John 13:31-38
May 2, 2010
"Love One Another"
When I was in college I was a counselor for an elementary camp at Pine Canyon camp. Our own Joyce Thornton was the dean. One day we were having a Jr. Olympics as a way of building community in our “Family Groups.”.
My cabin of boys was paired with a cabin of girls to make up our “Family Group.” We were competing relay fashion against another family group in a “wheel barrel race.” You’ve probably seen these or even participated in one. One person holds onto another person’s feet and they move forward on their hands.
We were playing on a dirt surface and it came down to the last 2 couples. My group was slightly ahead of the other group. A boy was holding onto a girl’s feet and they were approaching the finish line. The girl’s arm buckled and she fell and lay there in the dirt for a split second. In the spirit of competition and not wanting his family group to lose, the boy drug the girl the last 6 feet across the finish line. It happened so fast I couldn’t react in time to stop him.
My family group had “won” but really? The little girl was scratched up all over her chest because as the boy drug her across the finish line her shirt slid up and she got all scratched up. She curled into a ball crying. The boy’s face went from the joy of winning to crushing defeat as he realized how stupidly he hurt his friend. He started crying, ran off into the woods and chaos erupted.
In the midst of our family group’s victory came stunning defeat and brokenness. Not much different than our scripture today.
Our scripture is bookended by 2 betrayals. The phrase in verse 31, which says, “When he had gone out,” refers to Judas. Judas had finally and wholly given in to Satan and the plot to kill Jesus was inextricably set into motion.
Verses 36-38, that we did not read today, address Peter’s coming betrayal of Jesus by denying Him 3 times. Peter had said, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Oh no, you won’t, by morning you will deny even knowing me 3 times.”
In between these two betrayals Jesus declares his glorification of the Father and a new commandment for us “that we love one another as Jesus loved us.”
Knowing the circumstances of Jesus’ words: the betrayal by Judas moving forward in the background, the betrayals, abandonments, beatings, torture and death to come, it is hard to understand the joy in Jesus’ words in verses 31-32, which say:
“Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”
Jesus is exalting in the fact that his passion, death, resurrection and ascension would bring glory to God the Father and to him.
Jesus in essence was looking past his present troubles to the future. He was looking beyond his suffering and death like our Revelation scripture looks beyond this earth to the New Heaven and Earth.
He was looking at how his faithfulness unto death would grant God’s forgiveness to all human beings. He was looking to how this would bring glory to God and God’s glory would draw others to him.
In the midst of utter betrayal and abandonment Jesus was looking forward to what his faithfulness would bring. He was looking past the present realities to what things could and would be and that gave him joy in the moment.
Individuals and churches are like that. When we have a vision that looks beyond present realities, and sees the present difficulties as opportunities for growth and change, we can join Jesus in rejoicing and saying “now is God glorified.”
I have a friend who when she found out she had breast cancer took this approach in her attitude and prayers. She asked God, “How can I bring you glory through my battle with cancer.” And this she did through her faithfulness to God in the midst of her pain, and she became a person other women turned to when they found themselves facing the same disease.
Verse 33 starts with “Little Children”. That designation was for all the disciples gathered there that night and for all of us gathered here today. It is the only time in the Gospel of John where Jesus referred to his disciples as “little children” a term of endearment and care. And God cares for you!!
Are you God’s child? John 1:12 tells us “that whoever believes on Jesus’ name He gives the power to be a child of God.”
“Little Children” believers in Christ, if your own home life has been far from perfect rejoice that you are in the family of God! Take comfort in that you are Christ’s brother or sister and look forward to your coming reward. Look past your present difficulties.
Now in verse 34 Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.”
This is not a new commandment in one sense, Leviticus 19:18 calls us to “love our neighbor”, in fact, every major religion has virtually the same type of injunction. What is totally brand new is the degree to which we are called to love one another to the degree that Jesus love us, “As I have loved you.”
We are enjoined to love one another to the point of giving up our lives for each other and harder still giving away our lives for each other.
