Jesus' bright love in the dark of night

Introduction

Now the first thing I want everyone to notice in this passage is what was written just before. Read John 13:30 “30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.” It is night - when Judas betrays Jesus and leaves the room, John deliberately tells us that it is night. In John’s gospel, the night symbolises darkness, blindness, evil -> the opposite of the light that Jesus offers. It reminds us of the night when Nicodemus went to find Jesus in John chapter 3.

But what we find in this passage is that even in this very darkness, even in the imminent betrayal and murder of Jesus Christ, even in the display of the most evil and heinous nature of humans, Jesus’ light still shines brightly. How do we know this?

God is Glorified in the Darkness

Well immediately after John says ‘it was night’, Jesus immediately begins talking about the glory of God. Read John 13:31–32 “31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.”

We have talked about how the very glory of Jesus is the cross, the humiliation, his death. The very glory of Jesus is the love that he shows us. The light that shines in the darkness, his glory, is his love. But it is not just about Jesus. This passage says ‘the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him’ - this is saying, when Jesus the Son is glorified, the Father is glorified in the Son. And notice how it says ‘in’, not ‘through’ -> there is a unity between the Father and Son. But it is not just the Son glorifying the Father - if we read on, it says ‘If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself’ -> so it’s not just the Son glorifying the Father, but the Father glorifies the Son. And again, it says ‘in himself’ -> the Father will glorify the son within the Father himself. And it says ‘at once’, or ‘immediately’, or at the same time. The two are united - the glorification of the Father and Son cannot be divided, cannot be separated. Their glorification happens at the same time, you cannot glorify one without glorifying the other. They are united. They are one.

Doesn’t this sound familar? This is the doctrine of the Trinity. God is 3 persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), but they are one, we don’t believe in three Gods, we believe in one God.

Love one another

But why is this Doctrine of the Trinity important? Because it is with the very love that is in our Trinitarian God, that Christ loves us. And He tells us to love one another, just as He loved us. Christian love, is different to what everyone else may say is love. I think most people focus on the emotional aspect of love: the feeling you get when you love, the romantic aspect of love. But Christian love is different - Christian love is Godly love. And Godly love is Trinitarian love. And Trinitarian love is a love of a God who is so devoted to one another in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that they cannot be separated at all, and they are united perfectly together. It is a love that is completely other-person centred, selfless, self-sacrificial love that God. And that makes sense because the love Jesus showed us is the cross, an act of complete self sacrifice. So Godly Trinitarian love is not just an emotion, but it is loving action - this was shown by how Jesus washed the feet of his discples.

And Jesus now instructs us to love others with the same love he showed us.

Read John 13:34 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Now we have seen this love command before. Read Leviticus 19:18 “…but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” But Jesus calls this a new command. What makes it new?

What makes it new is that with Jesus coming into the world, and dying on the cross for us, by his body and his blood he brings about a transformation in us. What do I mean by that? Before, because of sin, we were not able to obey and fulfill God’s commandments and laws. But with Christ’s coming, He gives us his Holy Spirit, so that our hearts are no longer sinful, but our hearts love God and His law. This was predicted in the OT.

(Jeremiah 31:33 “33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Ezekiel 36:26–27 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”)

So before Christ, it was not possible to love like Christ instructs us to. But when we put our faith in Him, the Holy Spirit transforms us so that we can truly love one another, just like the perfect love that Jesus showed us: a Godly love, a Trinitarian love, a completely other-person centred, selfless and self-sacrificial love. And through this love we are united to one another, just like how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united. And as we love one another and are united like this, this is how we display the love and glory of God in this dark world.

By this all people will know

And there is another reason why it is so important for us to love one another, and actually shine God’s love and glory into the world. Read John 13:35 “35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

The love and unity that we show to one another as God’s family, is meant to reflect the perfect love and unity the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have. And this love and unity is the defining feature of the Christian community. People outside the church are meant to look at us, and they are meant to know that we are Christians by seeing God’s love and unity in us. Christians are not meant to be defined and identified by dressing a certain way, or our ethnicity, or carrying our bibles, or doing lots of volunteer work. We are defined by our love that we show. When people think of Christians, they shouldn’t be identifying us by our political views, or how much money we donate, or by our church building. They should be thinking that we are Christian by the love that we show. They should know that we are Christians because they see God’s love in us.

So evangelism doesn’t always mean going out and telling people about the gospel, although that’s also an awesome thing to do. Part of evangelism, is loving one another. Loving one another, becomes the gospel message that is sent out to those around us. When we love one another, we display God’s love, unity, and his glory in this dark world, and people see that light, and they are drawn to it, and they come to Christ and believe in Him. This is why it’s so important to love one another - because this is what makes us light in the night of this world, that draws people back from death into life.

Do you remember from camp, we talked about being salt and light of the earth, and the image that I used of being the light of the world was a bright city on a hill. Remember in Jerusalem, back in those days, there was no electricity. There were no electric lights so you wouldn’t be able to see anything. And imagine you’re in the desert at night, you’re lost, and you don’t get know how to get home. But on the hill of the city of Jerusalem, high in the night sky, there was a bright light, the light of the temple of God, and that would lead you back home safely.

And what is that light today? It is the love of God, that we show one another. When we love one another, just as Christ loved us, this becomes the light that draws those lost in the darkness, back home to God.

Conclusion

So when you think of the church, or Christians, what goes through your mind about who we are? What defines us? Whatever it may be, after today, I pray that that will change to love. Love is how people should know that we are Christians. And that love, is loving action that we show to one another, the same love that is in our God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - which He shared with us by sending his Son into the world to be glorified on the cross.

Ending song: God So Loved (Hillsong)

Discussion questions:

Before today’s sermon, what did you think defined Christians?

What do your friends think about what Christians are?

What is the true way of showing the world around us that we are Christians? How can we achieve this?