A New Commandment

In our Gospel this week, John 13:34-35, Jesus tells his disciples, after telling him that he would be going away (which obviously worried them!) of his “new” commandment. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Of all the things Jesus could have “commanded” his followers, of all the lists of do this but don’t do that, of all the rules and regulations, of all the wise words of the rabbinic tradition, of all the things he could have left them as most central to his revelation of God’s presence on earth, he picked, “Love one another.”  He could have heaped up all sorts of words, but he carefully chooses “love each other.”   All of the rest is wrapped up in the simple commandment to love one another.  If we get that one straight, the rest will follow.  If we get that inner disposition of love to others right, kindly action and care for others come naturally.  It’s not the details that matter, it is the motivation.  The details proceed more easily once the heart is loving.

But it’s not anything “new,” despite what Jesus says.  He’s been showing love and  inviting love for God and each other all along.  Even if we take that passage as Jesus further simplifying the Ten Commandments down to one meta-commandment, it’s not even new for the Hebrew Scripture.  In other words, it’s not novelty Jesus is talking about, but emphasis.  “Really, people, I mean this, love each other.  Seriously.”  It’s not the outward behavior; it is the disposition that the other person is valuable and to be loved as yourself, that another person’s well-being is your well-being.

And that is hard work, obviously.  Sometimes we don’t especially like what another does or says, or even “like” the other person at all.  If it was easy, Jesus wouldn’t have to emphasize it!  But that effort to love other people— even the people closest to you when they are being themselves— is what sets disciples of Christ apart from other groups.  That’s how Jesus wants everyone else to see that those followers (and we who will come after them, because of them) are his disciples.

It’s a commandment that takes effort, this loving one another.  The good news is that it is Jesus’ own love for us that makes is possible to love one another.

                                                                                                           In Christ,
                                                                                                                    David

I still need a few more settings for small, informal conversations during May and early June for people to share their experiences of this church over the years (not just in the past three) so I can understand the landscape and history.  If you are willing to host such a small group or have a suggestion, please talk to me or email me at interimpastor@fccithaca.org; I still need volunteers!


Texts For Sunday Worship:
Sermon: "The Spread Sheet"
New Testament        Acts 11:1-8
Epistles                   Revelation 21:1-6
*Gospels                 John 13:31-35
   




Note: These texts will be read in the worship service and the one with an asterisk will be used as the focus for the proclamation of the word.