All You Need Is LOVE!

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
John 13 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, NASB)


REFLECTIONS:
After reading John 13 in preparation of writing a devotional, I could easily distinguish several good, meaty devotionals.  Upon realizing the “key verses” cannot be the whole chapter, I chose the two verses I believe best summarize Jesus’ message to His disciples (us), as captured by John in this chapter.  In fact, the commandment to “love one another, even as I have loved you” summarizes Jesus’ entire earthly life and teachings.  When Jesus says (in verse 34) “A new commandment I give you,” what did He mean by “new”?  Barnes Bible Notes provides the following suggestion:   

“It is called new, not because there was no command before which required people to love their fellow-man, for one great precept of the law was that they should love their neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18) but it was new because it had never before been made that by which any class or body of people had been known and distinguished. This command or law was, moreover, new in regard to the extent to which this love was to be carried out; for He immediately adds, "As I have loved you, that ye also love one another."  

His love for them was strong, continued, unremitting, and He was now about to show His love for them in death.”  In researching the Greek words used for the word “love” in these two verses, we find confirmation of the newness of this commandment being the way in which WE, THE BODY OF CHRIST are identified.  The Greek term for this type of “love” is agapaό, meaning to love or goodwill.  In verse 34, the form of agapaό used is the verb form of the word.  However, in verse 35, the form of agapaό used is the NOUN (noun being the part of speech used to name a person, place or thing) form of the word for love.  So let’s take a moment to try and wrap our minds around this concept.  In verse 35, Jesus states: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love (noun) for one another.”  As His disciples, our church body should be known as “love.”  How do we accomplish this?  We know as truth, God = Love (1 John 4:8), and God has made our bodies a temple of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), then, as we walk in His Spirit, we = love.  I can hear (in my head) Jim Echels belting out the words “They’ll know we are Christians by our love!”  Sing it Jim!!!

 

Let’s further explore Jesus’ phrase in verse 34, “even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  What did Jesus mean here? The first 12 chapters of the book of John cover a 3-year time period of Jesus’ life.  Beginning with Chapter 13, the next 6 chapters cover a single night.  John 13 begins by establishing the time of this scene “before the Feast of the Passover.”  The supper for which Jesus was gathered with His twelve disciples was probably the official Passover meal and also the last meal Jesus would eat with His disciples before his crucifixion.  In verse 1, John writes “Jesus knowing that His hour had come...”   What would you do if you knew "your hour had come"?  

 

In attempting to consider what I would do if I knew my hour had come, I could not effectively come to grips with this concept.  However, I am relatively sure loving my closest friends by serving them in the most subservient of ways would not make my top ten choices (at least not today).  We see starting in verse 4, Jesus got up from supper, removed His outer garments, poured water into a basin and begin to wash His disciples feet.  Since this is not a modern-day custom, I checked a couple of commentaries to better understand the significance of Jesus’ act.  I learned that while foot-washing was considered a customary act, it was such a menial task that Jewish homes would not require their Jewish slaves to perform this task, but typically allowed only the Gentile slaves to wash their guests’ feet.  In trying to come up with a comparable “menial” task today, I thought of toilet cleaning, which is one of those tasks I usually wish I had someone else to perform in my home.   But Linda, you argue, is foot-washing really as menial (or disgusting) as toilet cleaning?   If we were just talking about dirty feet, I would probably agree with you that I have gone a bit far with my analogy.  (Stay with me here a moment.)  Let’s look at Jesus’ statement to Peter in verse 10.  “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”  In the Wiersbe Bible Commentary, Dr.Wiersbe provides an interesting interpretation of Jesus’ statement in verse 10.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote:   

“When the sinner trusts the Savior, he is ‘bathed all over’ and his sins are washed away and forgiven (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Titus 3:3-7; and Revelation 1:5).  ‘And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more’ (Hebrews 10:17).  However, as the believer walks in this world, it is easy to become defiled.  He does not need to be bathed all over again; he simply needs to have that defilement cleansed away.  God promises to cleanse us when we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).  But why is it so important that we ‘keep our feet clean’?  Because if we are defiled, we cannot have communion with our Lord.  ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me’ (John 13:8).” 

Ok, if we are talking about washing away our most recent sins as the double-meaning of Jesus’ foot-washing actions, then my toilet-cleaning analogy fits perfectly.  Right?  I thought you would agree.  CLEARLY, to pull off this act of love, I know I am going to need many more portions of humility.

 

 

PRAYER:

Gracious Lord, you know us better than we know ourselves.  Please help each of us to DAILY seek to walk in Your Spirit and ask Your forgiveness for the defilement we bring upon ourselves when we walk in the world.  Only through your loving mercy can we be cleansed to have open communication with You!  We thank you for your amazing patience with us.  Help us to be known as LOVE!

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Linda Stewart and although I have NO available photo of myself, these are my helpers when I am cleaning toilets. J