August 30 | John 13:34-35

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DAILY READING

John 13:34-35

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REFLECTION

LOVE LIKE JESUS

By Terry Starr

Love Like Jesus

"34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”

Jesus knew.  He knew that His ministry time on earth was near the end.  He knew that He would soon be making the ultimate sacrifice of suffering and dying to save the world from SIN.  There was no greater sacrifice than the Lord, sinless and blameless, laying His life down for the SIN of the world. The new commandment was given at the end of the Last Supper, the last time that Jesus would share a meal with His disciples. It's considered "new" because it elevates the concept of loving one's neighbor to a higher standard, mirroring the sacrificial love that Christ demonstrated for humanity. The culmination of Jesus' teachings was the message about LOVE:  His love and the love of His Father for ALL people. Selfless and Sacrificial love which would be on full display on the cross a day later.  “As I have loved you.” These words give us the most essential aspect of the Savior’s new commandment. “Love one another” is a real challenge, to be sure, but “as I have loved you” takes the commandment to a deeper level of action.

Did the disciples understand?  Could they understand?  The love Jesus is talking about is not the love of human nature.  Not love in a sinful state which always puts self above others. Sin causes self to be most important.  Loving one another as Jesus loved is an extraordinary challenge. This commandment builds upon the existing commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself, but with a greater emphasis on the sacrificial, selfless love exemplified by Jesus. This means Christians are called to love others in the same way Christ loved them, going beyond simply loving their neighbors as themselves.

The second part of the new commandment is: "By this all will know that you are MY disciples if you have love for one another."  This selfless, sacrificial love is not for self alone..... It is an outward demonstration of God's love in His believers.

Growing up, my mom was an atheist so I did not grow up knowing about Jesus.  When I became a believer in high school, I asked the Holy Spirit to live in me.  Through His presence and much praying, fellowship and reading of The Word, my life became transformed.  I began to live a new life in Christ and worked hard to change my behaviors and the ways I treated others.  My mom was very strong in her opinions so since we now disagreed on God and Jesus, we decided to keep the peace by not broaching the subject.  She would make comments which, through the peace of Christ, I would ignore.  (Most of the time!)   But many times my mom would ask me:  Why are you so happy all of the time?  Why are you so kind and caring to other people?  My answer (with a quiet smile on my face) was always:  Jesus!

This new commandment is a cornerstone of Christian discipleship. It's through the love of God that others will recognize believers as followers of Christ. It emphasizes the importance of love within the Christian community and how that love serves as a witness to the world. 

Do others see the love of Christ in you?  Do others know that there is "something" different about you?  Do they ask:  Why are you so filled with joy?  Why are you so kind and generous to others?   

As the old hymn says: Will they know we are Christians by our love, by our love?  Will they know we are Christians by our love?

PRAYER

Our Heavenly Father, Thank you for first loving us. We thank you for sending your Son Jesus to show us how to love like Him. We ask that you open our hearts and minds to truly understand how to love like Jesus. You have loved us unconditionally, abundantly and powerfully. We ask that we can change our hearts and minds to be able to love like that too. We hope that we live so selflessly and generously, that others know we are followers of Christ. When others that we meet ask: "Why are you so loving to others? Why are you so filled with joy?", may we boldly say: JESUS!

Amen

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY STARR

I am a longtime member of UALC, along with my husband Alan. We raised our four children here and have seven grandchildren. At God's calling, I started a non-profit named Divine Dignity, which gives free hygiene to our neighbors in need while sharing God's love. I retired as an administrator from the UA Schools after 25 years.