Commanded to Love

Today we’re going to be in the Gospel of ’m currently going through a class on the Gospels and one of the big themes we’ve been focusing on is the Kingdom of God.

What does the kingdom of God look like?

What does it mean to be in God’s kingdom?

Where do we fit in as a part of God’s kingdom?

I hope that as we leave from church this morning we’ll have answered these questions and that these answers will serve as a reminder to us of what it means to follow Christ.

Let’s read together …

PRAY

Background

At this point in John’s gospel we are nearing the beginning of the end. John has told the story from John the Baptist, to Jesus’ miracles at the wedding of Cana, to interactions with Nicodemus and the woman at the well, to feeding thousands, and healing those who were sick and ailing. Jesus has refuted Pharisees, declared his divinity by reaching into their history to declare that before all they knew, he was there. He has dealt with the death of one of his closest friends, and did the unthinkable, the inhuman, the supernatural when raising him from the dead. He has been anointed, praised, anticipated, and celebrated. He’s also been mocked, questioned, had to fend off death threats, and most recently - betrayed.

At the beginning of our chapter, it is the week of Passover and Jesus has gathered the disciples for a time meal together before the beginning of the end. John describes this dark brooding scene full of turmoil, and in John’s motifs a battle of darkness and light, good and evil, and we see Judas succumb to the desires of the enemy.

They were gathered in a room, and Jesus chose to serve his disciples in a way that has become a staple in the church for demonstrating a humble servants heart - he washed their feet. In a moment where He knew that what was to follow would be full of pain, suffering, and separation from the Father, he continues to serve and love on his disciples.

He couldn’t bear it any longer and his spirit was so troubled that he declared that one of his closest followers, one of the entrusted 12, one of his disciples - would betray him. Leveling the room, he doesn’t stop it but instead tells Judas is verse 27, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” I can’t imagine being in a position of being betrayed, but Jesus - the creator and king and fully God, does not stop this evil plot, but recognizes this as part of the Messiah’s glorification process.

“And it was night...” this is the author John using his creative writing to communicate the evil intent in the air, the darkness and terror that were in the midst of an all out attack on the true Light of the World.

It’s in the midst of all this that we come to our passage this morning.

Exegesis

I want to pause here at verses 31-35 to take a deeper look into what is happening here.

Let’s start in verse 31.

It begins with setting the stage for the rest of this short passage in saying this happened after Judas left. Jesus then gives this speech about his glorification process.

After telling of his betrayal, Judas steps out and there is this air of uncertainty in the room (we see this in verse 28). Knowing what is about to happen Jesus addresses some issues of His Messianic kingdom.

This reminded me of what some organizations or companies do after there has been an incident with one of their employees or an unfavorable event. There is this need to clarify and clear the air that whatever just happened does not reflect the organizations principles or values.

I’m a big sports fan and I hear about this all the time with players who act out or who have somehow messed up. The team must clarify to their fans and to the world watching that the players actions do not reflect the beliefs or values held by the team. And there’s often some sort of restatement of what the team actually does believe and the values that it does hold - things like a high levels of respect, character, devoted work ethic, and integrity.

With Judas, one of the disciples, about to go on to make the most heinous act in history, Jesus takes it upon himself to restate what his kingdom is about. So that people do not get confused at the actions of one of its followers, Jesus clarifies in the following verses what being in God’s kingdom is all about… and it’s far from Judas’ decision and actions.

Jesus then makes the pronouncement, “Now the Son of Man (this phrase we’ll come back to in a second) is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

Then verse 32 continues with this condition, “If God is glorified in Him...” then a prediction “God will also glorify him in himself”… followed by this statement of escalation “and glorify him at once.”

A pronouncement, a condition on the prediction and the escalation of that prediction.

In verse 33 Jesus directly addresses the disciples calling them, “Little children”

Now we have not heard this greeting to the disciples before but I love it. It conveys the divine nature of Jesus, his ability to see the larger picture and know that these disciples, that they may be afraid, anxious, and nervous for what is coming.

Imagine yourself at this table. Your leader has mentioned before his time not yet coming, he’s referred to what “must happen for God to be glorified”, and then drops a bomb at the dinner table by saying one of you will betray him.

we’ve all had some awkward dinner conversations or Thanksgiving dinners with some family members that we just don’t see eye to eye with

But this is far beyond our realm of conversation. There’s a lot to process and it does not always make sense to you as a disciple.