In this Gospel the command that “we love one another” is the only command that Jesus explicitly makes for his disciples and insists that we keep it. This is not something that is easy to do. To love one another is one of the most basic things that Christians are commanded to do, but in that it is a command from Jesus this shows how hard it is to do.
The older I get and the more I work with people the more complex and at times difficult this seems to be in the brokenness and pain of this sinful world “to love one another” with love being much more than a feeling and defined in so many ways.
In the love, though, that we know and share with each other, the love of God in Christ is revealed, God’s glory is revealed.
One of the most evangelical things we can do is to strive to love one another.
Those in the world need to see and hear about a love between us that is so attractive, so real, so costly for those of us in it in terms of time, money, emotion, and service to each other that those who see it and hear of it are both attracted to it and scared by the cost to them to participate in it.
It is not easy to love as Jesus calls us to love each other. His example that begins chapter 13 of John begins with him washing his disciple’s feet. This is a call to serve one another. One way Jesus could have said our scripture today is “Serve one another as I have served you.”
Love, like Jesus’ calls us to, is a love that gives up our pride, and our self-righteousness that judges each other. It calls for us to seek and find a common good that looks beyond any present difficulties to a common shared vision of the future. It is a love that calls us to stay in relationship despite arguments and disagreements. It calls for spiritual maturity. It calls for forgiveness.
And when we do hurt one another, which is inevitable when people are in relationship in this sinful world, love often calls for humbly asking for forgiveness and extending that forgiveness when asked for.
I began with the story of the boy and girl at elementary camp to illustrate how hard it is to love each other and how unthinkingly we can hurt each other.
That little boy didn’t deliberately set out to hurt that little girl he drug through the dirt. He was seeking a win for his family group. But he did hurt her and hurt her badly.
For awhile a lot of the kids were really down on him and she was mad at him and the situation was tearing that little family group apart. For as you know, when 2 people have a broken relationship many people want to take sides.
But with encouragement, he asked for forgiveness and she graciously offered it and a deeper fellowship for all was found as we as a group worked things out. It took awhile for the hurt feelings and pain of scraped skin to subside, but when it did forgiveness and healing was found and so was deeper relationship. It took awhile, but sometimes forgiveness just takes time.
As we approach Holy Communion many remember Matthew 5:23-24 which says, “If you bring your gift to the altar and there remember you brother has something against you go first and reconcile with your brother and then bring your gift.”
My friends, in my life I have taken this verse literally. Where and when I have hurt somebody and know I have hurt somebody I’ve asked for forgiveness. When I was 22 a Christian radio show brought out the importance of the Matthew verse I just read. I was so convicted by that sermon that I searched my heart and mind for all I had sinned against and then spent a month calling up people and apologizing for things I had done.
As embarrassing as that was, it gave me a sense of total and complete freedom in Christ and reconciliation with others.
Today I encourage you to do likewise. You probably don’t have enough time to do it today before communion, but I would still encourage you to do it seeking the time and circumstances for it. If you do you will be set free to love and free from old angers and hostilities. Many times this type of reconciliation can’t be done on your own and you need someone with you which I would recommend. It took our entire little family group working together to come to peace with one another.
And if you’ve been hurt and someone doesn’t seek your forgiveness, forgive them anyway.
Don’t let someone else’s anger; resentment and even betrayal defeat you! Jesus in the midst of his betrayal, surrounded and closed in on all sides by betrayal, rejoiced because he knew it would not ultimately defeat him. He could see beyond his present circumstances.
Stay active and engaged seeking to love as Jesus did through service and forgiveness and by this as verse 35 says, “Everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”
Amen
Let us pray: Dear Father, make us to be your children. Help us to love one another. Help us to forgive one another. Help us to serve one another. Help us to witness to others through our love for one another.
As we are reconciled with you through the sacrament of Holy Communion let this sacrament strengthen us to reconcile with each other and those in the world.
In Jesus Name.
