John 13:31-35

John 13:31-35 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “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. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Preparing for the cross, Jesus speaks to the disciples He called to forsake all and to follow him. As they listen by his side, suddenly Christ's words take a turn. Speaking of the Son of Man glorifying God and God glorifying him, Jesus shares unsettling news: 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. Jesus does not want to leave his disciples unprepared. As He shares the love of God for the world, He now places this mantle of love upon their shoulders so to speak. He says in the exact manner the Son loves the Father and the Father loves the Son, so must they love one another. By this love, Jesus says people will know they believe in him. When believers love one another with this divine love, they glorify the Son by demonstrating God's love toward a fallen people. Through the process of such a holy love in action, Jesus glorifies the Father, and the Father reciprocates by giving us the glory of his Son. Of course, the Godhead never breaks this love covenant, yet human beings through foolish disobedience and faithlessness can and do break this eternal circle of love. Although Jesus knew mankind as perpetual covenant breakers, He boldly reminds the Father of his eternal salvation plan and announces to his followers that He has come to provide a new and better way. He must return to the Father to make God's love complete. He will pay the total price to institute and to ensure a lasting Way of peace, joy, and love through the Spirit. Therefore He says confidently, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Praise God, since we are now in Christ, the Holy Spirit is faithful and just to petition the Father for our errors in judgment, our shortcomings, and our sins. God forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness that we might love wholeheartedly and unconditionally in the same manner as Christ so loved the World that He died on the cross for all who would follow him. In a spiritual sense, He reminds the Father that his glorified One, Jesus Christ his Beloved Son, paid the full price for our waywardness. Jesus knew that He had to go away that He might fully complete his work: that He might suffer, die, and rise again in newness of life in victory over sin and death to release all people for all time from the chains of hell. He also had to go away to fully release his followers for ministry by sending the Holy Spirit. He would soon tell them:

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. (John 14:15-17)

He said they would realize, I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:16-17 & 20-21) We love others because God is love: we love because while we were sinning against him, Christ died for us. We are to love others exactly as God loves us. Therefore, we are without excuse if we reject others, find fault, refuse to forgive, harden our hearts and turn away in anger or bitterness. Because of Jesus Messiah, Lamb of God, we have been made perfect in him: whole, clothed in his holiness.

Christ's death on the cross empowers us to fulfill his words, You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Our daily commitment to Christ is to love others, and not merely those who love us and do good to us. We are to reveal God's nature to a sinful basically unkind and unrepentant world where people do not look to the needs of others. When we do not obey God's commands to love others, we need the Holy Spirit's intervention in our lives--a fresh look at the cross. We need a reminder of God's immeasurable love towards us--the indescribable sacrifice Jesus made for us. We need the purity of God's holiness to saturate our souls--the innermost parts of our beings. Love is an action word. We cannot love merely by good words, fine intentions, or an occasional statement of faith. We must love in reality by letting people see Christ in us, so they WILL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE IN ACTION through our helpfulness, gentleness, compassion, long-suffering, generosity, peacefulness, apologies, listening ears, and the like. They will know we are believers by our lack of retaliation, selfishness, anger, criticism, gossip, foolishness, and coarse language. Let them know us by OUR LOVE, Lord.

We will be taking a week off to attend a Christian conference. We look forward to a time of restoration in body and spirit and pray God's blessing on each of you. We know God will enrich you in your personal Bible reading and study of his Word!