you just can’t stand, Jesus calls us to love them. From personal experience that is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. The only way I was able to start was to ask, in prayer, for help. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. Gradually I was changed, not them, and I was shown a different side of them. It was a work in progress for me. By the time we parted ways I discovered that they weren’t the person I had thought them to be and in my new way of being in relationship with them, they had changed some too. Was it happy ever after? No, but it was a growing of faith, self and less emphasis on judgment. If we radically love, we can be radically changed. This weekend I will be attending a Memorial service for my aunt who recently died of pancreatic cancer. Upon hearing the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer she stated that she didn’t want chemotherapy, she just wanted to go home and walk with Jesus. She was a person of great faith and I’m sure she is now walking, running and communing with Jesus, the sad part is that we are left behind with a loss. Enjoy your families this week and love radically.
As the song states They will know we are Christians by our Love, Kim
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Kim,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your Aunt. She sounds like she was very strong in her faith and is now sharing in all heaven has to offer. It is hardest for those left behind.
It is tough to love our enemies. I know, I have tried and have not been very successful, but I keep trying. I know that what I would plan for myself is way different than what God has in store for me. But then I don't see the Big picture. I need to trust that He will lead me in the right direction. Radical Love seems to be one of the things that will help keep me on the right path. It is just really hard work!
Thanks for you insight Kim!
Kim, The love that we are to give is hard work but we read over and over that Jesus loved those who, in that time, were to be the unloveable outcasts. We also read that they flocked to him in droves for that love and healing. Loneliness and acceptance are big driving forces in each one of us. That is where we come in to continue to love those who need it even though it is tough to do. Jesus said His path was the narrow one (the difficult one) and not many would take it. Thank you for the condolances for my Aunt. We will miss her even though she will live on in our hearts. Kim
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