Loving One Another: A Benchmark of Discipleship
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13: 34-35)
It may sound easier and calmer when the word "love" gets involved in anything, but the truth is, loving someone truly is not easy. It is not as easy as it sounds. It takes an effort to love someone. Love does not happen. Although it may be a natural human feeling, it takes human willingness and human effort to love someone. That's the very reason why most of our friends and loved ones were just like any other person with a "Hi" and a "Hello" when we first met them, and then we began loving one another!
When Christ Jesus gives us the new command, He sets love at the centre. He commands us to "love one another" (John 13:34). As we continue to read about this command, we can observe two important elements in this. First, Jesus reminds us of how He had loved us, and asks us to follow suit. Second, He sets love as the benchmark of discipleship in this world. Let us examine these elements in detail.
A Calling to Resemble Christ Jesus by Loving One Another
Jesus says, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). Christ expressed love during His entire ministry in this world, and this love was no ordinary love. It was exceptional for some, strange for a few, and weird for many. However, this love of Christ was exceptional and extraordinary that it provided for the hunger, the thirst and the healing of the world. Jesus served humbly, had compassion for the marginalised, expressed empathy and grief, and forgave sinners, embracing them into His love. Jesus calls us to resemble His love in our lives. His calling is clear.
A Calling to be True Disciples by Loving One Another
Christ Jesus sets loving one another as the benchmark of true discipleship. More than the service, discipline, and faith, He sets love to be at the centre of discipleship. Look at the assurance that Jesus gives us to prosper as His disciples. Jesus says, "everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). I am trying to measure the weight of that word "if" in this sentence. The point is very clear. We could paraphrase that as 'if we want to be true disciples of Christ Jesus, then we have to first set our focus on loving one another despite our differences of opinions, backgrounds, attitudes and beliefs.
Therefore, this is the new commandment; this is the greatest calling - resemble Christ Jesus through loving one another, and be true disciples of Christ Jesus by loving one another. The new command has a great calling, and the calling is to love one another. Just as we understood at the beginning of today's devotion, let us keep in mind that loving one another requires great effort. We need to consciously be graceful, forgiving, embracing and accepting. Love, as a human feeling, may be natural, but imitating Christ's love is a conscious commitment as a disciple of Jesus. Let us adhere to this call to love one another and accept God's new commandment.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us, now and forever more. Amen.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
Ebenezer B. Veerasingam
"Love, Love, Love One Another..."
by Tommy Walker Ministries
