Commanded to Love - John 13:31-38
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus gives his disciples this incredible command to love each other on the heels of Judas walking out the door in order to betray him? After all, Judas was a man full of greed, selfish ambition, and hostility towards Jesus.
And you can’t help but see a connection between the fact that Judas had no love for Jesus, and Jesus’ command to his disciples to love one another. Because it’s worth noting the fact that this command comes right after Judas walks out.
It’s almost as if Jesus is telling his disciples not to be full of hatred like Judas, but rather to be filled with love like him.
Because the reality is, the love you give is a reflection of the love you’ve received. The love that flows out of you reveals the sort of love that has flowed into you.
Isn’t that true for your own family history? There’s a sense in which the way you love is a display of the way you were loved. Maybe you have a hard time showing love because you felt like it was never really shown to you, or perhaps you go above and beyond in order to show love in order to make up for what you didn’t have growing up.
And to a certain extent that is true, but it shouldn’t define the Christian because the Christian should strive to demonstrate love that goes far beyond your personal experience. The love that the Christian displays should be a small taste of the love that he or she has received from Christ.
And in our passage, we see three things: first we’re given a model for sacrificial love (vv. 31-33), second, we’re commanded to love (vv. 34-35), and lastly, we’re reminded that our love should be bathed in humility (vv. 36-38).
A Model of Sacrificial Love (vv. 31-33)
And obviously, the model of sacrificial love comes to us all through the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the physical embodiment of love. And Judas really represents the opposite doesn’t he? Hatred and hostility towards Jesus.
It’s worth noting that as soon as Judas walks out of the upper room to go betray Jesus, Jesus immediately begins to address the disciples.
That “hour” that Jesus has spoken of so often has finally arrived. Because in a few moments, Jesus is going to go to Gethsemane where he’ll be met by Roman soldiers, his enemies, and Judas who will betray him with a kiss. Then Jesus is put on trial where he’ll be sentenced and make his way to the cross. The “hour” is no longer at some point in the distant future, rather, it was upon them.
And of course, his time with his disciples is quickly coming to an end.
Which is why he says what he says in verses 31 and 32: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.”
In other words, the plan has been set in motion for him to go to the cross which was to his glory. Judas has left, he’s going to gather the troops to arrest Jesus, and shortly after that he’ll head to the cross. Everything is in place.
But notice that little proposition “in” that is repeated in both verse 31 and 32. John makes it a point to tell us that “God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself.”
As a commentator pointed out, “[It’s] like [how] a parent is honored not only by his son, but also in his son’s character and behavior.” That’s how intimate their relationship is with one another.
And of course, because Jesus is glorified, God the Father is glorified. God glorified the Son who in turn glorified him as well, because the Father and the Son are inextricably linked together. They are two persons within the Trinity and share the same essence. To glorify the Son is to glorify the Father and vice versa.
And again, all of this is happening “at once” or “immediately” because Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha are all right around the corner. The Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrays Jesus is a few hours away, Gabbatha is where his trial occurred, and of course, Golgotha is where he was crucified.
And knowing that in a few short hours that his earthly relationship with his disciples would soon be over, addresses his disciples as “little children.” To call an adult a “child” today might offend someone, but of course, Jesus isn’t insulting his disciples.
He’s using fatherly language in order to speak to them tenderly and share his love for them. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
Jesus and only Jesus could atone for our sins and accomplish redemption on the cross. Redemption for God’s people was only something that Jesus could do. No one else could do it. He’s the only one that fits the job description if you will. And his seat at the right hand of God the Father Almighty is reserved for him alone.
They cannot come with him. No one else could do it.
And of course this is true for every Christian here this morning. But in that moment it was personal, because Jesus was about to endure the cross for those disciples in that room.
The fact that he’s about to be glorified, the fact that the disciples cannot go with him, all of that is a reference to the cross! Verses 31-33 are just one big allusion to the cross!
Jesus wasn’t just going to give them a great working definition of love, he didn’t tell them to pull out sheets of paper because they’re going to want to write down what love is. Rather, he was going to embody it for them. He was going to demonstrate it for them. Isn’t that precisely what the cross is? The essence, the embodiment, the ultimate picture or image of love?
Who models love for you? Is it Jesus?
The love that Christ displayed on the cross is selfless sacrifice, it’s humility, it’s laying down your rights and privileges, it’s putting others ahead of yourself, it’s 1 Corinthians 13, the cross is all of that, but those things are just the tip of the iceberg.
