John 13:34, 35 - The New Command - Love As Jesus Did.
John 13:34, 35 (NIV) A new command I give
you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so
you must love one another. By this all men will
know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.
INTRODUCTION
A new commandment ... as I have loved you.
The commandment to love was not new. Deuteronomy
6:5 commanded love for God and Leviticus 19:18
commanded loving one's neighbor as oneself (Matt.
22:34-40; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8).
However, Jesus' command regarding love presented a
distinctly new standard for two reasons: 1) it was
sacrificial love modeled after His love (as I loved You;
15:13), and 2) it is produced through the New
Covenant by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit
(Jer. 31:29-34; Ezek. 36:24-26; Gal. 5:22).
[MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
We are to love each other as Jesus loved us,
and he loved us enough to give his life for us.
We may not have to die for someone, but there
are other ways to practice sacrificial love:
listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of
someone in particular who needs this kind of love
today. [Life Application SB re 15:12, 13]
Love is more than simply warm feelings; it
is an attitude that reveals itself in action.
How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By
helping when it's not convenient, by giving when it
hurts, by devoting energy to others' welfare rather
than our own, by absorbing hurts from others
without complaining or fighting back. This kind of
loving is hard to do. That is why people notice
when you do it and know you are empowered by a
supernatural source. The Bible has another beautiful
description of love in 1 Corinthians 13. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
I like to wear what I call my Unity
sweater. It's a cozy, V-neck sweater that is half
light gray and half chocolate brown. The colors
are split straight down the middle in the front
and the back. I bought it because of the
heightened division in today's world: racial rifts,
differing political views, and even the little
disagreements about parenting practices or puppy
training.
I'm conflict-averse and desire peace, so
this has been a difficult season for me. It helps
to wrap myself in a cozy sweater that reflects
division yet is still attractive - unified despite
its divided design. I wear it as a reminder that
as believers we can carry differing opinions
but still be unified in our faith.
Jesus knew unity would be a struggle. He
prayed that those who followed Him would live in
harmony: ". that they may become perfectly one, so
that the world may know that you sent me and
loved them even as you loved me" (John 17:23,
ESV).
Unity and love go hand in hand. Love is
the glue that holds us together and can create a
unity that will impact the world. We will face
disagreements, but despite our differences, we can remain
unified in our faith if we keep our focus on living
as Jesus did and loving each other as He loved
us. Like my sweater, differences can come
together to be beautifully unified. Jeannie Blackmer
Faith Step: Think of a way you can
promote love and unity today. Deliver flowers, make
cookies, call and pray with someone, or write an
encouraging note to show the love that reflects Jesus's
love for you. [Mornings With Jesus 2024
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
I am very close to my younger sister,
Andrea. We are good friends, and we often joke that
we were forced to be this way. Mom didnt
allow us to argue as children, and she always
stopped put-downs or unkind remarks - even when it
was clear we were kidding. I didnt understand
why my actions and words were problematic. From
what I observed, spats and sibling rivalry were
the norm with my friends in their families.
Regardless, Moms expectation for how we treated each
other held us to a higher standard.
When Jesus walked the earth, He had a
higher standard too. His behavior contradicted the
eye-for-an-eye culture He lived in (Matthew 5: 21-48).
Murder was a terrible sin, but anger with another
broke Gods law to the same degree. Adultery was
punishable by death, but lustful thoughts were adultery
of the mind. Jesus contradicted the common idea
to love neighbors and hate enemies by
commanding we love our enemies and pray for those who
persecute us.
Though the rules society had were widely
accepted, Jesus introduced this revolutionary concept
for those who followed Him back then. That
standard is still in place for those of us who follow
Him now. Certain conduct and language may be
tolerated today, but Jesus followers are called to a
higher standard - to embrace this commandment and
the sacrificial love of Jesus by extending love
to everyone, always. And that includes
siblings. Ericka Loynes
Faith Step: Read Matthew 5:21-48 and
reflect on the high standard Jesus calls us to. Do
your actions seem like normal behavior? If they
dont, have the courage to change and look more
like Him. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
Theyll Know Us by Our Love
The sign of a Christian is love. How many
people know youre a Christian because of your
loving lifestyle?
We sing about love, talk about love, pray
about love, and study love. But do we show it? To
develop love as your life principle and make it your
greatest aim, you need to take action as soon as you
finish reading this devotional"because love
acts!
Heres what you need to do to develop a
loving lifestyle.
First, start acting lovingly in your
relationships. Have you acted unlovingly toward someone?
Its time to seek reconciliation. Make things
right with your kids, your spouse, your boyfriend
or girlfriend, your parents, or someone at
school or work.
Then, start increasing the number of
relationships you have. If the most important aim in life
is to love, then we need to build as many
relationships as possible. Why? Because the world will
know about Gods love by the way Christians
love each other"and by how Christians love
other people around the world.
You cannot live a loving lifestyle as a
hermit. You spell love T-I-M-E. It takes time to
love other people. If you love your friends,
youve got to spend time with them. If you love
your kids, you spend time with them. If you love
Jesus, you have to spend time with him too.
Love always costs time and energy. But
its always worth it.
Can you imagine what would happen if
everyone in the church loved like this"if we all
committed ourselves to acting in love and giving our
time unselfishly so that people could get a taste
of how much God loves them? It would change the
world. It would grow Gods Kingdom. It would make
God so happy.
People are attracted to Christ more than
they are persuaded to him. Theyre attracted by
the love of God shown through the people who
claim to follow him. And they wont care what we
know until they first know that we care. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
If you want to grow spiritually, let love
be the ruling principle of your life. Be ruled
by love.
Love does not necessarily imply approval
of the one loved. If God had waited until He
could approve of us before He sent His Son to
redeem us, where would we be?
Of all the gifts God offers His children,
love is the greatest. Of all the fruits of the
Holy Spirit, love is the first.
The Bible declares that we who follow
Christ should love one another as God loved us when
He sent His Son to die on the cross. The Bible
says that the moment we come to Christ, He gives
us supernatural love and that His love is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The
greatest demonstration of the fact that we are
Christians is that we love one another. If we learn
this secret of God early in our Christian
experience, we will have gone a long way toward a
mature, happy Christian life.
Are you waiting to approve of someone
before you love them fully? [Peace for Each Day by
Billy Graham]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 13:34, 35 - The New Command - Love As
Jesus Did.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230626-1036.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170209-1059.html
John 13:34, 35 - The Distinguishing Mark of
a Christian.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200831-1501.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
