Scripture Passage
John 13:34-35
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.”
Sermon Script
When we read today’s passage, the message seems quite obvious. It’s only two verses. Following Jesus is about loving one another. Jesus says it clearly.
But not… quite so.
Yes – Jesus gives the new command to love one another. That might be what our eyes are immediately drawn to. But we miss the most important part. Listen to the first part of the passage again—
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34
Jesus’ command to love one another doesn’t stand on its own. He tells us clearly that how we love one another is connected to the way he loved us first.
Here, we get a better understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. It means to first recognize that Jesus loves you.
We know very well that Jesus loves us. As kids, we sing “Jesus Loves Me”. This we know, for the Bible tells us so. It is one of those things we take for granted. We don’t think much of it. That’s probably because we think we know what it means.
But do you? Do we really know what Jesus’ love is like? We can easily confuse it with the way we love other people. We see that with PETER.
It is interesting to see what happens before and after today’s passage. Before, Jesus tells the disciples he will be gone soon. He predicts his death on the cross. After the passage, Peter asks Jesus where he is going. But Jesus tells Peter that he cannot come where he’s going. And this is what follows—
Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
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!
John 13:37, 38
Peter had strong feelings for Jesus. After all, he was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. He felt he loved Jesus enough to die for him.
Jesus knew that. However, he also saw something else in Peter. He knew that when his feelings are overcome by fear, Peter would look after himself first. He was already a few steps ahead of Peter.
Hearing Jesus say that, Peter must have felt surprised and discouraged. That is what following Jesus is like.
When we follow Jesus, we don’t see how well we love others. Rather, we see our own limitations and weaknesses. That was what Peter experienced, when he caught himself denying Jesus in front of others later on.
But, there is also a flip side. On the one hand, we may face the uncomfortable truth that we are not all that loving. Yet, in that realization, we also experience the comforting truth that Jesus still loves us.
When Peter betrayed Jesus, he was ashamed of himself. He failed to live up to his words. He acted like a coward. He let down someone he loved and respected. Scripture says he wept bitterly because of it. He saw himself as unworthy and unlovable.
Despite what Peter thought of himself, Jesus never abandoned him. Even knowing that he would betray him, Jesus didn’t leave Peter. He didn’t cut Peter out of his life when he denied knowing him. You know who Jesus went to see after the resurrection? It was Peter. He even helped him catch fish and had breakfast with him. Rather than cutting off their ties, Jesus restored their relationship.
That, my friends, is Jesus’ love. It is so different from the way we love other people. We love according to how we feel about the other person. We love depending on how the other person treats us. Our understanding of love is very much shaped by the world’s understanding of love.
The world tells us that love is only for those that deserve it. To be loved, you must be loveable. You must be attractive. You must be likeable. You must be successful. You must be perfect. If you are not lovable, then you deserve to be ‘cancelled’. Not only do we face these kinds of standards in our relationships with others, we also impose them onto those around us.
But that is not the way Jesus saw love. He saw love for what it really is.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
Luke 6:32, 33
Jesus showed us that love is for EVERYONE. He didn’t just say, “Love your friends.” He also said, “Love your enemies.”
We love not just when the other person listens to us, agrees with us, does what we want, and meets our expectations. We love even when the other person doesn’t listen to us, disagrees with us, doesn’t do what we want, and doesn’t meet our expectations. People deserve to be loved even when they are unlovable.
That is how Jesus loved us. He did not blame or condemn us for our sins. He died while we were still sinners. St. Paul said—
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Jesus took all our sins upon himself because he loved us. He went to the cross for our sake. The cross is the symbol of love. We are all saved by Jesus’ love.
That is why it’s important for us to understand how Jesus loves us before we begin to love others. When we experience Jesus’ love, we learn how to love others without conditions. We stop demanding that people make themselves lovable, and we also stop trying to make ourselves lovable for others. We learn to accept others with God’s great love that embraces people as they are.
When Peter told Jesus he would die for him, Jesus knew he was being sincere. Jesus knew that Peter loved him deep down. He recognized that about Peter from the start. But he also saw that Peter was too full of himself. That was his blind spot. It limited his understanding of love.
When Jesus appeared again to Peter, he knew that Peter still loved him. But he also saw that Peter became more humble this time. He became more real. He saw that in the way Peter answered his questions—
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
John 21:15-17
In Peter’s hesitation, Jesus knew Peter understood how difficult it is to love others. Peter saw nothing can compare to the love that Jesus showed him. It was then that Jesus knew Peter was READY to love. That was why at the end of Peter’s reply, Jesus said each time—
“Feed my lambs.”
John 21:15, 16, 17
“Take care of my sheep.”
“Feed my sheep.”
Before, Jesus told Peter he couldn’t come where he was going. Now, at the end of their conversation, he told Peter—
“Follow me!”
John 21:19
Do you want to follow Jesus? Don’t worry about doing anything dazzling and spectacular. God doesn’t need you to do great things for him. But first, focus on receiving and resting in his love.
Love is not what you earn. Love is what is freely given to you. Love is a GIFT.
God has given you this precious gift of love through his Son. Nothing in this world can match this gift. Receive it. Open it. Cherish it. There is no expiry date. It is for you and will always be with you.
Live each day knowing that Jesus loves you. He knows all about you, good and bad. Yet, he still loves you. Because you are so precious to him. Remind yourself every morning as you begin your day.
Jesus’ love changes everything. It changes the way we relate to ourselves. It changes the way we relate to others. It changes the way we relate to God. It makes us more gracious, understanding, and forgiving. It makes us a bigger person.
Let his love flow out of you and onto others. Forgive them, embrace them and persevere with them. Just as God has done for you and others have done for you as well.
That is who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. You’ve been saved to do the good works of love in this world. That is what we are called to be as a community of faith.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35
Leave a Reply