The model of Christ is greater than any definition because his example is applicable to any circumstance. If you’re a Christian, then what would it look like for you to model the sacrificial love of Christ in your marriage, with your kids, at your work?
A Command to Love (vv. 34-35)
And here’s what’s so interesting about the love that Jesus displayed: we’re commanded to reflect it. According to Jesus, loving one another isn’t an optional component of the Christian faith. It’s a requirement. Or to put it in his words: it’s a commandment.
Look at verses 34-35 with me. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
It’s interesting that Jesus calls it a “new” commandment because there really isn’t anything new about it. The people of the Old Testament were commanded to love as well.
Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Loving your neighbor wasn’t something that was invented during COVID. And it wasn’t something particularly groundbreaking when Jesus said it either.
So, what made what Jesus said, “new?”
Well there are two main reasons it’s new: First, and perhaps most obviously, it’s new because Jesus holds himself up as our example for love. Because never before had there been a person who had perfectly exemplified Biblical love.
Look at verse 34 again, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
And the Greek word that is being translated into your Bible as love is “agape.” Perhaps you’ve heard someone refer to “agape” love, because there are several Greek words that are translated as love into our Bibles. You have phileo, eros, and agape. Phileo describes the love that friends share. Eros, describes sexual or erotic love. But agape is different.
One author said it really well: “agape love is different because it’s a reference to a type of love that lacks self-interest. It proceeds out of a heart of care and concern for others.”
That’s the love of Christ isn’t it? A love that puts others ahead of himself? A love that lays down his rights and privileges?
That’s the sort of love that Jesus commands you and me to. Easy, right?
On the one hand it’s not difficult to understand but on the other hand it’s totally overwhelming isn’t it? All of us should feel convicted in some way because Christ’s love is so different from what the world teaches about love. Because agape or sacrificial love isn’t an emotion. You don’t fall into sacrificial love. There’s no such thing as sacrificial love at first sight!
But those are the waters we all swim in. We’re told we can just as easily fall out of love as we can fall into it.
But that’s not Biblical agape love.
Honestly, that’s why I’ve always found Paul’s words in Ephesians 5, for “Husbands [to] love your wives, as Christ loved the church” particularly weighty. Thank you Paul for giving every husband in this room mission impossible! We can’t do it, and yet, it’s what we’re called to strive after.
The second reason this commandment was “new” was that he narrowed love from “loving your neighbor” to “loving one another.”
Leviticus 19, instructs you and me to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” That’s very broad, isn’t it? It's a call to love all people! But Jesus tells us here to “love one another.” That’s much more narrow. It has a smaller focus.
Remember, Jesus is speaking to his disciples, but his words are certainly relevant to the covenant community, that is, the church as well.
His command to love has a particular application in mind: the church!
But before you start to think, “Yes, I’m off the hook, I don’t have to pretend to love that one neighbor that always parks in the street and never takes his trashcan up!” That’s not what Jesus is saying! Rather, what Jesus is saying is that the love within the church should be special, unique, and exemplary.
We’re all called to demonstrate the agape love of Christ to one another. To put it even more simplistically, the church should be the place that you walk into and, for lack of a better way of putting it, feel the love!
Love should be palpable within the walls of the church. Sacrificial love and service should be self-evident.
The humble, sacrificial love that Christ demonstrated is what the Christian must imitate, albeit, in a much smaller imperfect way. And it’s the Christians’ love that should make them different.
But of course, we have to be a big, huge, asterisk next to the word “should.” Because the reality is, the church is made up of fallen, sinful people. And far too many churches give off the impression they either don’t like each other, or don’t know each other, or worse are indifferent and don’t care.
I’m sure many of us have experienced a church that was devoid of love, but on the other hand, I hope you’ve experienced a warm loving congregation as well. The church’s love for one another serves as a testimony to the world around us!
The reality is, churches become loveless when they lose sight of the gospel. After all, agape love captures the heart of the gospel in a word. Because the two go hand in hand. You can’t be a church that holds dearly to the gospel but doesn’t love one another!
And the moment you detach “Loving one another” or “loving your neighbor” from the person and work of Jesus Christ is the moment the word ‘love’ loses its meaning.
