Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment. In this daily devotional, Pastor Steve looks at how disciples are to love one another and others.
Devotions in the Pastor Steve Sermon Series
Devotions in the Living Life Connected to Christ series
I am so blessed.
Two weeks ago, I went to the doctor because my foot was hurting. Luckily, I didn’t have the stress fracture that I thought. My foot was just stressed.
The doctor has me in an air boot for four weeks. (He wanted six weeks, but when he found out the wedding was in six weeks, he cut it back to four.)
I’ve been doing pretty good with it, but I think I overdid it today working at the church and grocery shopping.
In stepped my wonderful, handsome fiance and wrote my post for me!
This is the last one in the Sunday Morning Bible Study series for this week.
Let’s see what Pastor Steve has to say.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”' (Jn. 13: 34-35 NKJV)
If we read the verses preceding this passage of Scripture, we see a few things that took place before Jesus is crucified.
Jesus washed His disciples’ feet before they ate the Passover Feast together. By doing that, He gave them an example of what being a true leader is and how they should serve one another.
Jesus celebrated the Passover Feast with His disciples in the Upper Room. In the parallel passages, He establishes the ordinance of “The Lord’s Supper” in remembrance of His sacrifice for us. We observe this ordinance even today in our churches.
And ultimately, Jesus identified Judas as His betrayer and sent him on his way to do what he was going to do to betray him. None of the other disciples even understood what had just happened, as it says in verse 28: ”But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him” (NKJV).
All the preceding events set the stage for what was about to happen to Jesus the rest of this night and lead up to His crucifixion.
Upon finishing in the Upper Room, Jesus and the other disciples walked out into the night. He says as they head out in verse 31, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him” (NKJV)
That statement alone may have confused the disciples who were with Him, especially given they hadn’t understood what just happened with Judas.
Since Jesus sent Judas on his way, He set in motion the events that were to take place that night that would lead to becoming betrayed by Judas, arrested by the Jews, dragged in for questioning and ultimately led to His being crucified. Jesus stated that the Son of Man and God had been glorified, because all of that was going to happen because Judas had been sent on his way to betray Jesus.
A New Commandment
Jesus takes this time with the disciples as they are walking to give them a “new commandment.” I put new commandment in quotes, because, loving one another is as old as the world itself. God has loved us from the moment of creation.
Jesus tells the disciples to love one another, but He also throws in for good measure, “as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Being the naturally inquisitive person that I am, I was immediately drawn to think, “OK Jesus, just how did you love us?” That is a subject that a lengthy book would be required to cover every aspect of how Jesus loved us, so I am going to give you just a few to contemplate today.
One of the obvious ways Jesus has loved us is that He willingly went to the cross and gave His life and was raised from the dead for us, paying for our sins.
One of the things Jesus told His disciples in John 15:13 was “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (NKJV).
In saying this, Jesus told the disciples what great love He had for them. He was going to lay down His life for them — us — because He loved them — us.
I do not know the number of times Jesus talked about love in the Gospels. However, it is mentioned so many times that someone with a cynical heart might well think that the disciples were stupid or something. That’s why He had to tell them so many times.
If you think about it, however, it makes sense why He told them so often.
In those times, the value of human life was not very high at all. People were killed at a whim of the nearest soldier. Depending on where one’s place in society was, it’s possible that one’s value would be even less than a prized horse or a beloved puppy.
So, it’s not a far stretch to imagine that love to them meant pretty much nothing. It was necessary for Jesus to continually speak to the disciples about loving one another so that they could grab onto the concept of it, accept it and live it out to others.
Making the Connections
In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is telling His disciples about how important it is that they love one another. Why? Because it shows that we are His disciples. Showing love for each other is an identifying mark upon those who are truly His.
Now, many these days do not understand what true love is about. The modern connotation of loving others is allowing them to do whatever they want to do and that’s showing how we love them.
That would be nice if that was truly the case, but that’s not what real love is about. Real love, God’s love, goes far deeper than merely agreeing with someone’s choices, regardless of the harm they may be doing to themselves. This type of love is not real. It’s the devil’s counterfeit to the goodness and glorious love that comes from God.
How Do We Apply This?
For us to experience this kind of love, to truly know it, is to have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He is the key to everything that is open to us from God. The New Testament is filled with examples of God’s love for us.
A quick study in the book of 1st John (the same John who wrote the Gospel of John) will show you so much about God’s love. For example:
- “We love Him because He first loved us” (I Jn. 4: 19 NKJV).
- “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (I Jn. 3: 16 NKJV)
- “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I Jn. 4:10 NKJV)
- “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (I Jn. 4: 16 NKJV)
- “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (I Jn. 3: 1 NKJV).
There are so many more examples throughout the New Testament. Based on these alone, ask yourself, “How has Jesus loved us?” What is the answer?
If you still don’t see it, pray and continue a study in the Word of God, searching out love and how Jesus loved us.
You see, even in the world today, love has largely lost its meaning. If you have ever been told by a potential loved one that they loved you, but their actions showed just the opposite, you know personally how much love has lost its meaning.
When true love is being shown amongst believers, it shows up as something completely different than what’s in the world. It speaks on its own. It draws people to it.
Why? As Jesus told his disciples, people will know that we are His disciples because of our love one for another. One of our first, greatest witnesses we have for the Lord is our love for each other.
The unsaved person can sense it in our midst. They can be drawn to it and want to be part of it.
I am convinced that this is one of the reasons the devil works so hard to create strife within the church. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve invited someone to come to church and been told, “I’m not going to that church! I know someone who goes there, and they did something to me that was unkind, and I want nothing to do with that place! It’s filled with hypocrites!”
Now, we can spend time discussing whether the person should or should not hold onto those feelings in another post. The main question here is, if said person he was referring to displayed the love of Christ in his relating to that person, is it likely that the person would ever have reason to not come and think there’s nothing but hypocrites in that church?
Think what you will, but why be a stumbling block? Jesus was plain in what He said about stumbling blocks. You may want to check that out.
So, in summary, how did Jesus love us? He showed humility, meekness, and didn’t consider himself better than others (even though He is).
How then should we show love for one another? Anytime we want to know how to behave, there is no better example than Jesus. We should strive to be just like Him in all that we do.
Heaven Father, we ask that You show us how to love one another. Help us to love those around us and help us to show the love that Christ has shown to us. It’s in His name we pray. Amen.
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The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Related Links
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
Don’t know what your spiritual gifts are?
Take this Spiritual Gifts Inventory
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #1
Be a Living Sacrifice (Romans 12: 1-2)
Job Duty #2
Work Out Our Salvation (Philippians 2: 12)
Job Duty #3
Bring Him Glory (Matthew 5: 16)
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #5
Love People (John 15: 12)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #7
Other Duties as Assigned
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1)
It Was Enough
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
What do you think?
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