John 13:31-38 (ESV)
31 When he [Judas] 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 glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so 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: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people 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 him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you 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, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
I remember one day I received a very interesting phone call from my dad. He told me that there was someone in the room with him. Apparently, they had been discussing an issue and that they wanted my opinion. Not wanting to create a conflict between my dad and this person, I held what I thought was a reasonable position that didn’t stir the pot between the two. About 15 minutes after we had finished our phone call, my dad called me again and informed me that the other person had left the room and that he now wanted my “real opinion”.
That’s a little of the sense that I have as this passage begins to unfold. Judas had just left the group, and the hour was finally upon Jesus. It’s as if Jesus has been waiting for Judas to leave before He shares some of the most important and intimate things with His disciples: hope, comfort, challenges, and even failure on their part. There’s some deep sharing and openness taking place between Jesus and His disciples, and their conversation reveals much to us about who we are, the Lord’s heart, His love and work in the world, and His desire for us to truly know Him. All of this will unfold in the conversations that take place in the next several chapters.
It all begins with a repeated word; “glory.” Several times in the first few verses Jesus speaks of His glory and that of the Lord. Immediately Jesus is going to be glorified in His work through what He will endure in the Passion and through the work on the cross, but Jesus will also be glorified immediately after the Passion when Jesus is raised from the dead.
We’re meant to see the victory and feel the excitement and anticipation as God fulfills His promises through the gift of His Son.
However, there is also something else that we’re meant to feel. We’re meant to feel the pain and loss as Jesus is departing, the hurt and frustration of the disciples who don’t understand why they are unable to follow, at least not yet.
We can feel the weight of the disciples’ sadness at what Jesus is saying and the confusion that they feel. Peter especially is disturbed by what Jesus says, so much so that he completely misses the command that Jesus has just given.
And what a command! A new commandment in fact. One by which, as Jesus’ disciples carry it out, will set them apart and make them known in the world. Disciples of Jesus are to love one another, but not in the way that the world sees and understands love. It’s not a “just people like us” love, and it’s not a love that keeps an account so that we can cash in on it at a later date when we are in need.
No, the love that Jesus’ disciples are to have for each other is the same love that Jesus has given and displayed to them throughout His ministry. Jesus wants His disciples to copy Him and love others in the same way that He has loved them; selflessly and unconditionally.
N.T. Wright had a great comment regarding this love. He wrote, “Love [as Jesus has displayed for His disciples] is all about the other person. It overflows into service, not in order to show off how hard-working it is, but because that is its natural form. This is to be the badge that the Christian community wears before the watching world.”
So, I’m struck with a challenging question as I consider this new commandment from Jesus, “What do people see when they look at us and at our churches?”
Do they see the love of Jesus reflected to them and for them? The kind of love that enters the mess of their lives and washes their feet?
Or do they see in us someone who looks an awful lot like themselves and the world around them?
For most of us, we’re probably a lot like Peter at this point. We do well in some ways and in others, well let’s just say that we have plenty of room for improvement, but there is good news. Peter, we know, falls so short, and yet, Jesus loved and continued to love him. Peter was constantly a work in progress and so are we, and the good news in and through it all is this: as we persistently pursue Jesus, His love constantly molds and shapes us so that our hearts and lives reflect His love for us, and for the world.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott
I'm glad that you've decided pick up these devotionals.
The devotionals started from my own personal need to read through scripture and spend time thinking about what I was reading and the best way for me to do that was to write down my thoughts.
I began to share these devotionals when a student of mine was deployed in the military. He wanted to continue to be challenged to read scripture and keep his life centered on Christ while he was serving abroad and so he asked me if I would be willing to share these devotionals with him.
And so I began to share the devotionals and as others found out what I was doing it began to grow and evolve from that point on.
I pray that these devotionals will encourage your faith in Christ and challenge you as His missional disciple; to follow Jesus wherever He leads.
And I want you to know that I really do pray for you constantly. If you ever have a specific prayer request, please let me know. It helps me to pray for you.
God bless you.
Scott