Jesus Commands Us to Love!

5th Sunday of Easter, 5/2/10
John 13:31-35


Jesus Commands Us to Love!
I. He moves us to love.
II. He shows us how to love.


Commands. Even though we’re familiar with them, we try to avoid situations in which we have to issue them or receive them.

For instance, commands are an integral part of active military service. Military commanders are known for shouting, “Charge” and and “Attack!” and “Hold your fire!” and maybe even an occasional, “Retreat!” But unless you’re seeing active duty in a combat situation, you don’t have any use for those commands.

If you’re a pet owner, especially if you own a dog, commands are part your early relationship with that dog. As a puppy you teach it commands such as, “Sit!” and “Lie down!” and “Fetch!” and “Quiet!” But now that you have your dog trained, you barely have to say a word to it. It knows instinctively what you want it to do. It’s a miserable pet owner that has to scream commands at a dog for the duration of its life.

We use commands with our children, but usually only at a young age. You might ask them nicely once or twice to do what you want them to do, but after that you have a “come to Jesus” meeting with them. You firmly take them by the arm, make them look right into your eyes and tell them, “Stop it right now!” and then inform them of what the consequences will be for their noncompliance. But the older they get, the less you issue such commands.

In the work place commands are used only as a last resort. The supervisor wants those under them to do the work they’re supposed to do without comment from them, maybe just a word of encouragement. But if that doesn’t work, ever-stronger directives will be given. As a last resort, the supervisor might have to warn, “Do this or lose your job!”

We’re familiar with commands. We know they’re necessary in some situations. But we try to avoid using them.

And yet Jesus seems to have no reluctance in giving us a command in the verses of our text this morning. Did you notice it? If you missed it, let me remind you what it was. “A new command I give you: Love one another.” He commands us to love one another. If you think about it a little, you might be confused at best and perturbed at worst that he speaks to you that way. You might be confused why Jesus should have to command you to love. Don’t you do that anyway? You might be perturbed that he should think that he has to command something which you feel should come naturally. And yet it’s right here in black and white. Jesus commands us to love. Let’s study this command together this morning and, in doing so, clear up any confusion and misgivings we might have.

Part I.

I’d like to see if you agree with my assessment of the following situations. A teenage girl confides in a friend that she has a crush on a young man in her English class. But the very next day, her friend walks up to the young man and betrays her confidence. It was a glorious moment for that girl with the crush.

A man’s parents are sitting a courtroom awaiting the outcome of the trial for their son. When the jury returns, the verdict is announced. Their son has been found guilty. It’s a glorious moment for those parents.

A young mother watches her daughter playing in the front yard with a ball. The ball rolls out into the street and before the mother can stop her, the girl chases after it and gets hit by a car. It was a glorious moment.

By now you might think I’m crazy. My idea of what’s glorious is absurd, even cruel and sadistic. Those are the farthest things from glorious. And you’re right. But listen to these words, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” It was the night before his death and Jesus was in the upper room celebrating the Passover with his disciples. Jesus had just indicated who his betrayer was and Judas left the room. That’s when Jesus announced, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” He gets sold for 30 pieces of silver by one of his inner circle of friends and that’s glorious?

And that betrayal led to his trial. The testimony was full of lies. The judges had predetermined what their verdict would be. Sinful, loathsome men condemned the holy Son of God, and Jesus’ comment is, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” How could that be?

Hours later he was nailed to a cross along with two other criminals. His own people hated him so much that they wanted to watch him die a slow, agonizing death. It was the worst injustice ever committed. And Jesus’ comment on it all is that it’s a glorious moment for him?

How could he say that? Because he knew his death wasn’t the end. Jesus knew he would rise from the dead. The Old Testament foretold it. Jesus himself announced he would do it. Indeed his suffering and death would lead to glory.

Ultimately, he would ascend to his Father in heaven. He would assume his position of eternal power and glory, ruling over all things for the good of his believers. Not even Satan himself would be able to bring down the kingdom that he had established with his life and death and resurrection. Indeed, this was a glorious moment.

But that glory wasn’t just about him. It was about us. His perfect life, his betrayal, his sufferings, his death, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven was to win great blessings for us and assure us of those blessings. He did that so that we should be his own, and live with him in his kingdom and serve him forever in righteousness and purity. He did all that for us and now he commands us, “Love one another.”

Jesus commands us to love. But he does so only in light of what he has done for us. He moves us to love.

What possible reason does one spouse have for forgiving the other after they have committed the same sinful disregard for the umpteenth time? Why does it seem like we’re always the ones who have to do the serving while others stand by idle or don’t even acknowledge what we’ve done for them? Give me one good reason why I should feel compassion towards someone else in a tough situation or deal patiently with them even though I’ve dealt with them before? Well, can you imagine how Jesus could feel toward us? Can you imagine how Jesus could have felt towards Judas and Peter and the rest of the disciples on this night? And yet he loved them. He forgave them. He forgives us because he loves us. His love moves us to love others.

Part II.

Telling someone you love them is a wonderful thing. If it’s the first time you speak those words to someone, it’s a monumental moment. But just speaking them isn’t enough. Those words must be accompanied by action. If there is no love in action, they’re just hollow words.

The gospels don’t record the verbal expressions of Jesus’ love for others. We don’t read that Jesus told his disciples, “I love you.” We don’t hear that, when he healed the sick, he told them, “I love you.” I suppose he might have told them that, but we don’t hear that he did. That’s because we don’t have to. His actions said it for him. We never hear that Jesus disrespected or neglected anyone. We never hear that Jesus was unconcerned. Instead, we read that he was filled with compassion and he showed it by meeting the needs of the people he met. Chiefly he met their needs by feeding their souls with his word.

Immediately after the last verse of our text we read, “Then he showed them the full extent of his love.” He hitched up his outer robe, grabbed a towel and a basin of water and washed the feet of his disciples, a task that was usually relegated to a servant in the house. But Jesus, without hesitation, washes his disciples’ feet. Why? To show his love for them, to let every motion of his hands with the water and the towel tell each of his disciples, “I love you.”

And then he set down that water and that towel and made his way to Calvary’s cross. There has never been a greater act of love. The almighty Creator of all things sacrifices himself for his rebellious creatures. The holy Son of God sacrifices himself for the sinful sons and daughters of men. The King of kings and Lord of lords stretches out his hands and dies for his mortal, sinful subjects. There’s only one reason anyone would ever do such a thing: Love—the purest, greatest, most blessed love ever. God’s love for sinners. And he just doesn’t tell us he loves us. He shows us he loves us.

Jesus commands us to love. He not only moves us to love, he also shows us how to love.

The most common definition of love is that it’s an emotion of deep affection. But if that’s all, then it’s not much good. That’s because true love is also accompanied by action. That’s the love you see in your Savior, Jesus Christ. His deep affection for us moved him to die for us. That love moves us to show that love toward others. But that’s not easy to do in our selfish and me-centered world. We grow weary of listening to people who think the world revolves around them and yet we tend to slip into the same selfish mindset as we focus only on our needs and what we think we deserve. Instead, focus on your Savior’s love for you which won your forgiveness and freed you to truly love others as Jesus loves them. And now we’ve come full circle. What Jesus commands of us—to love one another—he empowers us to do and shows us how to do it.

Be the best lover you can be and, in doing so, obey your Savior’s command to love. Amen.