“My little children…I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13: 31-33a, 34-35
The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke are categorised as “synoptic” Gospels because they are not only summaries of the life of Jesus but because they are similar in the stories they relate about Jesus and because they present them in much the same order and in similar wording. John’s Gospel is much more like a challenging, theological treatise and differs from the synoptics in several obvious ways. For instance, in John there is no story of the Transfiguration of Jesus; John calls Jesus’ extraordinary actions “signs”, while the synoptic Gospel writers call them “miracles”. Such actions for John are signs or pointers to the reality that Jesus is the Messiah. Some of the events that John relates are more precise than the way in which they are presented by Mark, Matthew and Luke. Today’s gospel-reading is a good example of the difference. John states very clearly that the proof of faithful discipleship of Jesus is “love for one another”. In contrast, in the other three Gospels, we hear the directive: “Love your neighbour” (Mark 12: 31; Matthew 19: 19; Luke 10:27). Luke and Matthew also add “Love your enemies” (Luke 6: 27; Matthew 5:44). “Love your enemies” and “Love your neighbour” are expressions that can open the way to discussion and debate as to who exactly are our neighbours and/or enemies. In the context of today’s gospel-reading, John’s precision makes it clear that we are to love the other members of the community/communities to which we belong and of the family of which we a part. This is more than getting along with or putting up with one another. Jesus’ rider to love one another “Just as I have loved you” will be spelled out in graphic detail in John chapter 19 where we are given an account of Jesus laying down his life for his community of followers and, indeed, for all humanity.
Loving one another is no mean challenge. In the church, family and religious communities in which we live and minister, we quickly come to know the idiosyncrasies, oddities, habits and repeated behaviours of those around us. Our history with them is not easily forgotten. Yet Jesus has called us to actually love them! If we take nothing else from John’s Gospel and Letters, it is to heed the over-riding call to make loving the central action of our lives.
The context of today’s gospel, and its directive from Jesus for all of us who follow him to love one another, is the table of the Last Supper, with its overtones of Eucharist. Central to John’s understanding of Eucharist is service, not only of those with whom we are in communion and with whom we celebrate Eucharist, but service of those whom we encounter in our everyday lives. Moreover, let’s not ignore the fact that Jesus had just witnessed his total commitment to give of himself by washing the feet of the women and men gathered with him around that table and by giving the bread and wine of communion to them all, including Judas. All of that was the prelude to today’s gospel-reading and its directive from Jesus for us all to love one another.
Jesus then launched into a statement about the start of his glorification. – a topic that might well puzzle some of us. Perhaps I’m just admitting that it has puzzled me. He was talking about the events that led to his vilification, trial, torture, death and resurrection, stating that God, who gave Jesus to us and our world, was glorified by Jesus’ total self-giving for us. That total self-giving was paramount witness which made him worthy of total glorification. Jesus’ resurrection was testimony to God’s vindication of all that Jesus had said and done. The Resurrection was something for which God is to be held in glorification. Jesus was the paramount expression of God’s love and Jesus’ total self-giving not only gave glory to God but made Jesus himself worthy of being glorified. This is not suggesting that the relationship between Jesus and God amounted to some kind of mutual admiration society. By living with complete integrity the commission he had received from God, which included embarking on the road to crucifixion on Calvary, Jesus glorified God and participated in God’s glory. In living and dying as he did, Jesus displayed to the world the God whose mercy, forgiveness, love and compassion are endless; the God whose fidelity to weak, broken and self-interested humanity is insurmountable. God’s glory is to be seen in that unwavering love for humankind, and Jesus replicated that love in everything he said and did, and crowned it in his suffering and death. God confirmed Jesus’ love and selflessness by raising him from the grave.
The irony of all this is the fact that Jesus’ closest disciples did not comprehend the meaning and significance of what he was telling them. Moreover, what Jesus was telling them is spelled out in detail by John in the remainder of this chapter 13 and in chapters 14 to 17 of his Gospel. These chapters constitute Jesus’ last will and testament. But Jesus did not only tell those disciples what lay ahead and direct them to love one another as he had loved them. He modelled that love for them by kneeling before each of them and washing their feet; he also sat among them and shared his final meal with them, directing them to do likewise, to demonstrate love in action.
In chapter 15, John reiterated Jesus’ directive to his disciples: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” in order to underline that this was for them a new commandment: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love…This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you…What I command you is to love one another.” (John 15: 9-17)
The very simplicity of this commandment or directive is that we all know that it is exceptionally difficult. Love puts the needs of others first. Love does not set limits. Most of our current prominent world leaders seem to be obsessed with self-interest and almost bereft of love and compassion and a thirst for peace. However, it is easy to attribute blame to others. How does my love express itself right where I live and work? How do I follow Jesus along the way of compassion, tolerance, selflessness and love? Would I dare describe my love in writing?