But it’s from this flow of betrayal that this New Commandment is stated, and even afterwards a denial of the Messiah is prophesied about Peter, so the need to know where God stands and what the kingdom of God looks like is even greater.

So he says “little children” - and these are young men, in their young twenties most likely.

Now i’m pretty fresh out of my young twenties and I can still remember the attitude, mindset, and headspace of a young twenty something year old man and there’s a sense of wanting to prove oneself, being able to stand on one’s own feet, maybe a sense of dependence

and I can’t say this for certain but even though Jesus is older, he’s not generations older, but he calls them little children. And i bring up all that to say that if someone called me a “little child” I would not take kindly to whatever else came out of their mouth. I consider myself a bit older than a “little child”.

But in this verse - Jesus calling his disciples “little children” is not condescending or patronizing, at least i don’t read it that way.

I think it points to Christ’s divine character, his omniscience and

and I think It shows that the disciples were in a anxious, despairing state and we see Christ meeting them where they are at

We know that this is true for us today too right? That Christ meets us where we are at. No matter where we are at in life, whether we’ve just recently started walking with the Lord or we’ve been walking with Him for 40+ years… He always remains in the same place in our lives (seating on his throne, with a knowledge and care that we think similar to that of a parent)

And we are all God’s children, and when there is stuff going on in our lives that is causing us to freak out, stress out, where we slip into despair and anxiety - God can say to us, “little children” and there’s a deep sense of comfort, peace, and the chaos in our hearts and minds dissipates.

Now just as Jesus has called them by saying little children, he freaks them out a bit more by saying “yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, “where I am going you cannot come.”

WHAT?!?

what a roller coaster night this is. This is supposed to be a celebratory time, meals and togetherness and yet this night has just been one thing after another.

Jesus says, “as i said to the Jews” - and what does he mean by this? well earlier in John’s gospel he’s had the jewish people following him but these are unbelieving Jews, and Jesus had said to them where I am going you cannot come. But now the disciples are hearing this, young men who DO believe.

They don’t get to follow Jesus either! You can tell this is getting to them because in the verses immediately following our passage this morning it’s the first thing Peter brings up.

Peter’s given the last 3 years to this man, and has every intention of following Jesus everywhere he goes. Peter probably can’t imagine himself farther than 3 feet away from Jesus.

But I digress, and our passage continues with Jesus giving them a commandment.

I think is is brilliant by Jesus - again he is meeting them where they are at. He knows that their hearts and minds are just racing right now, trying to deal with these cloudy unknowns about what is to come. So what does he do? He gives them a command, a task, something to wrap their minds around.

Verse 34 reads, 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.

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.

Jesus coming for his Messianic kingdom

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Jesus coming for his Messianic kingdom

It begins with the base of this commandment - love one another

then Jesus offers a comparison, an example of this love - just as I have loved you,

then he expands on this commandment from that example - just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another

He gives them what he calls a “new commandment”

And he uses this language purposefully. To the disciples, there was already a commandment about loving other people

It’s in which reads, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

We may known this more commonly as “the golden rule” - this is already a high standard, loving your neighbor as yourself.

it’s not easy always easy to treat someone the way you would want to be treated, especially if they have wronged you or angered you in some way

It’s a lot easier to invoke some sort of justice, or vengeance, or payback but we are to love them.

Now Jesus ups the ante even more. We’re not just supposed to love others as ourselves but now we are to love as Christ has loved us.

Christ - whose love is unconditional, whose love knows no bounds, whose love is for all people - is to triumph in these disciples lives all the time. Christ’s love was sacrificial (as he will give his life for the world to be saved), it served others (like just before this when he washed their feet), and

and this love that they are to embody, is to be for one another

No longer is the command held to a human standard “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”, now it is a holy standard, a perfect standard, a divine standard. Now that Christ came down and lived the perfect life we are to follow that and aspire to live that life - of loving others as Christ did.

And this love that they are to have is for “one another”

It’s a love that should be recognized amongst believers, amongst His followers, and it starts with the disciples.

Yes there is a need to love outwardly, to others in need, to those who have not known the love of God but right here in this moment Jesus is saying that just as I have loved you, you are to love one another.

The love that only these disciples of felt, these 11 here with him who have experienced Jesus love in ways others haven’t, this is the love that they are to continue to have for one another.

