St. John 15:9-17 – The Unmistakable Mandate
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
There’s a little book called Life’s Little Instruction Book. The subtitle to the book is 511 suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life. Here’s a few of their points:
#173 Be Kinder than necessary.
#139 Never deprive someone of hope it may be all they have.
#123 Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
#459 Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
#1 Complement (at least) three people every day.
# 221 Don’t major in minor things. (Don’t sweat the small stuff- ain’t no need in you worrying about things you ain’t got control over no how – just turn over it to Jesus and let him work it out)
The book has some good advice.
A pastor in Texas told how one Saturday he bought a swing set for his children. The swing set included swings of course, a seesaw and a slide. And it all came unassembled in a large box. The pastor opened the box, emptied the contents, and jumped right into the assembly process without using the instructions.
After half a day’s work, he said paused to make an assessment and discovered his swing set didn’t look like picture on the box. He even had a few parts left over on the ground. It was then that one of his children asked, "Daddy, is it supposed to look like that?"
The pastor walked back over to the box he had thrown away and inside was a small yellow card with one sentence in bold print. "When all else fails ... read the instructions."
My brothers and my sisters that’s some good advice. "When all else fails ... read the instructions."
Where in the midst of a Presidential Campaign - Who’s going to be in control – Read the instructions - Ps 24:1, Prov. 21:1 - The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
When you look at your income and your outgoing, and you’ve got more going out than you do coming in – Read the instructions - Ps. 37:25
Night’s when you wish you wasn’t alone – Night’s when that fear factor would like to kick in – read the instructions – Ps. 91:10-11 - There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling…
Following good instructions is always the right thing to do. For you do know that you don’t know everything. I know we like to believe that we do. We sometimes unknowingly act like we do. But reality is you ought to ask somebody something sometime.
We need good advice and that’s why we have the Bible. It is the authority on information and inspiration because it has Jesus, as the Master teacher. Jesus teaches about almost everything but more importantly, he acted out his teachings. There’s no contrast between what he said and what he did. No one could point out any indiscrepencies between his lifestyle and his message. He was the same all the time.
And if we dare to call ourselves Christians: Christ-like. We’ve got to put forth an effort in perfecting holiness. Perfecting – ing – denotes continual action – you won’t arrive at holiness in this life but you can put forth an effort. You’ll never be sinless but ought to at least be able to say with the writer who wrote ‘I have never reached perfection but, I’ve tried.”
It was also said concerning Jesus that he taught with authority. Meaning he did more than just give us a good nudge and point us in the right direction. Jesus commands us at times. Jesus doesn’t drop subtle hints he tells us this is what you need to do!
In John 15 Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure. And in these verses he’s doing more than giving parting instructions, Jesus is giving a mandate – an unmistakable mandate. Jesus gives a command to all who would follow him. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
My brothers and sisters we are to continue to show Christ-like love in this world. That’s Jesus’ instruction. That Jesus mandate. And it is unmistakably clear.
Too often, love is defined as a mere feeling. But listen the Christian experience cannot be reduced to a feeling. Cause there are times when I don’t feel saved. There are times when I don’t act like I’m saved. And it doesn’t mean that I love God any less and it doesn’t mean that he loves me any less. But it proves that love is more than a feeling because God loves me even when I act unlovable. And I love him even though my actions are questionable at times. Because love is more than a feeling.
And if we miss that we lose what Jesus was getting at in his instructions to the disciples, I’m commanding you he said to love one another.
You can’t command a feeling. You can’t make somebody love you. Either it is or it ain’t. So love in Jesus’ view is obviously something more.
Love is something you do more than it is something you feel. Listen, what was the main thrust of Christ’s ministry? Did he just sit under a fig tree telling stories? Did he just stand on a mountain explaining theology? No. His ministry was tangible proof of his love…for everyone. And Christ wants us today to follow his example and expand the meaning of forgiveness, expand the meaning of service, expand the meaning of love…in a practical way.
One commentator suggests that the Christian faith is best described as a verb (action) than a noun. The kind of love Jesus called for is love in action. Jesus’ mandate is unmistakable. Make love tangible.
Tony Campolo writes about counseling people who think they have lost that "lovin’ feeling." He says he encounters people who claim an absence of any kind of affectionate feelings for their mates. They say that whatever they once felt has died and that they are left with no other alternative but to end their marriage. Whenever I counsel such people, I always tell them that if they will do faithfully what I tell them to do, within a month the feelings of affection will return. I simply tell them to do the following:
(1.) Each day make a new list of ten things that you would do for your spouse if you were in love.
(2.) Each day, do the ten things on the list.
It’s as simple as that; there is no secret formula or magical recipe. There’s no mysterious process that is the result of extensive research. There is only the age-old truth that those who do loving things will have loving feelings."
Campolo’s instructions illustrate the wisdom of
acting out love regardless of your feelings at the moment.
It is important to note that Jesus says,
(v 15) “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Jesus is speaking of a new, more intimate relationship with his disciples. He called them disciples at the beginning, there came a time when he called them apostles, but now he calls them friends. That is not to say they had not already been in some sense his friends. That is not to say they would cease to be his disciples and apostles.
They were disciples when they first followed him, apostles after a period of training and he sent them forth to minister; but now he calls them friends.
What are friends? If you think about it seriously, we really abuse that word “friend.” We casually and carelessly make use of it. I dare you to sit down and write a list of your friends. None of us have very many. We know a lot of people, we have many acquaintances – and thank God for them – but we have very few friends.
For what is the basis of friendship? Mutual interest, reciprocal and self-emptying love. A friend loves you to the point that they will forget themselves and vice versa. A friend seeks your interest and vice versa. Common identity, common purpose, shared passion. It’s the difference between being a hired employee and a close confidant.
According to the law in the time of Jesus a slave or servant was defined as a "living tool." A slave was the property of the master. A slave was at the disposal of his owner. All his energy must be spent for the one who possess’ him. All his choosing must in line with the choosing of the one who owned him. A slave’s life is unquestionable submission, blind obedience.
But here, Jesus calls his disciples friends because they are partners with him in fulfilling his mission.
(v.16) Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you.
I think this revelation of Christ caused John the disciple to write one day “We loved him because he first loved us.”
We are partners with Jesus to fulfill his mandate to love as he loved.
We are partners with Jesus in making love a tangible reality in our world, transforming people one person at a time.
It’s his parting instruction. It’s his unmistakable mandate and he wants it to become our mission. He wants it to become our passion.
Jesus makes it clear that being a Christian is more than speaking in pious language, it’s more than a feeling or an experience. It’s being his partner in making love tangible. How? By just doing what you can do. That’s how you fulfill Jesus’ mandate. If you find yourself saying, "I would like to do something for God" but don’t know how-just focus on where you are, and knowing what you can do with what you have-to make love tangible in the world.
If you do that as Jesus’ partner-you will be following his instructions and fulfilling his unmistakable mandate.
If I can help somebody as I pass along…If I can cheer somebody with a word or song…If I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong…Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought…If I can bring salvation to a world up wrought…If I can spread love’s message as the master taught…Then my living will not be in vain.
