JOHN 13:34-35
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
REFLECTION
Daily, we hear Christians and non-Christians speak about caring for or loving one another, even in political ads. Do we hear these words so often that they have lost some depth of meaning? Have we truly considered the seriousness and responsibility with which Jesus presents this passage? Reading it deeply makes us think.
Why does Jesus present this as a new commandment?
How do Jesus’ words “as I have loved you” relate to John 3:16?
We know about the 12 disciples, Jesus’s contemporaries, but who does he include as disciples in this passage? What is their responsibility?
This past year, Jack was among the group from our church who visited with our friends in Cuba. In Varadero, Pastor Joel Ortega Dopico showed his love for his congregation when he told us that his family now lives in the US, but he could not abandon his congregation. “They have nothing; all they have is faith.”
How do we act as witnesses to Jesus’ love?
Dear Lord, please let us remember to be aware of the depth of your love. Let us remember that you have called us to be your disciples and to fulfill our responsibilities as you command. Please open our hearts to love as completely as you love us, as shown by giving your life and suffering on our behalf. Amen.
WRITTEN BY
Jack and Betsy Gustafson