John 13:31-36
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man 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 all men 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.”
I recently read this passage in a different way. I read it relationally instead of theologically. I read it emotionally rather than intellectually. It is so filled with feelings and fear! Jesus is finally telling his disciples that he is leaving them and they cannot go with him.
But before he goes he has one last commandment to leave with them. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus connects two messages and it seems they are of equal importance; or, perhaps not! He moves quickly from saying he is leaving them to what they must begin doing in his absence, loving one another.
But the disciples get stuck on the first statement while they seem to entirely miss the second! They are hung up on losing Jesus and they fail to grasp the importance of his new commandment.
This is somewhat understandable. Think about how these men were feeling! See how emotionally attached they had become to Jesus! Their lives were completely intertwined with his. Peter asks, “Where are you going? Why can’t I follow you? I will lay down my life for you!” Thomas says, “We don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
One thing jumps out at me. I see their passion to be near Jesus all the time. I see their total dependence on him. And I realize how little of that kind of spirit I can see in myself and the Christians around me! How we love our lives and fail to have a greater longing to be with Jesus!
We dare not miss the second part of Jesus’ command because it explains the importance of the whole thing. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” How will all men know? How can the world know how we feel about one another? How will feeling love for each other bear witness to the world?
Jesus promises that our mutual love will be a testimony. Here is more proof that love is not just a feeling! Love is action! The world can see our actions, not our feelings! So we must demonstrate our love by our deeds. Only then will the world be able to see that we are true followers of Jesus!
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