Johnny 13-15

John 13:35 - Jesus says, that by our love for one another. our love even as Jesus loved them, people will know we are His disciples.

The obvious idea of love here is the cross - part of what the author means in 13:1 when he says Jesus loved them to the end, or the uttermost, or eternally.

Back to Goku, or whoever that super saiyan character is above. Cross love is easy because we never have to die for each other physically. It's easy because it's really nice to think we are those kinds of people.

The love I find much more challenging is the example of love in 13:2 of Jesus laying aside His garments.

I remember a sermon AStan preached once about this and it made me cry. Bullet point time:

• Jesus knew about Juda's betrayal. 
• Jesus knew about Peter's denial.
• Jesus knew they were all going to scatter and leave him alone. (end of chapter 16 - Jesus says within the the same discussion at their dinner table)
• Jesus knew, 13:3 "that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God."

Jesus clearly understood He was God. 

Pause. 

Seriously pause. 

Okay. I'll be honest for us. These are the dramatic situations that play in our heads where everyone cheers for us and sees our points when someone has hurt us deeply, or just hurt us. 

We imagine it in some  room, we are shouting at the person, 'and you did this! yada yada yada, and you knew I would feel this! yada yada yada, but you still did this! yada yada - and there's a crowd cheering for us, and jeering at the person 'you're an idiot!' 'don't know anything!?' 'David you're so right! 'why can't they understand like you do!'

If there was ever a situation where someone could honestly do that, it was here. Jesus knew everything that these 'faithful' friends for the past 3 years were going to treat him. He knew! He knew! He probably already started to feel the hurt, knowing that they were going to betray him. 

And Jesus knows that He had all the power. Astan said, this is when we want to POWER UP! And go into our dominating mode. And Jesus doesn't power up but instead lays aside his garments and literally washes the feet of these horrible good for nothing friends. 

3 years he devoted to their lives and they just leave!? 3 years!? Man think of that pain. And he as their master kneels down to serve them. 

If people are to know that we - christians - us as a small group - name your name here and someone else's name here. If people are going to know that we truly Jesus' disciples, then we need to love each other in this way. 

So that means when someone in our group does something that's offensive to you, you don't power up to prove them wrong but you serve them. 

So when someone in our group does something 

• that hurts you, 
• that betrays your trust; 
• says something or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable, 
• when someone doesn't treat you the way you should be treated, 
• when someone ignores you, 
• when someone talks behind your back, 
• when someone invites other people to something and doesn't invite you, 
• when someone likes someone else in the group and you wish they liked you, 
• when someone just likes someone else more in general in the group and you feel hurt because you want them to be liked
• when someone leaves your party early
• when someone pays for someone else and doesn't pay for you
• when someone forgets to do something for you that they've done for everyone else
• when someone seems to always forget something they said they were going to do
• and on and on and on

By our powering up to feel good as we put them down, no, by our servant hearted love to them, then others will know, and you will know too, that the Spirit of God dwells in you, and you are one of Jesus' disciples.

By the way. We still set boundaries, we still are called to judge one another and our lives - in the sense that we rebuke, exhort, correct, with all patience and instruction (2 Tim 4:3). We do not love one another by leaving them to dwell in their sin, no, we help one another. We wash one another with the word (John 15:3). 

But we don't power up. We don't ever get to power up. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Vengeance is the Lords.

If you want to power up, fine, go and delight in your sin. But know you will find yourself alone (Gal 5:13-15) And then all will know that you aren't a disciple of Jesus. 

Love you all! 

- David