Doing Love Right

Doing Love Right John 13:34

John 13: 34 The context here is that Jesus is preparing His disciples for his departure.

• He is giving His disciples instructions on how to live and how to spread the Gospel after His death.
• So, Jesus starts by saying this, “A new command I give you:”
  • First, it is a command straight from the mouth of Jesus.
  • The word used here in Greek means: command, or commandment, instructions, orders, requirement.
  • So, it’s clear that Jesus is commanding us to do this. It’s not a casual suggestion.
  • So, the same would apply to us now.
  • The second, thing we need to see here is that this is a “New” command
    • The word “new” here in Greek means: fresh (3), new (37), new things (1),
  • So, this commandment to love goes against the old order of things.
    • The old order of things was law following.
  • But God is a God of love and He wants us to follow in that stream.
  • What is this new command?
    • Love one another.
  • Simply that. Not real complicated, easy to remember but perhaps hard to do.
  • There are four words for love in Greek. I want to focus on three
    • Eros, means erotic love, the love between a husband and wife.
      • Eros can also mean “to steal” (what pornography is)
    • Second, is the word Phileo.
      • This word’s meaning is closer to Like.
      • What is interesting is that the Pharisees accused Jesus of Phileo (Liking) the sinners.
    • Third word, Agape, was not commonly used in Greek prior to the first century.
    • This word seems to be a Christian expression of love.
    • The word really has at its core the essence of value.
      • I Love you because I value you.
      • This word is often understood as brotherly love.
      • But that is perhaps a watered down understanding of the word.
      • There is also a serious issue of Sacrifice in this word.
    • So agape love is where I love you because I see the value God has put in you and I am willing to sacrifice for that. The same way Jesus sacrificed on the cross for you.
  • Continuing in the verse As I have loved you, so you must love one another
    • This phrase tells us we are to love, “like Jesus loved us.”
    • This is different than how the world loves.
  • So, what does that look like? see John 8:2-11
  • This story perfectly represents the new command we just saw in John 13:34.
    • The old way, law following, would have meant the woman must be killed by stoning.
  • But Jesus demonstrates the New Way of love.
  • Verse 6 They were using this question as a trap, to have a basis for accusing him.
  • But Jesus masterfully deflects their trap.
  • This verse makes it clear that the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were not interested in true matters of the law or justice for this woman.
  • Verse 13:35 Not only are we to love others well for the sake of the other, for their value.
    • We are to love others well so that the World can see Jesus in us.
  • This is also how we know our own identity.
    • If I love others well, then My identity becomes that of a disciple.
      • I Become a disciple when I love others well.
    • I am no longer known by or for my past.
  • Loving well leads to better understanding of personal identity.

Things to keep in mind with this kind of love.

• First, we must be led by Jesus in this.
• Second, this will be hard.
• Third, this might be messy