“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” (John 13:34).
Often something that is old in
that it has been around a long time can become all new because of a new way in
which it is treated or seen or experienced—a child’s toy, a piece of music, or a
dish of food.
Jesus said he gave us a new commandment. In one sense, it was not new; it was old. His
disciples had learned it before. It was already there in the Old Testament—“You
shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). But while the idea of love
in general was not new, Jesus invested it with a richer and deeper meaning.
It was new in the emphasis he gave it. Jesus brought
two Old Testament passages together—the command to love your neighbor, and the
command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5). The whole teaching of the law and the
prophets, he declares, depends upon these two aspects of the law of love (Matt.
22:37-40).
There is a human
tendency to be too narrow and selective in deciding whom we should love. In the
story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), Jesus shows that our neighbor whom
we love is anyone who needs our compassion and help, irrespective of race and
rank. The same story also shows that neighbor love is more than a feeling or
sentiment toward others. And it is certainly more than words. Love actively
seeks the good of others.
The apostle John elaborates
further on the principle of neighbor love. “Beloved, I am
writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the
beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same
time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him
and in you, because the
darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:7-11). The new commandment of Jesus lies
at the heart of the gospel message. It is an enlightening message of divine
love bestowed on man. Being a true disciple is shown in part by whether or not
we love our brother.
Perfect love was
demonstrated at the cross of Christ (1 John 3:16-18). So, a disciple is to love
others, not just as he loves himself, but in the same measure as Christ has
loved him, from a spirit of selflessness and sacrifice. To love in deed and in truth
is to love through action. It sometimes means telling the truth when it is
needed, even if the truth hurts. Our love for God is proven by our obedience to
him. In the same way, professing brotherly love means nothing if we fail to
open our heart to a brother in need.
The very character of God is defined by love. God is love
(1 John 4:7-9). It is amazing how many questions are answered by that single
statement. It is the explanation of creation, of freewill, of providence, of
redemption, and of the life beyond. Loving one another is one of the ways we
show that we truly know God.
Dan Petty
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