Intro:
February is a “Love” month as we see again couples whether married or engaged are lining up their favorite restaurants to have a romantic dinner. We can feel that love is in the air. However, this love that we are seeing and sometimes we tend to abuse because of its vast meaning has a different meaning and interpretation base from Jesus’s words in our monthly text. That is why if we need to know the true meaning of the word love, then we need to know who God is. Because God is love. We don’t need to have a goddess for love because the very author of this word is none other than God Himself.
The world may have a different meaning for this word like it’s an intense feeling of deep affection, an excited emotion whenever we are with our loved ones and so on. Infact the world is in search of the word love that even in songs a lot has been written and composed about it. One of the hit song of the group named “Foreigner” said “I wanna know what love is”. Do you remember that song? Today we wanted to know God and our gate in knowing Him is to know love, know His love and know the kind of love for others.
This month our theme “Know God, Know Love” will try to expound more explanations and exhortations about this topic why do we need to know love. One particular verse that Jesus used to explain this word is found in our text in John 13:34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
ASND:
34Kaya isang bagong utos ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo: Magmahalan kayo. Kung paano ko kayo minamahal, ganoon din dapat ang pagmamahal n'yo sa isa't isa.
35Kung nagmamahalan kayo, malalaman ng lahat ng tao na mga tagasunod ko kayo.”
In knowing God, we must know LOVE. What is this Love all about and how it is important for us to understand its very meaning coming from Jesus Himself.
1. It is a new Command to be followed
“A new command I give you: Love one another”
In knowing love, God has given us a new command. There is no option for us not to follow that command but it is a directive for us to strictly observe. However notice that Jesus pointed that this is a command but it is not that it is new to His disciples. We know that the Jews can only follow a certain rule from their law once it is commanded by God to them. And we all know that Moses has given them the command in Deuteronomy 6:5-6:
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
And in Leviticus 19:18b it says “but love your neighbor as yourself.” So having these 2 commands from the OT, the Jews and Jesus’ disciples is not new to this command.
But when Jesus told them that a “new” command has been given to them it means it does not mean a “new” command but that has a “new” meaning, a fresh insight or explanation. Jesus started the explanation of the new meaning of love when He repeated this command to them in Mark 12:30-31. He combined the commandments from Deuteronomy and Leviticus reinforcing the commandments given by God to Moses.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
We take noticed that He mentioned in verse 31 the second greatest command which is to love your “neighbor” as yourselves. Meaning to love ourselves is to equally love our neighbors as well.
But in our text today Jesus emphasized that this is a new command. How did this command becomes new when infact it’s almost the same as the one He mentioned in the 2nd greatest commandment? The difference is that He limits the scope of that love from loving our neighbors to loving one another. Why? Because Jesus has a purpose in saying that to His disciples.
They will need each other since Jesus on this scenario would like to give them a hint or a clue of what’s going to happen to Him and also to His own disciples. Look at the earlier verse of John 13, in v33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “
What does that mean? It means, Jesus the Son of Man is going to die and ready to suffer so He can show His greatest love for us. And by doing that, He knows that His disciples could not bear the agony, and all of them including Peter would deny Jesus that would feel the pain after doing it. However they can only survive this great fear coming before them by being with each other and loving each other whatever it may cost. (Walang bibitiw, walang aayaw)
That’s why Jesus was telling them that you will need each other in order to follow Him and withstand the pain of seeing their Master die in the Cross for them.
Application: Love is not base on the kind of service we are getting from our partners whether in marriage or in any relationships. We don’t use the word love because we enjoy the feeling or excitement whenever we are with them. We also don’t use love base on our current situations whether it is good or bad. But primarily, we are commanded to love because it is base on our relationship with our partners regardless of what our situations may be. We need the new meaning of love according to Jesus that we love one another because we benefit from from doing it to each other but rather we need to love in order to sustain the pain, the agony that this world may give us.
“The chains of love are stronger than the chains of fear” – William Gurnall (English author and an Anglican clergyman, who authored many books)
Ex. That is why many people who have committed suicide after all the money the fame and glory that they have but if they don’t have love, they are nothing! We are blessed to have our loved ones because God knows they are the one’s we need in order to keep on living!
We are commanded to love each other by understanding our strength and weaknesses, our likes and dislikes, accepting who we are with our brothers without any hypocrisy and lies. The question is how are we going to show this kind of love to our brothers? Friends, we have a role model to follow..
