Tag Archives: John 15:12

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Who Should We Love?

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“Who Should We Love?”

John 15:9-17 (15:12) – May 5, 2024

            Children are great examples for us all. Children can make friends so easily! Of course, as children get older, their views of friendship and how to be a friend vary and mature with their growing and becoming more understanding of their friends.

A good example: “At five [years old], a friend is someone to play with now.  Whoever will play and work with me now is my friend.  They will proclaim adamantly to be friends forever, but then move on to other friends without recognizing what they are doing.  By the time they are ten these same children have a strong sense of the loyalty due friends, appreciate nuances of friendships, and experience deep pain in making and losing friends.  So, at different ages children respond to Jesus’ statements about being his friends differently.” [1]

Here in this Scripture reading today, our Lord Jesus talks about friends. Jesus calls His followers friends! Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

I suspect that at times the disciples felt inadequate, even felt like servants from time to time, and perhaps more often than that. After all, their Rabbi Jesus was becoming more and more renowned as time went by. More and more people from all over were coming to see Him, hear Him teach and preach, watch His miracles, and even to become His followers.

            Here in John 15, Jesus makes the powerful statement to His disciples that they are not His servants any longer. Servants are seen as less than, they can be subservient, and even denigrated. Instead, Jesus calls them friends!

Let’s take a few steps back. This chapter of John comes from the Upper Room discourse, which happened on that Thursday, the night before Jesus was crucified. Jesus had a Passover dinner with His disciples, and He had a time of intense conversation with them all. He said many really important things at this time, too, like this reading from today.

Jesus starts His command with a few words of preparation: “10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” The big thing I get from this introduction to our Lord’s command? Jesus tells us to keep His commands. This ought to be a no-brainer. We all need to keep, or follow, Jesus’s commands. Piece of cake, right? Walk in the park! No problem, Jesus.

But, always keeping our Lord’s commands is not quite that easy, is it?

            Jesus must have known how much of a problem we all would have with this command. He said, “IF you keep my commands.” I am assuming we are not braggarts and blowhards like some people. No, we really mean to try to keep God’s commands and to love others. So help us, God! But, I will say it again. It is not so easy.

            When Jesus announces that His disciples are no longer called servants, that means us, too. As we are followers and disciples of Jesus, we are called friends of Jesus, too! Except, it is He who has chosen us, not we Him. And, the commands of Jesus are a call to obedience. His command to love others is also a call to respond to God’s love! [2]

            I want to return to the idea of friends – Jesus calling the disciples – calling us – His friends. Similar to children and their growing idea of friendship, you and I can sometimes respond to Jesus’ way of calling us friends in different ways. And, the best part about that is that our Lord Jesus understands!

            Jesus gets us. He understands when we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired. He gets it when we are frustrated or preoccupied. Jesus especially understands when there are mental health issues that come up, for us or for our loved ones. And, Jesus continues to come alongside, and will continue to be right by our sides while we are trying to love as best as we can.

            A number of years ago, a commentator I follow was eating pizza with her youth group one Sunday evening. She asked them what it means to be a friend. She wrote down all the definitions, and here are a few, because they are so on the mark. “A friend is someone who is herself when she’s with you.” “A friend cares about you, listens to your problems, and helps you.” “A friend thinks about you before he thinks about himself.” “A friend cares about other people’s opinions and beliefs, and respects them.” [3]

These definitions are better than I could come up with, for sure! The best part is, if you and I follow these definitions (and suggestions) about making and keeping friends, we will be following the commands of Jesus! And, his number one command is “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

A big part of Jesus’ expression of friendship was by sharing His whole life with us. Living as God intended is community life, where we share all of who we are with others. [4] That is exactly what these teens gave as their definitions for true friends, and that is how we are to love one another, as Jesus loves each of us.

Will we be successful all the time? Unfortunately, no. Can we keep striving to love and keep on loving as much as possible? Yes, we can! With God’s help, and with the help of one another in our church community and our family and friends, we can love like Jesus! We all have the opportunity to follow the commands of Jesus. Love one another. Go and love everyone, in Jesus’s name. Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2015/03/year-b-sixth-sunday-of-easter-may-10.html

[2] http://gluthermonson.blogspot.com/2015/05/love-one-another.html

[3] https://melissabanesevier.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/friended/

[4] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/monthly/2024-may/sunday-5-may-2024-sixth-sunday-of-easter-year-b

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Love as Jesus Loves

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“Love as Jesus Loves”

John 15-12 love one another, words

John 15:9-17 (15:12) – May 6, 2018

Love, love, love. When you think of love, what comes to mind? Valentine’s Day hearts and heart-shaped boxes of candy? Bouquets of roses? What about popular love songs from musicals or the radio? Or, do you think about loving your family—your parents or children, or grandchildren? Loving your spouse, or your pets? Or, how about dear friends?

At first glance, this seems like something natural, common sense. Of course, I love my children. Of course, I love my husband. Of course—when they were alive, years ago—I loved my two dogs. Of course, I go out of my way for my loved ones. I bet we all do those things.

But, is that the kind of love Jesus is talking about here? Jesus gives His friends the command to love: what does that look like?

