St. John 13:31-35
Dearly beloved,
We often hear of the teaching of love. In John 13, Jesus is
in the upper room with the disciples on the night of His arrest. Jesus is
putting things in order. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, preparing them
for the apostolic ministry; He institutes the Eucharist, giving them a way
for He and they to come into union after His ascent into heaven; Jesus also
preaches a sermon, which are chapters 14-16. John records for us so much
more that took place in the upper room than the other evangelists.
John also records for us a few words of Jesus in the midst
of talk about betrayal and denial. Jesus talks about a new commandment. This
commandment is “that you love one another.” Jesus goes on to say, “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.” Jesus
does an interesting thing in linking our love for one another to His love
for the world. Jesus is establishing the “cruciform pattern,” which is the
realization that Jesus’ self-sacrifice for all the world sets the pattern
for the life of the church.
Jesus suffered and gave His life for others. In this way,
we, too, should give our lives for others. This topic John continues into
his epistles. 1 John 2 records, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates
his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the
light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his
brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know
where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes”(1 John
2:9-11).
These words often strike us in such a way that we are
convicted in our sins, because we do not always love, and loving is not
easy. We have different variables at work against us. First, we are
enticed by the world, and second, our sinful tendencies lead us to care for
and think of ourselves first. John states in 1 John 3:12-13, “We should not
be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s
righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” We
might at first breathe a sigh of relief because we have not, at least,
murdered our brother. But John convicts us all when he follows by saying,
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him.”
Even the thoughts and evil intentions of the heart lead to
murder in the heart. This whole notion of “loving” leaves us rather hollow
inside. So, we are lead back to John’s gospel and the words of Jesus, “A
new commandment I give to you that you love one another.” What a fine word
to leave with the disciples just before Christ’s own death. Who can live up
to these words? And what do they mean? Think about your life. What does it
mean to love? There are many different kinds of love, but what is the love
of which Jesus speaks? It is a love patterned after the cross of Jesus. This
is not an emotional love, but a self-sacrificing love. It is a merciful,
quiet, submissive disposition.
An insightful example is when Jesus says, “Go and learn what
this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Cain, in his wrath, could
not find mercy toward his brother, Abel. Angered and humiliated by God’s
blessing on Abel for his faithfulness, Cain rises up to kill his
brother. Selfish
desire, a “me-centered” attitude, and the desire for the things of the world
lead us all to fall, as well. The beautiful part of Christ’s gospel in His
“new commandment” is that the love that Jesus speaks of is agape love, in
the Greek language.
This is a divine love that is Christ’s love. We cannot
attain this love on our own. Agape love has a divine quality to it and is
home to God and imparted by the Holy Ghost. One cannot wake up one day and
say that he or she is going to have “agape love.” This love is born on the
cross, and it is given in Holy Baptism. This agape love is conveyed in the
apostolic preaching of the cross. This is why Jesus teaches the disciples
of this in the upper room. The love that one is to have for his neighbor is
the love that is bred and grows in the church. This love is akin to the
word and the sacraments.
This love is tied to the institution of the Lord’s
Supper. This
heightens the dynamic of the church’s life and the receptivity of the
gospel. A church that loves is rich in the gospel. A church that is
merciful is constituted by people who are well aware of their sins, and they
are repentant. As a people, we will only be merciful to others when we
experience our own need for mercy for our sins and fallen nature. Satan
fears the gospel for many reasons. One reason that Satan fears the gospel
is that when the gospel is preached, people find comfort in Christ’s
salvation. But it becomes even more dangerous to Satan’s goals when mercy
and love prevail, because people become content and overjoyed when they know
that they are saved in spite of themselves.
When mercy and love flow from one person to the next and
they begin to focus on the gospel in order to see the free gift of salvation
in Jesus, and they muse upon the mystery of the scriptures then the church
becomes a wonderful place in which to dwell. The big picture of Jesus’
words to His disciples in the upper room are that the church is the vehicle
of mercy and divine love. Christ’s divine love is first poured into our
hearts and our very beings in the Divine Service, notably in the blessed
sacrament.
As Jesus forgives you of your sins, He proceeds to also strengthen you. The
church goes forth in festal procession with the crucifix at the head. The
church is established by Christ’s cross. The church then proceeds and
marches forward as she which serves others, loves and teaches how to love,
gives nothing in return, going forth in meekness and humility. These
things are not done in order to find favor with Jesus. These things are
done in joy and thankfulness because the church has already found favor with
Jesus.
We go forth because of the love of Jesus. Jesus died on the
cross and thereby gives His love to you. Your sins are washed away and you
are a spotless lamb ransomed and saved alive by Jesus. As Jesus continues
to love you, He also continues to teach you. He will strengthen you in the
sacrament. He will refine you and show you the way of salvation, keeping
you close to Him as His mercy and love continues to flow through the church
and into the world from the cross. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