And why can Jesus make a new law - because He is God. God is the law maker and giver. And because Jesus has the authority of God the Father this law comes from God.

Verse 35 ends this passage by saying, By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The other thing about this love -

Now comes into play the outward aspect of this love, the affect that effects others.

by this love, other will know that they love Christ. How strong of a love is this that just by the act of loving one another, others will know that they are followers of GOD.

I think this ties perfectly into what Pastor Wayne has been preaching from the book of Acts. Last week in he brought up how Barnabas SAW the grace of God in the church of Antioch. He SAW the church exemplifying, living out, and being like Christ.

Our passage this morning exhorts us down a similar path as we are to love one another others will RECOGNIZE. The love that Christians, followers of Jesus have for one another will be a way that …

the light of the world is spread into darkness,

it’s a way that the Spirit can work in peoples hearts,

it’s a way that others can come be pointed to Christ

The other thing about this love -

esus coming for his Messianic kingdom

Judas betraying him

Application

So EPC, for us this morning, what does this mean? what does this look like?

I want to bring those questions that I mentioned at the beginning in front of you again. Because knowing and doing this New Commandment is good and necessary, but it’s how it fits into the larger picture that may help us the most.

What does the kingdom of God look like?

What does Christ’s kingdom look like?

How do we define God’s kingdom. Well my professor’s definition that I really like is… God’s people under God’s rule in God’s place.

Where do we fit in as a part of God’s kingdom?

God’s people …

in God’s place…

under God’s rule.

This is Christ’s kingdom - is where God’s people, his disciples, his followers, people who entrust their lives to God, have put their faith in him.

As far as God’s place, like it says in verse 33 of our passage, where Jesus is we cannot yet go, but I would argue that this is more of a spiritual presence, that God is with us where WE ARE AT.

And Under God’s rule - living out God’s instruction, commandments, living in accordance with his His word, the law (which includes this new commandment.

and they live out God’s instruction, commandments, in accordance with his His word, the law (which includes this new commandment.

What’s our role in God’s kingdom?

As I just mentioned, part of it is living under God’s rule. That means adhering to His commands, and there are many, but from our passage this morning.

We are commanded to love one another. Our role in the kingdom is to love one another as Christ has loved us.

So let me ask you this, it’s something that I’ve been asking myself, and it’s necessary in order to carry out our role?

How has Christ loved you?

How has Christ loved you over the span of your entire life?

How has Christ loved you in 2018, over this past year?

How has Christ loved you this past week?

And now…

Are you loving one another, the people in your life, the people in this room, in that same way?

Have you loved in a way that would point people to Christ?

I think this is especially necessary for us East Parkway Church, and where we are located. I was in a conversation this week and had the opportunity to share about who we are here and our heart which wants to reach this community around us. But as all of you know, reaching this community is different then being a church in Antelope, or South Sac, or areas that may have “obvious” needs that the church can address and show their love through.

One of our best ministry opportunities might be the way that we show love to each other.

I would assume that you love those in your lives, to a certain degree (family, friends to even coworkers, neighbors)

but do they know that you love them?

i’m not sure how common it is as you and your neighbor are mowing lawns to stop them and say, hey… just wanted to let you know that I love you

but do they know that you love them?

taking it a step farther, do they know that God loves them?

Do the people in your lives know through the way that YOU love them… that GOD loves them. That you are loving them with the love of their maker and king.

Where do we fit into God’s kingdom?

The last aspect of kingdom that we learn from this passage is that it’s based on community. “loving one another” … it is a community of people love each other as Christ loved them.

You are a part of God’s community.

It’s part of what we are aiming to do here, our mission. “Building Community for the Cause of Christ”

and how? by reaching Treelake Village and beyond. We want this neighborhood to be pointed to Christ through the way that we love each other here. How do we do that? Well we need to be in their community, we need to enter into their lives. We cannot expect them to just come to us, but we must enter into their world and then they can see another one of our vision points here at the church.. the way in which we support and care for one another.

As a part of God’s church, his community, his kingdom… you are tasked, commanded to love one another as Christ has loved you.

And in a time where all sorts of lines are being drawn and there seems to be this need to distinguish who is on one side and who is on another, where there is hostility and anger towards those who differ… what if we were the source of light, the ones who loved, the movement that pointed people towards Christ.