COMMANDMENT! I AM CERTAIN THAT THIS WORD ALONE WILL AUTOMATICALLY MAKE US THINK OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WHICH GOD GAVE TO MOSES ON MOUNT SINAI.
JUST THAT WORD, ALONE, APPEARS 320 TIMES THROUGHOUT 42 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. COMMANDMENTS ARE INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE POWERFUL REVELATIONS OF HOW GOD WANTS US TO LIVE NOT ONLY A HOLY LIFE, BUT TO HAVE A JOYFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
1 JOHN 5:2-3, “WE KNOW WE LOVE GOD’S CHILDREN IF WE LOVE GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS. LOVING GOD MEANS KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS, AND HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT BURDENSOME.”
THE INTERESTING THING I FIND ABOUT BOTH THE COMMANDS AND COMMANDMENTS IS THAT ALL OF THEM ARE FROM GOD THE FATHER. HOWEVER, IN OUR PASSAGE TODAY, WE FIND JESUS NOW STEPPING FORWARD AND INTRODUCING HIS COMMANDMENT.
WHEN JESUS GIVES HIS INSTRUCTIONS, HE USES BOTH WORDS COMMAND AND COMMANDMENT. IN VERSE 12, HE SAID“THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT: LOVE EACH OTHER IN THE SAME WAY I HAVE LOVED YOU,” AND AGAIN, IN VERSE 17, “THIS IS MY COMMAND: LOVE EACH OTHER. THE USE OF REPETITION IN THE BIBLE IS TO BOTH HIGHLIGHT AND EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT IS BEING SAID.
THE COMMAND FROM JESUS IS THAT WE MUST LOVE IN THE SAME WAY JESUS LOVED US. 1 JOHN 4:19, “WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.” THIS COMMAND REQUIRED OF US IS THE CONTINOUS AND NEVER ENDING “NO STRINGS ATTACHED” UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
IT IS THE BASIS OF 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8, “LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND. IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD. IT DOES NOT DISHONOR OTHERS, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS. LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES. LOVE NEVER FAILS.”
IT IS UNCONDITIONAL, BUT IT IS ALSO NOT OPTIONAL. IT IS WHY JESUS SAID THAT IT WAS A COMMAND. WE MUST LOVE OTHERS THE WAY JESUS LOVES US. IT IS SACRIFICIAL LOVE. IT IS SELFLESS LOVE. IT IS WHY JESUS SAID, IN VERSE 13, “GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE THAN THIS: TO LAY DOWN ONE’S LIFE FOR ONE’S FRIENDS.”
JESUS NOT ONLY TAUGHT THESE THINGS BUT DEMONSTRATED THEM WITH HIS OWN LIFE. HE SETS THE EXAMPLE FOR US TO FOLLOW BY SHOWING US WHAT LOVE IS AND WHAT OBEDIENCE LOOKS LIKE.
JESUS SET THE STANDARDS HIGH AND MADE THEM MANDATORY SO THAT WE WOULD LEARN TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY AND AVOID FAILURE FROM BASING OUR RESPONSES ON FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS.
THE COMMANDMENT OF JESUS IS THIS: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. JESUS LEGISLATED LOVE. IT IS NOT OPTIONAL AND CANNOT BE REVISED OR TAILORED TO MAKE IT BE WHAT WE THINK IT SHOULD BE. JESUS MAKES IT A REQUIREMENT AND COMMANDS OUR COMPLIANCE.
WE LOVE EACH OTHER UNCONDITIONALLY, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER, BECAUSE WE ARE TAKING THE GOOD NEWS INTO A VICIOUS AND EVIL WORLD THAT REJECTS SUCH A MESSAGE. WE NEED EACH OTHER, THEREFORE, WE LOVE EACH OTHER. PERIOD!
JESUS SETS THE STANDARDS HIGH BECAUSE SUCH LOVE IS ESSENTIAL TO PRESERVING THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. JESUS REQUIRES US TO LIVE OUT, IN LOVE, ALL HE TAUGHT US, AND ALL THAT THE BIBLE INSTRUCTS US TO DO.
THE COMMAND OF JESUS TO “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” IS WRITTEN IN “PRESENT IMPERATIVE” WHICH IS A VITAL CLUE TO TELL US THAT OUR LOVE NEVER FAILS, QUITS, OR GETS WITHELD. IT IS A TIMELESS LOVE AND A CONTINUOUS LOVE. THERE IS NO “ON” OR “OFF” SWITCH!
WE KNOW THE WORLD PROCLAIMS THAT “LOVE IS LOVE,” BUT WE UNDERSTAND IT MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT! OUR WORLD WANTS LOVE TO BE SPONTANEOUS, DRIVEN BY INFATUATION, AND FEELINGS. THIS IS WHY JESUS ELEVATES IT TO THE HOLY LOVE OF AGAPE!
WE LOVE UNCONDTIONALLY. WE LOVE WHEN WE DON’T FEEL LIKE IT OR THINK THEY DESERVE IT. WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO PERSECUTE US. WE LOVE LIKE JESUS BECAUSE WE REALIZE WE WANT TO BE LOVED IN THE TIMES WE ARE UNLOVABLE.
IN JESUS, WE FIND BOTH THE SUPREME MODEL FOR LOVING AND THE SUPREME RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO LOVE. JESUS HAS TOLD US THAT WE CAN NEVER LOVE THIS WAY ON OUR OWN. WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REACH SUCH DEPTHS. WE NEED HELP!!
IF WE ARE TO FULFILL THIS REQUIREMENT OF JESUS AND OBEY HIS COMMAND TO “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” THEN WE MUST ABIDE IN HIM. WE ABIDE THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS AND WORDS TO US. WE ABIDE BY ALLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FILL US AND HELP US TO HAVE THE SPIRITUAL STRENGTH TO DO SO.
WHEN WE ABIDE WITH JESUS, WE ARE ALLOWING HIM TO CHANGE AND SHAPE US INTO THE IMAGE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. THAT MEANS, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD IS WORKING IN US TO PERFECT OUR CHARACTER, DEEPEN OUR FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORD. HE IS PRUNING, SIFTING, MOLDING AND SHAPING US TO BE THE LIVING WITNESSES OF JESUS TO THE WORLD.
WHEN WE CHOOSE TO OBEY THIS COMMAND OF JESUS, AND PUT ASIDE THE PURSUIT OF “SELF” AND THIS WORLD, WE CAN “GO ON TOWARDS PERFECTION” IN A SANCTIFIED, SACRIFICIAL HOLY LOVE, AND BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE A LIFE OF ABUNDANT JOY.
JESUS SAID THAT “YOUR JOY WILL BE MADE COMPLETE.” WHEN WE OBEY THE COMMANDS OF JESUS, IN THIS WAY, WE REALIZE LIFE IS NOT AN UNHAPPY, DULL EXISTENCE OF RULES AND REGULATIONS.
OVER TIME, WE BECOME AWAKENED TO THE REALITY THAT NOTHING ELSE, IN ALLTHE WORLD, CAN BRING THE JOY THAT WE FIND IN SERVING, ABIDING IN, AND OBEYING JESUS CHRIST. THIS IS WHY JESUS PROMISED IN JOHN 10:10, “…MY PURPOSE IS TO GIVE THEM A RICH AND SATISFYING LIFE.” LET US GO AND OBEY “THE COMMAND” OF JESUS TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