2. It has a Case (example) be modelled
“As I have loved you, so you must love one another”
Aside from the fact that we are commanded to love each other, we are commanded to follow an example of giving such kind of love. Jesus knew that as humans, we tend to have a limitations because we are not perfect. That is why we are instructed to follow Him just as He loved us. What kind of love does Jesus wants us to follow? We remember that before this conversation, we saw Jesus showed the kind of love He wants all of us to follow. Verse 1-5 of chapter 13 we saw these:
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
How did Jesus showed His love to His disciples? It says that He loved them until the end. He is willing to sacrifice His life for them by serving them to the end. What kind of love does Jesus wanted us to model with our brothers? Here we can see His
A. Selfless Love – we saw Jesus got up and wash their feet. A God who was born to be a man only to wash the feet of sinful fishermen. Luke 19:10 says “for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost”. He did not look of His origin as God Who became flesh but He see Himself as man who is willing to be selfless.
Being self-less means you think first what benefits your brother before you and that’s what Jesus wants us to follow. “You will never really loved, until you love someone who hates you” – Jack Hyles
That is why Jesus told us to love even our onw enemies. That is being selfless!
B. Steadfast Love – verse 1 says that He loved them until the end. That is equivalent to say that His love is until His death and last hour, His love for them will be steady, immovable.
Being steadfast means being a faithful lover to our partner in life. “Till death do as part”. Di natitinag, di magigiba.
C. Serving Love – v4 says that He took off his outer clothing , meaning He took off being a respected teacher only to become a servant of them all. We know that during that time the host of the house should wash the feet of its guest. But none of His disciples dare to wash their feet and Jesus’ feet. Instead, Jesus took the initiative to serve them up to the most humiliating form of service.
We are also commanded to humble ourselves and serve others just as we love them.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” - Augustine
D. Sanctifying Love – v6-10 was the conversation of Jesus and Peter as Peter doesn’t want his feet to be washed by Jesus. But in v8 Jesus replied “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Jesus love for us doesn’t only make us humble but it forgives every sins we have.
Likewise, God wants us to be considerate, forgiving and meek with each other, keeping no records of wrong.
With these kinds of love, we are ought to give these to our brothers.
3. It is a Cognizance (awareness) to be known
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”
Once we’ve learned the way how to love others just as Christ loved us, people can’t help not to take notice of that. They will be aware of what motivates us to do an act of loving our brothers even without asking for any rewards or in exchange of favors from them.
In Matthew 7:15-20, we can see here how Jesus made a sermon out of the tree and its fruit. By their fruit you will recognize the tree. Same with us, God enables us to bear fruit and this fruit will last not only for God’s consumption but for everybody to see and know that you are very fruitful. How does one recognized that He is fruitful? There’s only one way, we need to become a disciple of God.
A disciple of God needs to have a complete trust and dependence to God. He has a total commitment to follow Christ. And sometimes, we are called to live an uncomfortable life. Many disciples of Jesus had their lives tested and tried in order to develop a kind of a loving pdevelop a kind of a loving person
A. Complete Trust and Dependence – we had a devotion last week when Jesus one by one called out His disciples and he started with 2 brothers Simon and Andrew followed by James and John. Both has the same reaction when they heard Jesus calling them to be a fishers of men, they both follow Jesus and leave all their past job.
Loving each other just like God’s disciple means we need to to completely trust Him by depending on His love for us. By then He will be able to teach us how to love others the way He loved His disciples. We also need to be dependable and trust worthy.
B. Total Commitment – Jesus said that if anyone wants to follow Him, he must deny Himself, take up his cross and follow Him. Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23, and Mark 8:34
These disciples left their identities and was able to embrace their new identities by following Jesus as their Lord and Master. They had deny themselves and was able to carry each cross in order to follow Christ.
The way God wants us to follow Him is to love Him by denying ourselves so that we can put others before us. Taking up our cross everyday so that we can be able to carry each others cross at the same time. And then follow Him together with our brothers who are also eager to follow Christ, we will lead them to God.
C. Getting out from our Comfort zone – Jesus said Foxes have holes and birds have nest, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head to rest. Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58
Being a disciple means being ready to get out of our comfort zone. This is what Jesus meant that even the Son of Man has no place to lay His head to rest. Following God is not an option to us, it’s a directive that everyone should follow God whether in comfort or in uncomfortable way. Same with loving others, we should love not on our comfortable way but most of the time that love is being tested by uncomfortable way of showing our love for others. Eg. Loving our enemies, offering the side of our cheek to e slapped etc.
