Love for, like, and with Jesus

John 13:18-35 ESV

I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’  I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”  The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”  Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.  When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.  If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.  Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’  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.”

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Jesus has invested much of his life and tone and energy into his disciples. Still, one of them would prove that they didn't know him or love him. Judas would betray him. This is a dark time. But Jesus speaks instead of glory. During this time of evil, is when God's glory shines the brightest. For some of us, it is the dark night of the soul. We are not at the mountaintop, we are in the valley. We spend too much time listening to ourselves instead of preaching to ourselves. We are caught up in the circumstances. But what we need to do is speak to ourselves... Specifically the truths of the gospel. We serve a God who does his good during the darkest of times. We are like the disciples confused at the crucifixion and death of Jesus. But through this act, God is saving people.

Jesus commands us to love one another. It is not about how we feel. It is a command. How we feel does not play into it. We love each other because we have been saved by Jesus and owe him our allegiance.

The world will know that we belong to Jesus by the way we love one another. It is also the way that we can witness to the world. We are to love people who are different, who are not like us. The people of Philadelphia are not like our church. If we are serious about reaching the city, we must reach out to people who are not Asian, not upper middle class. Otherwise we will become an enclave of well-behaved religious people. To love not like the world. like the Samaritan, to love his enemies. The neighbor we are called to love may not only be unlike us, but they may be our enemy.

The love of Christ

Gives up, so others can get

We are to give up our rights to give to ours. Jesus gave up his power, so that we could have life. We care more about the other person than ourselves. We would give up our comfort and glory so that the other person would be saved. We are to empty ourselves so that others can be saved.

Durable, not disposable

Our love is to endure. Other people are not here to fulfill our needs. We don't love because of what others do or don't do. We love even those who hurt us.

We are to love with Jesus

We are part of the covenant. We have been promised power through the spirit. We are generally well behaved. We don't murder. We pay our taxes. We can love sacrificially once in awhile. That's normal. But to do it consistently takes more. More than we have in ourselves to love constantly, day by day, second by second. Only in the spirit, can we do this. Jesus is there when we step out in faith. He is not some abstract concept. Jesus becomes real to us when we step out in faith to love others more than we can do in our own power and flesh.

The servant king

John 13:1-17 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”  Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”  Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”  For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”  When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.  Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

These passages are supposed to give us an inside look into the inner sanctuary, what is going on inside the heart of Jesus.

This foot washing is astounding.

When things become familiar, we forget how beautiful and amazing things are. We need to slow down and look again. Jesus knew that he was going to die, a painful and humiliating death. God was going to place all of the world's sin on his shoulders. Most people draw inward when there is stress and trouble. But during this stressful time, Jesus washed their feet. Washing feet was generally reserved for the lowest of the slaves. Peers did not wash each other's feet. It was a humiliating task. Jesus takes off his outer clothes, puts on the uniform of a servant. This is atypical and socially unacceptable behavior. Utterly astounding. It would be the equivalent of the President cleaning out the toilet of one of his secret service men. Even more so, Jesus has been given all power and authority over creation. One who has given life to dust, now kneels and wipes the dust off of a creation.

It's an illustration

Jesus wasn't just washing their feet because their feet were dirty. It is symbolic of his entire ministry. He rose, laid aside, taking, and poured out. He rose from his throne in heaven. Laid aside his godliness and took the form of a man, a servant. Then poured out his life for his own.

Our response

This act can either repel or propel us. Simon Peter rejects the service of Jesus. Peter wanted to serve Jesus rather than be served. But Jesus was saying that Peter needed to be saved and served by Jesus. Our personal righteousness is offensive to God. To have part in Jesus, we must let Him serve us. We must reject our personal righteousness; accepting the righteousness given to us through Jesus. If we accept this, then we must be pushed to serve others. This is the mark of a Christian. One who follows Jesus must be marked by a life of service. Note the order. Jesus first serves us; then calls us to serve. Not the other way around. We can only serve after we've been served.

The Cross: where true glory is found

John 12:20-43 ESV

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.    “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father,   save me from   this hour’? But   for this purpose I have come to   this hour.  Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.  Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,   “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”  Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Rev. Charles Han

This is the last week of Jesus' life. John spends half of his book on this last week. It should tell us that he saw it was of great importance.

Glory is mentioned seven times in this passage. John wants to impress upon his audience the importance of glory. During this time, Jesus was at his height of popularity with the crowds. But still many Jews did not believe in Him. Even though there were many signs, they were like blind people. Among those who believe, there were even Jewish leaders. But they did not publicly identify with Jesus, for fear of losing their status, position, and income. John addresses this as a glory issue. We are glory seekers. But two glories are in conflict here. In the beginning of the book of John, he states that Jesus is God's glory. Glory is a person. But there is another type of glory, the glory given to people by God. These are the glories in conflict. We all seek glory, delight, pleasure, and approval from someone... But who? John says we should find it in Jesus... In the cross.

We find true glory when we embrace the crowds of Christ as the sole source of our significance.

When Jesus is asked by gentiles about seeing God, Jesus replied that his hour to be glorified was here. We would usually consider the hour of death by crucifixion the most unlikely act of glorification. Crucification was considered the most humiliating death. But this is where Jesus says that glory is found. This is the exact opposite of what the world expects. Gentiles are confused by it. Jews were stumbled by it. Muslims are offended by this. For the believer, the cross was where the most unfair exchange happened. Our shame was traded for the righteousness of Christ.

What do you boast in? This is our personal glory. Smarts, riches, success, good works. What makes you feel weak? Self hate, failures, and weaknesses. That is also our personal glory. All these things are crucified and buried. We should not listen to the world. We are rich in God and his wisdom.

We find true glory when we follow Christ on the self sacrificial path of the cross. He used an agricultural idea. A seed must die to bear fruit. A seed that is just preserved is useless. It must go into the ground and die. This is how Christians should live. The greatest sign of a believer, one who follows to the cross. Going to the cross and giving your life up to God. Jesus would've made a horrible megachurch pastor. He calls you to live by carrying a cross. Seeking after God's glory. This is finding glory in the eyes of God rather than man.