Our scripture this morning is John 13:34-35 (NLT).
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Jesus says He is giving us a new commandment, to love one another. That part is not new, going back as far as the time of the Exodus: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). However, He adds to this “as I have loved you”.
While this doesn’t change the intent of the commandment, it amplifies the response expected of us. To love one another as Jesus has loved us is a huge thing. It means not merely tolerating each other and avoiding open conflict, but to make ourselves aware of what is going on in the lives of our brothers and sisters.
Christian author Brennan Manning writes “we must discover why our enemy cries.” If we are to love one another as He first loved us, we must be aware of the needs and fears each other face. This sharing is what builds a community that loves God and each other as Jesus taught us.
Gracious God, in Your mercy You made a way for us to be saved through Your Son. Help us to see all Your children as family and love them the way Jesus showed us. Amen.