Look again at verse 35, “By this [love] all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The fact that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ will be demonstrated through your love. What Jesus taught here was something that the Apostle John latched on to.
Because in 1 John 2:7-10 he essentially repeats what Jesus said here:
“Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.”
And again he says something similar in, 1 John 4:11, “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
The love that you have received from the Lord should be the love that you give. And it should be evident in every relationship.
God’s love should be diffused throughout your life and my life. God’s love should color our relationships within our church body, our marriages, the way we interact with our children, our willingness to serve one another, every aspect of our lives should be different. It should be something that people outside of the church should notice. Unbelievers should look at love within the church and wish they had what we have.
And of course our love should not be driven by emotion or superficiality. Rather it’s all connected to your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Your ability to be a conduit for Christ’s love requires you and I to be born again. And if that is you, then love isn’t optional - it’s a command.
Love Must Be Bathed in Humility (vv. 36-38)
It’s worth noting that in John 13, we have the antithesis, the opposite of Christian love in Judas, then you have the apex or epitome of Christian love in Jesus, and then there’s Peter.
Peter thought that his love for Christ was unassailable. He thought that his love for the Lord was closing in on perfection. Because in Peter’s mind, no one more committed to Christ than him.
Look at verses 36-38 with me.
“Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”
Of course, Jesus was referring to the suffering he had to endure in order to pay for the sins of the world on the cross, and obviously Peter could not do that, but he would one day suffer for the Lord.
And this whole exchange is just drenched in irony because Peter says he’s going to die for Jesus when in fact, he was about to deny him three times.
But it’s even more ironic because Jesus is sitting there going, “wait Peter, who’s going to die for who? You’re going to die for me? No, I’m about to die for you.”
Peter is totally overconfident isn’t he? “Lord, I’ll never waver in my faith or defense of you. I’ll even die for you!” It’s so easy to talk a big game in the safety of the upper room. But once they leave the upper room, things get a little more dicey.
Confidence isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s the source of your confidence that makes it right or wrong. What makes Peter’s confidence bad is that he’s confident in himself.
Peter is sure of his own ability to maintain fidelity to Christ! In Peter’s mind, it’s all up to him, but he can do it.
Because your strength doesn’t come from yourself, it comes from the Lord. Isn’t it true that we go to church and hear wonderful truths, fully understand it, but struggle to apply it and implement it in our lives?
John Calvin said, “We hear daily from the mouth of Christ all that is fitted for usefulness in life, and all that is necessary to be known, and, when we come to practice, we are as much astonished as apprentices to whom not a word had ever been spoken.”
It’s easy to pick on Peter, and stand in judgment over him. Peter denied Christ, but the other disciples abandoned him. But the reality is, we sin and fail the Lord regularly. It’s why we confess our sins each week.
It’s by the power of the Spirit that we preserve in the faith. We’re dependent on him. Humble reliance upon the Lord is key to remaining faithful to him.
Peter lost sight of that truth. He thought he was strong when in fact he was weak, feeble, and frail.
And that’s true for each of us here today. We’re all weak, feeble, and frail, capable of sinning grievously in a moment’s notice! The Psalms constantly remind us that the Lord is our strength!
Psalm 28, “The Lord is my strength and my shield” just to name one! Our love for the Lord must be bathed in humility.
I can’t help but notice that Jesus gives this command to love right before he and his disciples embark on the greatest and at the same time most difficult journey of their lives.
Jesus reminds us that the love we’ve received should be the love that we give. The aroma of love should follow the Christian into every sphere of his or her life, but think about it, if we all share that same sweet smell, shouldn’t it be strongest, right here? In the church?
The love that the church has for one another should be palpable. It should be so evident that you should be able to reach out and touch it!
This should be one of the defining features of our church, Providence Church!
Sometimes churches get labeled. That church has great music. That church has good preaching. That church has a beautiful building. And I know you’re already thinking we have all of those things! But one label that isn’t an option is that’s a warm, loving, church. Jesus doesn’t give us that option.
Our love for one another must run deep, because Jesus said, “Just as I have loved you, Providence Church, so love one another. If the love of Christ means anything to you, then you must love.
Therefore, go out of your way to show your love. Love the widow. Love the rowdy children. Love the young and the old alike. Sacrifice, serve, and even inconvenience yourself in order to show others that you care and love them.
And in so doing, we bear witness to the reality and power of the gospel in our lives! Amen. Let’s pray together.
