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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35
So what is ‘new’ about this “new commandment” to love? Clearly it is not ‘new’ in time. This command is as old as the Old Testament itself (Lev 19:18). But what is new is the foundation for this love, rooted as it is in the love of Christ Himself (v 34), and in the power of this love as it flows from the new covenant reality of Christ living in us. Think of it! The very one who gave the command to love and is Himself so full of love, dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. So the power to love like Christ comes from Christ dwelling within us.
So who must we love? This passage clearly calls believers to love one another. But which “other” believers does He mean? It’s easy to love those who are just like us – who like the same music, wear the same styles, enjoy the same movies, prioritize the same political concerns, etc. Loving them is like loving yourself. It comes naturally. But what about those “other” believers? You know, the ones who aren’t quite like you – the ones it feels awkward to try to talk to, who don’t do things quite the way you think they should, or who hold what seem to be really strange views? Surely he doesn’t mean we must love them, does he? I would say he means especially them! It takes no supernatural power to love people we already “like.” But to love these others?
I was thinking about the Lord’s Supper and how it teaches us this love. If you think about it, the Lord’s Supper is like a big table Christ calls us to. Jesus is the one who sets the table. He is the one who invites the guests. We don’t get to decide whom He welcomes to the table. He welcomes whomever He wills. But what we must do is love all those Jesus says get to have a seat and enjoy this feast. So who has he placed near you? That’s who you are called to love.
Little children, love one another just as Christ has loved you.
Pastor S. Scott Lee