Some people say they love one another. They talk really big. You know the kind I mean. They might speak of loving all different kinds of people, and put on a great show. How much they talk the talk of love! Telling everyone how big their heart is. But, when it comes to doing anything related to love, and caring, serving, and helping others, where are these people? Do they walk the walk of love? Do they practice loving like Jesus loved?

When I was in kindergarten, my parents started me in piano lessons. As the youngest of six children, I followed all of my older brothers and sisters in having at least a few years of playing the piano. And, practice I did. As I practiced over the years, I became better and better at playing the piano. I had a teacher to show me how to play an instrument, and I practiced.

The same could be said for anything people want to become skilled at. Practice! Whether it’s playing baseball, football, hockey or tennis, when we practice an activity, we can’t help but become better at doing it. Whether it is sewing, dancing, painting or whatever else we are striving to get better at, practice doesn’t necessarily “make perfect,” but it does help us to improve. A teacher or coach helps us to become more comfortable and accustomed to doing whatever thing we are trying to do.

Let’s go back to the blowhard, the one who says they love everyone. Can you hear them bragging and boasting? Look at them! They are so tremendous at loving. In fact, no one loves half as well as these super-special lovers.

Question: is their talk of  “love” only self-serving and selfish? Or, do they walk the walk of love? Can we see the genuine effects of their loving, in their families, among their friends and acquaintances, and out in the community?

Let’s take a closer look at the Gospel reading for today, from John 15. Jesus starts His command with a few words of preparation: “10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

The big thing I get from this introduction to our Lord’s command? Jesus tells us to keep His commands. This ought to be a no-brainer. We all need to keep, or follow, Jesus’s commands. Piece of cake, right? Walk in the park! No problem, Jesus.

Well, not so much. Jesus must have known how much of a problem we all would have with this command. He said, “IF you keep my commands.” I am assuming we are not braggarts and blowhards like some people. No, we really mean to try to love others. So help us, God! But, it is not so easy. That thing called sin gets in the way, snarling and tangling us all up.

But, why does Jesus say this? He wants us to be filled with His joy. It says so, right here in this reading. We all have the possibility for the joy of Jesus of be in each one of us. Not only the joy of Jesus, but the complete joy of Jesus. Chock full to the brim! Filled with His joy!

I don’t know about you, but I think that being filled with the complete joy of Jesus sounds amazing. Beyond awesome.

However, I keep coming across this problem. I know very well that my heart is sinful. I have sinful thoughts, and sometimes I say sinful words, and do sinful deeds. Self-serving things, selfish, bragging, and boasting. I wonder whether you might do or say selfish things, too?

I suspect Jesus knew that this was the case, which was why He phrased His command in this way. But, wait! There’s more. The next thing out of Jesus’s mouth: “12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Now, wait a minute, Jesus! What do You mean? Sure, “love one another,” that I get. But, “love each other as I have loved you?” Didn’t Jesus sacrifice a lot? Didn’t Jesus love people with an unconditional love? Jesus finishes the command by not only telling us about unconditional love, but He shows us what it can mean.

I consider these words of loving command serious words, indeed. Show one another unconditional love, just like Jesus. Let me tell you how one commentator’s mother followed Jesus’s words of command to love as He loved.

“My mom started a backpack program 8 years ago with an elementary school down the road from my parents’ church that has morphed into a partnership. Among many other ways that they support the school’s students and teachers, congregation members pack food every week for more than 100 children who may not otherwise have anything to eat during the weekend.

This story was relayed by the mother of a child who receives a weekly backpack.

“This mom watched from her window as her child and his friend got off of the school bus one Friday afternoon. Her son took his food bag out of his backpack and started unpacking some food at the bus stop. This little one shared half of what he had with his friend. When his mom asked him about what she saw, he told her that his friend needed some extra food, too.

“Word got back to the school counselor. We sent extra food in this little one’s bag, until we could get the new child enrolled in the program. We added a note telling him how proud we were of him and that we would send extra food for him to share with his buddy until he could get his own bag of food on Fridays.” [1]

That weekly commitment – shopping, packing, delivering – is a way to put action to the words of love, a way to show others we care. We have the opportunity to stop being selfish. That makes possible other acts of self-giving and generosity. It’s a way to love with actions, the way that Jesus would love.

What self-sacrificing love! This kind of love is not self-centered. It does not brag or boast, it does not get all puffed up and just blather on about how loving they are. No, this kind of love is love with workboots on. Love that rolls up its sleeves and goes to work, for anyone. Loving one another, no matter what. Loving people the way Jesus would love them.

I ask periodically, “what would Jesus do?” Would Jesus roll up His sleeves, get in there and pack backpacks for kids who did not have enough to eat? I think so. What can we do for Jesus? How can we roll up our sleeves and show others that Jesus loves them?

We all have the opportunity to follow the commands of Jesus. Love one another. Go and do. Go and love, in Jesus’s name.

[1] http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/blog/2015/05/what-is-love/

“What Is Love?” Anna Macdonald Dobbs, Ekklesia Project, 2015.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2018: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)