Hi
Got a minute?
Can you think of what love looks like when you are sharing it? Is it subjective, or just blithely giving to all and sundry? Are there folks who don’t deserve our love? Consider today’s Holy Nougat
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”
John 15:12 NLT
So Jesus was having one of His deep pep talks with the disciples. In one sense, that was normal. He was The Teacher (rabbi), so that was His role. Theirs was to listen and heed his teachings. What wasn’t immediately evident was that this particular session represented some of the last things Jesus taught before He was crucified. When framed in that context, His Words would carry more weight, despite them being the same words spoken in the same capacity as their teacher.
(You’re very welcome to read more of the those last words – Johanine version – in John 15-16, just before Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17).
When considered as part of the final lesson to the disciples; I also consider that Jesus knew He was about to die and why. Having previously described His purpose – in Love, He would die to afford humanity restored access to God (John 3:16) – the directive to love each other takes on special significance. And, when we consider the wider narrative surrounding the disciples at that time – common, not all literate, sometimes power-hungry, hot tempered, and selfish – Jesus’ request seems a bit far-fetched. He was asking-encouraging-teaching them to put others first IN Love; knowing that they weren’t always going to be lovable!
Erm … That was a Talllllll order! But here is the irony –
Jesus continues to make that request of us as His disciples-followers! We also are to love each other as He (Jesus) has loved us. Warts and all. Putting those unlovely, common, semi-literate, uncouth, selfish, hot-tempered and power-hungry fellow followers needs before our own. Even if they don’t really get it (ie understanding the real message of how to live as people of the Way). Chances are, they don’t think we’ve got discipleship right either. Loving them doesn’t mean we always see eye to eye; it means that we consider them first as a response to God’s loving grace.
In Love, Jesus decided that we were all ‘to die for’; and was willing to take the fall so we might experience a different way of living. Are we up to the sacrifice? Only by God’s grace. But we can ask for it, if we wanna
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
