A New Commandment John 13:31-38

A New Commandment: Love one another as I have loved you! John 13:31-38

Introduction: We return this morning to the upper room with Jesus and His closest followers. Jesus the Master Teacher, is preparing his disciples, equipping them for what is about to happen. John 13:1 said, “Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” What does that mean? “Love” is a popular topic, it’s the subject of books, movies, and music, but what does it look like? The world has its own superficial ideas. Love is a feeling, an infatuation with a person. So the feeling fades and the relationship is abandoned. “I don’t love her anymore” or “Don’t I have a right to be happy?” The idea of commitment, much less sacrifice, is lost. Jesus said: “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.“ John said in 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren…” and in 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Paul said in Eph 5:2, “Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.” Sacrifice, as John 13:1 said, “He loved them to the…” telos, to the end, NIV, “He showed the full extent of his love.” Context: In our last study in John we saw two weeks ago that we should examine our hearts to be sure we know Him and then live in such a way that it is evident that we do! This passage shows one important aspect of the Christian Life. It’s a life defined by love. The Big Idea: Jesus showed us what love looks like. As we choose to love one another we show the world that we know Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

I. Jesus showed His love by being willing to lay down His life. He knew that God was being glorified as the Gospel story unfolded according to plan (31-33).

The glory of God has been a major theme in John’s gospel from the start, but it will be increasingly emphasized as the cross draws nearer. The first 12 chapters of John are referred to by scholars as the “Book of Signs,” as the emphasis is on the miraculous signs that Jesus did. The signs were revelation, they “revealed his glory,” to those who had eyes to see. But the next part of John, the second half, is alternatively referred to either as the Book of the Passion, as it emphasizes the cross, or, the Book of Glory, as it shows the full revelation of God’s glory in the cross of Christ. Here we see the glory of the Father intimately connected to the glory of the Son: We read in John 13:31-32

31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 "If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.”

That is fascinating in light of the Old Testament teaching that God’s glory is exclusive and personal, He doesn’t share it with anyone. We read in Isaiah 48:11 “…I will not give My glory to another…” Then He says again in Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another...” In John we’ve seen the glory of God revealed in Jesus. We see here the unity of the Father and the Son: God will not share His glory with another. This is one more evidence that Jesus is God, the eternal Son, One with the Father and the Spirit. The Father, the Son, the Spirit, three persons, One God. TriUnity. We can state it, but do we understand it? Probably not! Jesus alludes to his imminent death in 13:33, “Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.” He uses personal language, calling them His “little children.” His love and care for His own echo in that tender phrase. But how would Christ’s death bring glory to God? Let me highlight three ways: • First, it would reveal God’s faithfulness. God had promised a redeemer, One who would crush the serpent’s head and provide the means for sinners to be reconciled to him. God revealed His plan in the Old Testament prophecies and promises and the fulfillment of those promises brings glory to His Name. He is the Faithful One. • Secondly, it revealed his Holiness and His justice. How could God be just, and justify sinners? Paul treats this question in Romans 3:22-26 (NLT)

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”

• Finally, and even more relevant to this context is that the cross brings glory to God, because it showed us His love: 1 John 4:9 “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” A song says “love was when God became a man.” Jesus showed us what love looks like. As we choose to love one another we show the world that we know Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

II. Jesus modeled love and calls us to love one another as a testimony to the world (34-35).

We see here what we are to do, how we are to do it, and why we are to do it. What we are to do: Love one another! John develops this idea in his first epistle: 1 John 4:7-8 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. How we are to do it: As Jesus has loved us! In John 15:13 Jesus will say, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples He said that He was giving them an example, they should do for each other what He was doing for them. Remember the start of this chapter, “He loved them to the end…” i.e., “He showed them the full extent of his love…” All the way to the cross. Paul said, in Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” By the way husbands, in another context you are specifically called to love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. That means putting her needs, her good, her happiness before your own. Why we are to do it: As a testimony to the world! Our love for each other will testify to the world the reality of our relationship with God through Christ. “By this men will know you are my disciples…” As we love one another, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens, the world will take notice, they will see that we are different because we know Jesus. What does that look like? How does it work out practically? Francis Schaffer in his book “The Mark of a Christian” suggested that one mark of love is being willing to apologize and seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. Jesus used the example of leaving one’s sacrifice at the altar as we go and seek reconciliation. The flip side of that is being willing to forgive. The NT word has the idea of releasing from a debt, letting go. Are you holding a grudge? Do you frequently “get historical” with someone, reminding them of a past offense? LET IT GO. Forgive. After all, consider what Christ has forgiven you! Jesus told a powerful story that gets to the heart of the matter, How many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Jesus said in Matthew 18:23-35:

"…a certain king …wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents [According to one source, a talent was about 15 years wages for a working person!]. 25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; [a denarius was about a days wage for a worker] and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

That’s an embarrassing story, maybe because it is so easy to find ourselves exactly in the middle of it, holding on to a debt, a grudge, after we have been forgiven a debt that was a million times greater, a debt we had no hope of paying. Think what you have been forgiven! “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Forgive. LET IT GO. That’s love. *** After all, Jesus showed us what love looks like. As we choose to love one another we show the world that we know Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

III. Despite our failures Jesus showed us love by choosing to lay down his life, and so has made our future sure (36-38).

Jesus knew what was coming—for Himself, and for his disciples. Including Peter. Still, He loved him to the end, He showed the full extent of His love. He was willing to die for Peter knowing that Peter would deny him three times that night. He was willing to die for you and me knowing that we would willfully choose to sin. In Romans 5:7-8 we read,

For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Similarly in 1 John 4:10-12 it says

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

I’ve had people say, "I don’t think God could forgive me, not after what I have done." Have you heard that? Have you said that? He forgave Peter, He forgave the thief on the cross, He forgave those who drove the nails into His hands. He will forgive you if you turn to Him in faith and receive the salvation He purchased in His blood.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

Jesus showed us what love looks like. As we choose to love one another we show the world that we know Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

How can we practically show Jesus to the world by loving one another? Forgive… serve… Paul said “I beseech you, walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph 4:1). He wrote in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ.” Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32 “...be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Think about that. Amen.