Boundless Love

Just before going to the cross and becoming the atoning sacrifice for all sin, Jesus spent some quality time with His disciples giving them last minute instructions and offering some much-needed encouragement. That evening’s dialogue in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) spans only about 20 – 30 verses, whereas John’s account lasts for 5 chapters (13 – 17)! They all mention the Passover meal, and Jesus’ predictions regarding the disciples’ behaviors that night. But there are two glaring differences between the synoptics and John about this event: (1) John does not record Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper as the synoptics do, and (2) John has Jesus going into great detail concerning the disciples’ kingdom work in the near future – especially the important part the Holy Spirit will enable them to accomplish.

In all of the instructions John records on this fateful night, he only mentions one command that Jesus has for His disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). What did He mean by “new”? This command has been all throughout Scripture up to this point in time, so how could it be a new one? The newness, as I see it, lies in two things:

1. We are to love the way Jesus has displayed true love for us and for others: helping the downcast, spending time with the outcast, caring for those considered to be lowly and worthless. The Greek word Jesus uses is agape which is a love that has to be worked at, planned for, and employed regardless of how others react or even accept your kindnesses.

2. This is the kind of love that binds us to God so that we are enabled to mature in our faith and produce true, Spiritual fruit (John 15:12). This kind of love is to be the motivating factor for our outward actions (our obedience to His commands). So loving Jesus the way He demonstrated His love toward us makes our connection to Him more and more secure as we grow in our faith.

Now that’s a truly “new” kind of love – one that is of divine rather than human origin; one that builds and sustains people. This love that Jesus commands us to portray is so different that outsiders will have no trouble recognizing who we belong to. Jesus’ kind of love is the undeniable sign that we are His disciples.

But here’s the truly remarkable thing about Jesus’ love that we are commanded to demonstrate: it is not just a binding love (that secures us to each other and to the only source of life-sustaining energy), but it is a boundless love that will never diminish or be lost. In the Apostle Paul’s attempt to describe agape love (1 Corinthians 13) he maintains that it is the greatest gift of God. It is the greatest because it enables us to imitate God in all of His totality (since God is love (agape) – 1 John 4:8). It is the greatest because it brings salvation to sinners and reconciles humans with God and each other (1 Peter 4:8). It is the greatest because it will continue to be practiced, shared, and enjoyed in heaven all throughout eternity.

Come to know Jesus’ love – a love that surpasses all human understanding. Allow it to bind you to Him both now and throughout eternity. Once you’re able to comprehend His love for you (even just a little bit), it will naturally overflow in your thoughts, attitudes and actions toward others. What a wonderful world this would be if more and more of Jesus’ disciples dedicated themselves to fulfilling this one command to love one another the way He loves us.

Doug