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! [1]
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Jesus words in 13:35 are so simple and straightforward, yet often so hard to make manifest in our lives. Jesus describes how disciples are to make themselves known to the world: By loving one another. Note that He doesn’t identify personal piety, doctrinal correctness, financial generosity, or any of the other marks of discipleship. Not that these aren’t important! But when it comes to showing ourselves to the world, the most important is loving one another. In other words, the most fundamental part of living the mission is the love we show for one another.
That’s why it is so horrifically bad when Christians treat each other poorly, when they fail to show compassion and mercy, when they allow themselves to become divided and squabbling. What a horrible witness it is to a community when members of a congregation bicker and fight in front of the world! When members of a Christian family treat each other poorly! When Christians fail to respond to the needs of other with love and compassion!
Instead, we are called to emulate and imitate the love of Christ. Once again, He makes it so plain: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” He is about to show them the depth of that love in laying down His life for them. But not just for them. He will be laying down His life for the undeserving, for the guilty, and for those who are putting Him to death. This is the model in our love for one another. It’s not a matter of loving those we get along with, or who treat us well. It’s a call to love the unworthy because that’s what Jesus does.
So my prayer today is that Jesus work this love in my heart that I may go through this day loving as I have been loved, and so that if the world is watching, they might get a glimpse of the love of Jesus in me.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 13:31–38). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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