Love Like Jesus Loves Series

A group of guys went overseas and hired a local boy to cook and clean for them. Being a bunch of jokesters, they quickly took advantage of his seeming naiveté. They smeared Vaseline on the stove handles, put buckets of water over the door, and nailed his shoes to the floor during the night.

Day after day the young boy took the brunt of their practical jokes without saying anything. Finally, the men felt guilty about what they were doing, and said, “Look, we know these pranks aren’t funny for you, and we’re sorry. We’re never going to take advantage of you again.”

The boy smiled and asked, “No more sticky on stove?” The guys responded, “Nope.” “No more water on door?” They answered, “No more water on door.” “No more nail shoes to floor?” “Nope, we’ll stop that, too.” “Okay” the boy said with a wide grin, “No more spit in soup!”

Instead of choosing revenge or retaliation when we’ve been wronged, we’re called to love like Jesus loved.

Three weeks ago, we learned if you want to grow, you have to let some things go. Two weeks ago, we defined a disciple as someone who lovingly follows Jesus and intentionally helps others follow Him. Is there someone who can help you lovingly follow Jesus? Have you intentionally reached out to someone you can disciple? I did this week. Last weekend we discovered how a disciple learns, loves, and lives God’s Word.

Our focus today is on the premier and distinctive mark of a disciple from John 13:34-35: “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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Here’s our main point: A disciple is one who loves like Jesus loves.

Let’s make three observations.

• The word “love” is used four times. This is the Greek word agapao, referring to a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love, resulting from a decision of the will. It’s in the present tense, meaning we’re to “keep on loving.”

• The phrase “one another” is a reciprocal pronoun and is found three times. We’re to commit to one another because we are in community with each other.

• The personal pronoun “you” is used six times and is emphatic. We can’t slide out from under this because it means “me and you.”

Jesus had just celebrated the last supper with His disciples and Judas had left to begin his betrayal. Because Jesus knew how difficult the coming days would be for them, He gave them a mandate to love, a model of love, and a manifestation through love.

While our circumstances are different from theirs, the difficulties we face are similar. Our world is less tolerant of our faith, our religious liberties seem to be vanishing, and it’s easy for us to get sideways with other Christ-followers. Brothers and sisters, we need each other more than ever. As I mentioned at our annual meeting last Sunday, a divided nation needs a united church!

1. A mandate to love. Jesus could have told His disciples anything, but He chose to give them a mandate to love one another. Listen to the first part of verse 34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” The word “new” doesn’t mean it was just invented but has the idea of being qualitatively new and fresh.

The word “commandment” refers to a “charge or commission.” This is not a suggestion; it’s essential. It’s not optional; it’s something we’re to obey. This is a charge from Christ Himself right before He dies in our place on the cross.

Let’s pause and ponder why Jesus refers to this as a “new commandment.” After all, Leviticus 19:18, written hundreds of years earlier, says we are to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” In addition, in Matthew 5:14 Jesus said we are to “love our enemies.”

In what sense is “loving one another” something new? First, it is a command given by Jesus to the church, not to Israel. Second, it is the beginning of the “one another” teachings in the New Testament. The third reason leads to our next point.

2. A model of love. We don’t have to wonder what this love is to look like because Jesus Himself is our example as we see in the second part of verse 34: “…just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

The commandment is “new” because we’re not only to love others as we love ourselves, but we’re to go above by loving one another “as” Jesus loves us. Jesus is both our model and our motivation. We’re to express love for one another to the extent Jesus loves each of us. Jesus repeats this for emphasis in John 15:12: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”