This morning I want to focus on Jesus’ command: “Love each other as I have loved you."
Please note it is a command and not a suggestion. You of course know that I as a military person understand the difference between a command and a suggestion. At first glance this command looks easy enough. Jesus is talking to His disciples. He is talking to the people who have been traveling with Him for three years now. He is not talking to the Pharisees or the Sadduccess. He is not talking to people who hate him and wish he were dead. So when the disciples hear Jesus say listen remain in my love, make my joy complete by loving each other the way I have loved you. They must have thought, Got it, no worries. I can do that Jesus. I thought you were going to ask me to do something really difficult like love my enemies but these are my friends, these are the people I enjoy hanging out with, these are the people I don’t mind hanging out in the hot-tub with, WE ARE FAMILY.
How about you? Take a look around. Take a moment and really look at the person you are sitting next to. If they were hungry would you provide them something to eat? If they were thirsty would you get them something to drink? If they were crying would you offer them comfort? Of course you would. Even if you are a guest here when you enter into those doors, you are like a member of the family. We want each person that enters to experience love, acceptance and community. We want everyone to feel like they are part of the family.
A couple of weeks ago I was meeting with several United Methodist pastors. We are discussing a book called “A Work of Heart” Our discussion turned towards community and worship. One of the pastors shared that they knew of a pastor who had once said his greatest experience of community was when he went to a multi-level marketing convention. The pastor shared how much he enjoyed going to those conventions, how they felt so much like family. I used to be involved in multi-level marketing and I know of the experiences that were being described. You see when you go to those conventions there is a lot of positive energy, there is a lot of single-minded focus, when you enter into that covention center floor you know you have entered into an environment that is all about making people believe they are winners because everything is directed towards one single focus.
Guess what that single-minded focus is - MAKING MONEY!!!! It really was all about making money - but here is where the real sense of community came - If I was not making money then others were not making money, therefore it was crucial that I make money so that others would make money. A win for me meant a win for others, just as a loss for me meant a loss for others. Paul said it better, “When one part of the body hurt the entire body was sore…” The people that were gathered at that convention were invested in one another. Their future, their success was dependent upon the success of others.
Jesus knew that He was about to go the way of the cross. He knew that if people were finally going to see the depths of God’s love for them, it was going to happen through this rag-tag group he had assembled. If they failed to love one another, if they failed to invest in one another, there was no way the world would come to see and know the depth of God’s love. The only thing the world would remember about his teachings and his miracles was that it had led to a brutal and painful crucifixion. The disciples had to embrace this command or else all would be lost. Jesus was saying to them, “If you cannot love one another as I have loved you, then you will never have the capacity to love others.” Jesus was telling them that they must have one single-minded focus and that focus must be on Loving One Another. Plain and simple. No other thought could be allowed to penetrate the hearts and minds of those disciples. John writes later, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
Again on the surface this sounds like a very straightforward command and easy enough to execute. And it is pretty easy to execute this command under blue sky conditions? Blue sky conditions of course means the universe is functioning the way it was intended to function. Cotton Candy tastes like cotton candy. People say thank you, please and your welcome. There is a no waiting line available at the Wal-Mart check-out. Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to love your children after you put them to bed… That is blue sky conditions.
Jesus must have known that the disciples were about to experience a lot of grey sky conditions. They were going to experience a real challenge to this command of loving one another. It wasn’t going to be long before they were going to have to figure out how to love someone who violates the commandment of loving one another. Peter would deny knowing Jesus. Judas would betray Jesus. The disciples would dismiss the message that the women brought regarding the empty tomb. They would all run and hide once Jesus was arrested. There were most certainly a lot of grey sky conditions immediately following Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and burial. Executing this command of love one another was going to prove quite difficult.
Have you ever found it difficult to love a family member when they have violated your trust? By the way when I talk about family here I am of course talking about our immediate family, but I am also talking about your church family.
Perhaps you may have felt like this actor who was playing the part of Jesus in the Passion Play. The scene involves Jesus walking up the backside of a hill carrying a cross on his shoulders. As the actor is half-way up the hill a person from the crowd begins to heckle him, shouting insults and just being downright mean to the actor. The actor becomes greatly annoyed by this heckler so he tosses the cross to the ground and goes over to the heckler and punches him in the nose. As you might imagine a great disturbance then occurs. The director gets the actor under control and says to him, “Listen I know the guy was a real pest and perhaps he deserved what he got, but listen you are playing the part of Jesus and Jesus did not retaliate. If you do this again I promise I will fire you on the spot.” The actor was very apologetic and promised he would never do that again. He knew the importance of the play and he also knew the importance of the role he was playing. The next day the play was moving along just great and then it was the scene for where Jesus was carrying the cross up the hill. The heckler had returned and this time his abuse was three times worst than the night before. Once again the actor lost his cool and exploded in a fit of anger, pouncing on the heckler and punching him in the nose. The director immediately fired the actor telling him “That’s it, you are fired. There is no way you can be on this set playing the part of Jesus if your first reaction is to always retaliate. I am sorry but I am going to have to let you go. You are ruining the play and the message is being lost. Headlines will now read - Jesus Punches Heckler 2 Nites in a Row!!!" ("Love in the Face of Hecklers", Contributed by Pastor Melvin Newland via www.sermoncentral.com)
It’s an amazing scene Jesus going through the crowds of people who are heckling and criticizing him and he does nothing but look towards his ultimate destination. When the soldiers have ripped his clothes and hosted him into the sky for everyone to see his bruised and naked body Jesus does nothing but look to his Father for one last breath so that He can say it is finished. Jesus had one single minded focus, one single mission, and he was not about to fail. His mission was to show the people the depth of the Father’s love and so in tremendous agony and physical distress He cries out “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” In the midst of extreme grey sky conditions Jesus gives to people what they need - forgiveness, grace, mercy and love instead of what they deserve - punishment, condemnation, rejection.
Jesus completed the mission. He also knew that while His work was finished the real test of whether or not the people understood the depth of the Father’s love would be completely dependent upon whether or not his recruited rag-tag group of disciples really learned to love one another. Jesus knew that if they could not love one another there would be no hope for the world. Jesus knew that if they could not love one another there would be no capacity to love others. In other words Jesus knew that if his disciples failed in to execute that one commandment His death would be in vain. His death would be pointless. Everything about the crucifixion and resurrection was dependent upon love.
How well are we doing church? I invite you to consider a few questions - “Who in this church would you die for? Who in this church would you wash their feet? Who in this community would you die for? Would you wash the feet of the one who wants to build a lounge and bar next door? Perhaps this message makes you think - these are one of those times Tim’s being talking about - when he wishes he wasn’t a Christian. As the saying goes if this were easy everyone would be doing it. I confess this is a very difficult commandment to execute, but I can honestly say it is the reason I am a Christian, it is the reason that I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ because there is no other challenge for me as great as learning how to love one another.
