John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Was this really a “new” commandment? Love was not a foreign concept before this point in the bible, so the English translation is rather weak here. The better understanding is fresh or renewed. As he did with the moral law in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is raising the bar from outward actions to inner motivations…and then some. The key in this passage is Him telling the disciples to love one another in the same manner as He loved them. He didn’t emphasize “Love me more,” but rather, “Love one another more.”

Who do you look like?

Do you look more like your mom or your dad? How about your children, if you have some? Do they have more of your qualities…or your spouses? My wife and I see ourselves in all four of our children, both physically as well as in their personality types. Before my dad passed away in 2018, when my closest friends would meet him for the first time, they would usually say something like, “It all makes sense now!” It always proved to be a funny moment, but also one that was profound for me—I really am a pretty accurate reflection of my dad. The question for us today is this: Are we an accurate reflection of our Heavenly Father in terms of how we love other Christians?

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Most of us are familiar with this passage from the weddings we have attended, but could it be applied to the way we treat fellow Believers? If your spouse and/or children are in Christ, do you reach this bar in the way you love one another? How about in your small group or Sunday School class? Charles Spurgeon said, “We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we are to love our fellow Christians as Christ loved us, and that is far more than we love ourselves.” It’s a pretty amazing thought, isn’t it? Amazing…and deeply challenging.

Lastly, Jesus is telling us that the main identifying mark of his disciples from that day forward was…our love for one another. Not our moral piety, bible knowledge, tithe, voting, or even church and bible study attendance. It is to be our love for one another. How we treat each other…serve each other…talk to each other…forgive each other…sacrifice for each other…listen to each other…encourage each another…show patience with each other…talk about each other. The fish on your bumper and the bible app on your phone are nice things to have, of course, but not nearly as important as your love for other Christians. Most of the time, friends and even complete strangers can tell who your kids are by the way they resemble you. The bigger question is this: Can a watching world tell who Jesus’ kids are by the way they resemble Him?