Loving One Another
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to conclude our summer sermon series looking at some of the “one another” commands that we find in Scripture and some practical ways in which we can make changes in our lives in relation to these commands. As I mentioned last week, we are going to wrap up with love one another. Frankly, this is probably one of the hardest for us to do well, but probably the one most of us have convinced ourselves that we are pretty good at.
To quickly recap, we have talked about encouraging one another, praying for one another, valuing or considering one another, comforting one another, showing hospitality toward one another, caring for one another, having humility toward one another, and forgiving one another. At the end of those messages we ended with several practical steps we might take to improve how we do with these commands in our own lives. We’ve been challenged to let God point out to us how we are doing and what we might do differently as we continue to allow him to transform us. I hope that we all have taken these to heart as we considered how we might be able to work on how we might become more intentional about live life among each other.
As we get started, I have a question for you to consider as we dig into this morning’s Scripture passage. What does loving others look like? How do we show love for others the way we are commanded to in Scripture. I want to remind us of Jesus’ words in:
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Love your neighbor as yourself. Love others. This idea of loving others is a common theme we see Jesus teach throughout the Gospels.
Turn with me to John 13:31-38.
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
This passage takes place shortly after Jesus washes the feet of his disciples and also after predicting his betrayal. Judas had just left after being entered by Satan, knowing that Jesus knew what he was about to do. This passage is often used for the later verses where we see Jesus predict Peter’s denial later that very evening. However, there is an important teaching of Jesus in this passage that we must not overlook. Notice that Jesus continues to teach his disciples up to the very end, even though things are about to take an ugly turn in just a few short hours.
As Judas departs, the entire set of events leading to Jesus’ trial, arrest, and crucifixion are set into motion. Jesus talks about his glorification and reminded his disciples that his warning to unbelieving Jewish leaders applied to them as well. In verse 33, we see the words “Where I am going, you cannot come.” But, the story doesn’t end there. You see, it was a matter of not yet, not that they could never go where Jesus was going. The disciples could not follow into the divine realm yet. They could, however, work to build God’s kingdom in their here and now, just like we can. They could do this by loving one another.
There’s some question as to the “degree” of love intended in the original Greek language, however, this character of love that Jesus is commanding was not dependent on the Greek verb, but rather on the “kind” of love. Jesus uses the term here of “new” command. The command to love was not new, however, Jesus is thinking differently, in covenant terms. Jesus knew that the standard was about to change. He knew that not long after he would be laying down his life for the sins of the world, in obedience to the Father’s command. Jesus’ obedience proved his love for the Father. This sacrifice is the definition of self-sacrificial and selfless love.
This call to love one another was a game changer. It was how people would know that they were Jesus’ disciples. The charge here to the disciples was that they were to love even if it meant giving their lives for the community. The focus of this love was focused inward, calling for mutual love among fellow Christians. However, the implications of this love were far reaching.
This love for one another is to be a witness for the benefit of everyone. This kind of love is to shape the identity of the people of God. It is not only to be the identity marker of Christians, but it is also key to the mission. The mission of the church, making disciples.
John 13–21: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (a) Jesus’ New Commandment (13:31–35)
The unity of the community of Jesus had the evangelistic potential of convincing the unbelieving outside world that God sent Jesus (→ John 17:20–23).
Pagans were awed by how early Christians loved one another, how ready they were to die for one another (e.g., Tertullian, Apol. 39.7). “The attractive power of communities of love is no less evident in our age, where such communities are increasingly uncommon” (Beasley-Murray 2002, 264).
So if we understand why the idea of loving one another is so important, why do we not always do such a good job of doing it? Maybe the answer lies in the fact that we think about it with our heads, and not with our hearts. Stick with me for a minute and turn with me to
10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
This example of love that Jesus talks about is the parable of the lost sheep. In the logical side of our brains, we would tend to think, well, ninety-nine are enough, I guess I’m just down a sheep. However, we see Jesus telling us that the ninety-nine were not enough, He still had to go for the one who was lost and did not give up until it was found.
Jesus asks an interesting question here - is not a person more valuable than a sheep? I think the problem comes in when we think about loving others with our heads and not with our hearts. We can justify and rationalize to ourselves all day long about what we do or don’t do, and frankly as human beings we are great at coming up with excuses.
It is not enough to have a head knowledge of love, we must let God transform our hearts to love others, because sometimes loving others just doesn’t make sense in our minds, but our hearts know that the difficult must be done sometimes. You see, loving others this way includes being willing to lay down our lives, just as Jesus did on the cross. Good shepherds were willing to lay their lives down for their sheep, just like Jesus did. Disciples must be courageous, but we must remember that our courage does not come from confidence in our own human strength.