How to show that we are loving the way a disciple must love? If we have our complete trust, and commitment to our brothers whether in comfort and uncomfortable way, we will still love each other.
4. It has a Condition to be met
“if you love one another”
Being recognized or being aware that we are God’s disciple has a condition to be met so that others may confirmed that we are truly His disciple, if we continue to love each other. On this 2 verse that we have studied 3x Jesus pointed out and mentioned the phrase “love one another”. Because this is how important this new command for us. This is not only a command but this is also a condition for us in order to follow Christ. You see every God’s promise has a result or effect in us by doing it and by observing the conditions lies with it. Ex. Mattthew 6:33 “seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (that’s the command or condition) and all these things will be added to us (that’s the result or effect in us). In our elementary schooling we called this cause and effect.
Same with our love for each other whether a romantic or brotherly or even Godly love, there are causes and effects that is happening. For example God. John 3:16 says “ For God SO LOVED the World (that’s the wonderful and the greatest cause God has ever given to us) that He gave His only Son (that’s an ultimate action God can do) that whosoever believes in Him (that’s God condition) shall not perish but will have everlasting life (that’s the effect of God’s awesome love for us).
Friends, there is a condition so that the love of God would reflect within us, if we will only love each other. Many times we are putting our own condition in order to give this love to others. There will be no problem to love those people with loveable character to us. But there will be complications and difficulty if we need to love those with difficult character, strong character etc. But that’s the condition of God, if we will only have an uncoditional love towards others then we can truly say that we are His disciples.
“I cannot love you as I love myself until I love God as I ought to love Him” – Jack Hyles (one of the great baptist pastor)
Conclusion:
Lastly, this verse would show us the proof that we are the true sons and daughters of God if we know how to love each other.
On March 11, 1991, eight-year-old Anthony Henderson upset the US President that time President George Bush. President Bush was visiting Anthony’s school and had sat down beside Anthony to read him a book. Suddenly in the midst of the reading Anthony Henderson queried, "Are you really the President?" Mr. Bush was quite surprised by the question and even moreso as he saw the serious look on the lad’s face. President Bush responded, "Yeah, you mean you didn’t know that?" "Did you think I was a pretend guy or something?" Mr. Bush then muttered, "how can I prove it to you?" Our president of the United States then proceeded to pull out identification from his wallet. "Let’s see now, here is my driver’s license; see it says B-U-S-H, Bush." "My name is George Herbert Walker Bush". Anthony didn’t seem convinced. President Bush then pulled out a series of identification items he thought would persuade the child of the truth. "Here is my American Express Card; here is a picture of my grandchild and here is one of my grandsons playing baseball". Finally Mr. Bush said, "I guess that is all I have to show you unless you will accept that black limousine out there; or maybe I’ll give you an autograph". "Oh no", replied Anthony. "The teacher said we can’t take autographs". There is a picture in the March issue of USA Today of Anthony Henderson sitting with a puzzled President examining his American Express Card. Don’t leave home without it. But even that didn’t help George Herbert Walker Bush with Anthony Henderson.
Listen church, it is getting harder and harder to get sinners to come to your church. Do you know why? Its because the world is looking for proof that we are what we say we are. Just because you sit in the church house every Sunday will not convince the world you’re a bonafide Christian anymore than a driver’s license convinced Anthony Henderson of our President’s identity. What is it going to take? Jesus gave us that answer in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another".
Friends we are the living proof that really God is love and in order to prove that then we must love each other. We need to extend our hands to our brothers who are in need.
Those fellow barangays in Habitat who are here today, it’s not accident that you are here. It’s not because you will receive relief goods from that’s why you are here but God has touched the lives of everyone of us in order to reach out most of you here. Why? Because this will proved that we are a follower of Christ. You too can be a follower of God if you will meet His condition.
John 3:16 …that whosoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
John 15:12-13:
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
ASND:
12Ito ang aking utos sa inyo: magmahalan kayo katulad ng pagmamahal ko sa inyo. 13Wala nang pag-ibig na hihigit pa sa pag-ibig ng isang taong nag-alay ng kanyang buhay para sa kanyang mga kaibigan.
