Love One Another

‘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.’ John 13:31-35

The New Commandment? The question might be, “Does this supersede all the Old Commandments?” And who is this guy declaring a “New Commandment” anyway? We can imagine that these and many other questions were asked by the Jewish audience hearing this for the first time. Today we may take for granted that the speaker is Jesus who is the Messiah, the second person of the Trinity. The same God who delivered the Old Commandment has proclaimed this New Commandment. This was a hard truth to fathom for these first Century Jewish people.

We are blessed with a couple of thousand years of saints, theologians and church doctrine to enlighten us on this truth. But even though we might ‘get’ this radical concept, do we really understand the freedom we’ve been given? Yes, the Old Commandment is still valid, but in Christ we are no longer bound by the chains of the Law. God’s love has been revealed in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We are to proclaim this Good News by simply loving one another. Imagine what the world could be if we ALL actually practiced this simple Command. Imagine your world, your life if you lived out this command in a fresh, new, even radical way. I think this is what Jesus had in mind.

See You Sunday,
Missy