A storm swept the ocean just off the coast of Scotland. Far out in the black trough of the angry waters a ship had gone to pieces. The life-boat set out from shore in the face of what seemed almost certain disaster, but it came back with all the ship's crew except one. To have taken another in would have meant the sinking of the boat. As they came to shore the leader said, "There's another man! We need volunteers for his rescue. These men are exhausted."
Among those stepping forward was a fine-looking young Scotchman in the very prime of his life. His white-haired mother came and put her arms about him and said, "Don't go, John; years ago your father perished in the storm at sea. You know that just last year your brother William went to sea and never came back, and I guess he, too, must have gone down. John, you are the only one left, and if you should perish what would I do? Don't go, John; your mother begs you to stay."
He took her arms from about his neck and said, "Mother, I must go; a man is in peril and I would feel like a coward not to go. God will take care of us." He printed a kiss on her cheek and sprang into the boat. Every minute the fury of the storm increased. The elements seemed to vie with each other to see which one could do the worst. Down into the trough and up over the waves they went. A whole hour they were gone, and finally in dim outline they were seen beating their way back. As they came within hailing distance someone from the shore cried, "Have you found the man?" And standing in the bow of the boat John shouted back, "Yes, we've saved him, and tell my dear old mother it's brother William!"—William Edward Biederwolf, in Frozen Assets.
I think this is a great example for us of what love for others, love for neighbors looks like. We are to love them to Jesus by all possible means. We do not give up on them, we keeping trying to connect and build relationships with the goal of loving them to Jesus. We support them however we can. We serve them, even if it’s uncomfortable. So how do we do that? What does that look like?
Well, I think it starts with these one anothers that we find in Scripture, some of which we have spent the summer looking at. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these one anothers are vital to really loving others. Here are some practical things we can do to show love for one another:
Encourage one another
Pray for one another
Value one another above ourselves
Honor one another
Serve one another
Comfort one another
Show hospitality toward one another
Care for one another
Be kind & compassionate toward one another
Show humility toward one another
Forgive one another
Loving one another as Christ has loved us. What a challenge, but also what a privilege that we can love people like Christ has loved us. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote this, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."
Let me leave you with this story this morning. We will sometimes not know for years, or maybe ever, the impact we might have on someone if we love them the way we are called to.
Ted Stallard undoubtedly qualifies as the one of "the least." Turned off by school. Very sloppy in appearance. Expressionless. Unattractive. Even his teacher, Miss Thompson, enjoyed bearing down her red pen -- as she placed Xs beside his many wrong answers.
If only she had studied his records more carefully. They read:
1st grade: Ted shows promise with his work and attitude, but (has) poor home situation.
2nd grade: Ted could do better. Mother seriously ill. Receives little help from home.
3rd grade: Ted is good boy but too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year.
4th grade: Ted is very slow, but well-behaved. His father shows no interest whatsoever.
Christmas arrived. The children piled elaborately wrapped gifts on their teacher's desk. Ted brought one too. It was wrapped in brown paper and held together with Scotch Tape. Miss Thompson opened each gift, as the children crowded around to watch. Out of Ted's package fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet, with half of the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume. The children began to snicker. But she silenced them by splashing some of the perfume on her wrist, and letting them smell it. She put the bracelet on too.
At day's end, after the other children had left, Ted came by the teacher's desk and said, "Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother. And the bracelet looks real pretty on you. I'm glad you like my presents." He left. Miss Thompson got down on her knees and asked God to forgive her and to change her attitude.
The next day, the children were greeted by a reformed teacher -- one committed to loving each of them. Especially the slow ones. Especially Ted. Surprisingly -- or maybe, not surprisingly, Ted began to show great improvement. He actually caught up with most of the students and even passed a few.
Time came and went. Miss Thompson heard nothing from Ted for a long time. Then, one day, she received this note:
Dear Miss Thompson:
I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class.
Love, Ted
Four years later, another note arrived:
Dear Miss Thompson:
They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it.
Love, Ted
And four years later:
Dear Miss Thompson:
As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year.
Miss Thompson attended that wedding, and sat where Ted's mother would have sat. The compassion she had shown that young man entitled her to that privilege.
Let's have some real courage, and start giving to "one of the least." He may become a Ted Stallard. Even if that doesn't happen, we will have been faithful to the One who has always treated us -- as unworthy as we are -- like very special people.
Jon Johnston, Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, 1990, SP Publications, pp. 111-113.
BENEDICTION
God calls the church to join in the mission of Christ in service to the world. As the church engages in that mission, it bears witness to God’s reign over all of life. God sends the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel, to engage in works of compassion and reconciliation, to strive for peace and justice in our life and in the world, to be stewards of creation and of life, caring for creation until the day when God will make all things new . . . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior and friend; May the love of God, binding us together and building us up; May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, knitting us together as a church family; Be with us until we meet again. Amen.