John 13:34: “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.”
This morning as I was nursing a hurting heart wounded by someone I know, the Holy Spirit began working in my heart as I read from my daily devotional to reveal a powerful truth in the passage I read.
If you are a born again Christian believer reading this blog, you already likely know of Jesus adding this new commandment to love one another just as He loves us. Yet what gripped me this morning is the setting in which Jesus introduced this commandment.
It comes after Jesus knew that one of the 12 chosen disciples of His was going to betray Him. Satan had entered Judas because Judas had allowed Satan to not just take over his thoughts and will but also his body. Jesus was fully aware of this. Yet He did not fret or feel dismay or get shocked. Jesus knew fully well what was happening in the flesh. Yet His reactions to this was not in the flesh- He calmly began washing the feet of His disciples and introduces the concept of servant leadership to them. He calmly asks Judas’ to do what he has to- Jesus was fully aware that God was in full control. In John 13:3, we get a glimpse of what was in Jesus’ mind: Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God”
Let’s just park on that verse above for a moment. Jesus was aware of two things during a moment of painful betrayal from a friend: firstly, that God has ALL things under His power and control! Secondly, Jesus knew of His identity- He was not of this world. He was a passerby. He came from God and was going back to Him.
Therefore, instead of focussing and reacting in the flesh, He was at work serving His disciples.
He gave the new commandment to love one another just as God has loved us. Right there, sandwiched between the passages mentioning the betrayal and hurt about to be meted on Him by two of His beloved disciples- Judas and Peter. Both would betray and disappoint Him. Judas was remorseful after his act of betrayal and hanged himself. Peter wept and repented and went on to do greater works. Jesus loved on them despite what they did to Him. He loved on them knowing what they were about to do. He loved on them with an unwavering love even through that season of betrayal. He loved on Peter even after he had betrayed Jesus.
Jesus showed love in action. Not love as in fuzzy-wuzzy feelings. But love as a verb. The love we read about in 1 Corinthians 13 was found in the person of Jesus. Here is the verse for us to reflect on: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
God began showing me through the passage at hand to show love to those that hurt, betray, disappoint. Even if they have been undeserving, unloving or unkind. But how can I do this?
Jesus shows us in John 15:4 how we can show Christ like love to those around us: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
The secret to loving like He does is in showing love to another the way Christ does. We do not love like the world does- where we measure and give it out based on how others treat us. No, that is not what Jesus teaches us. God’s equations do not make sense to the common man who has not encountered Jesus.
We cannot love like He does unless we remain in Him. We cannot bear fruit- the evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit- without remaining in Him.
Our mission in this world is not to treat people the way they treat us. God wants us to go higher- and the only way to do this is by being attached to Christ as the true vine.
We cannot manufacture love in our hearts except through Christ. Such love comes by abiding in Him- by realizing how much we are loved unconditionally even though we are not worthy of it. Jesus paid it all on the cross for us when we are undeserving. How can we hold back forgiveness to another when He did not hold back for us?
We cannot expect to serve others when we nurse our hurts and wounds by reacting in the flesh.
Here is a profound reason Jesus gives on WHY it is important to love others the way He loves us: By this everyone will know that you are Jesus’ disciples! They will know we are His. They will know that it takes extraordinary strength and character to love those that hurt you.
Does this mean Jesus did not feel any hurt or pain? Not at all. In verse 21 we read that Jesus reveals that one of His disciples will betray Him and He was troubled in the spirit. His human spirit was troubled. He did feel the hurt of betrayal. Yet He looked at it as something allowed by God for a higher purpose. He felt the pain and yet He could be calm about it because He knew God allowed it and therefore God was in control of the situation.
My friend, has someone hurt you that makes you feel disappointed and angry. Perhaps you have hurt someone and are not proud of what you did and feel remorseful.
If you are the one who has been hurt, I implored you to remain in Jesus today and let His love wash over your pain. Allow Him to pour His love in your hearts so you may be able to share this love to those that have hurt you. If you have hurt someone and are nursing this pain, I implore you to allow the love of Christ to watch away that guilt and heal the relationship. I pray you will not be filled with guilt like Judas was-he took his own life because he was so consumed with remorse for betraying an innocent man. I pray you will be like Peter who wept when he recognized what he had done but he truly repented and returned to Jesus. God not only restored him completely- Peter became a powerful witness for Christ to the nations. Peter was the Rock on which the church stood-as Jesus told him. Jesus did not punish him or guilt-trip Peter. Jesus lovingly restored him. God restored, renewed him and breathed new life and purpose into him.
Whichever side of the fence you are on- the person who hurt or the one on the receiving end (likely both sides hurt), I want to encourage you with this song- God sees your despair and your grieving heart. He is your El Roi-the God who sees YOU. This song ministered to my heart in my pain. The singer Nicole C. Mullen weaves powerful stories of different characters from the Bible who were each in difficult seasons and in throes of despair-yet God delivered them from their misery and restored hope and future to them. It is my prayer for you that as you step forward to forgive from your heart and to love those that have hurt you from your heart that God will pour His love into your hearts and restore joy and peace to you and your relationships.
Prayer
Heavenly Father I am so ashamed of myself- I have been so consumed by how much I have been hurt that I have failed to see how much and how far away I have drifted from You. I have failed to see how much You have loved me that You took my penalty on the cross. I need You to pour Your love into my heart and show me how to love those who have hurt me. Be near to them Lord and help them to know that I am Yours. Help them today to find You through my life and to draw near to You- the only living hope! O Lord may they receive Your love into their hearts and be set free from every self-limiting belief and doubt. O Lord I ask that You will break every wall they have built around their hearts from hurts that they have experienced in the past. O Lord set them free to receive Your love. Set me free from bitterness and unforgiveness and make me a channel of blessing and love from this moment on to those in my life. May I be Your fragrance wherever I go. In Jesus’ Matchless Name. Amen.