This reading comes after Jesus has washed his disciples’ feet and Judas has left the room and Jesus breaks the silence by saying, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
But what’s so new about that? What is this “new” commandment Jesus talks about? What’s so new about love? “Just as I have loved you,” Jesus says, “you also should love one another. Just as I have loved you.”
Forgive me for reducing this to a comic strip, but I think it makes the point. It’s a Peanuts strip,
Lucy: “You know what I don't understand? I don't understand love!”
Charlie Brown: “Who does?”
Lucy: “Explain love to me, Charlie Brown.”
Charlie Brown: “You can’t explain love. I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can’t explain love.”
Lucy: “Well, try, Charlie Brown, try.”
Charlie Brown: “Well, let’s say I see this beautiful, cute little girl walk by.”
Lucy interrupts –– “Why does she have to be cute? Huh? Why can’t someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose? Explain that!”
Charlie Brown: “Well, maybe you are right. Let’s just say I see this girl walk by with this great big nose.... “
Lucy shouts: “I didn’t say GREAT BIG NOSE.”
Hanging his head, which he often did when he dealt with Lucy,
Charlie Brown: “Not only can you not explain love –– you can’t even talk about it.”
Maybe so. Maybe you can’t talk about love. But that didn’t stop the Apostle Paul, did it? He described how Jesus modelled for his disciples the kind of love he wanted them to have for one another.
‘Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God as something to be grasped (or held onto), but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death –– even death on a cross ‘(Philippians 2:5-8).
“Just as I have loved you,” Jesus says, “you also should love one another.” Just as I have loved you,” Then, he goes out and shows them what kind of love he means by yielding his life on a cross.
But does this really happen in life? Sometimes it does, but we only have to look around our towns, country, the World, maybe even in our families to see that it doesn’t.
Let’s take a half hearted look at what can happen on a regular basis.
Act 2
Girl 1 Let’s watch Lizzie McGuire.
Girl 2 Boring.
Girl 1 No, it’s not. It’s cool.
Girl 2 It’s boring. You should let what’s his name Pick. He is your guest.
Boy Ok, I really want to watch Wrestling Mania.
Girl 2 Boring
Girl 1 Well, what do you want to watch?
Girl 2 Saddle Club, of course.
Girl 1 No way! That’s dumb. I’m picking because I’m the oldest. And I pick Lizzie.
Girl 2 No, I’m picking because I’m the youngest and I say Saddle Club.
Boy Well, I’m the guest, and it’s polite to let the guests choose, and I really, really want to watch Wrestling Mania.
Girl 2 Saddle Club!
Girl 1 Wrestling Mania!
Narrator Time out, time out! Ok, this is sounding ugly, don’t you think? Or does it sound all too familiar?
You know, in situations like this, we often forget something very important. We often forget
about…..love! The kind of love you show to someone who won’t let you watch your favourite TV show, for example.
But there are other examples where we find it difficult to show Christian love – what about a person who has hurt us, the drunk slumped on the pavement, the smelly tramp, the beggar, the neighbour next door because they………! The teenager group that hangs out on the street corner, the foreigner, the bully at school, our brothers and sisters, sharing our things, putting God first.
I can hear the words – Love my enemies, the bully at school, disregard my comfort zone, Love as God loves us! What’s that? That’s too hard? That’s impossible? It seems impossible sometimes, doesn’t it? But, as Christians, we have someone who will help us to love others. The Holy Spirit – praying for His help when we find it hard to love as Jesus did. Look at what happens when we ask Jesus for help?
Act 3
Girl 1 Let’s watch Lizzie McGuire.
Girl 2 It’s not my favourite show, but I’ll watch it with you if you want. My favourite show is Saddle Club.
Girl 1 That show is ok but too posh for me. (Laughs). Thanks for watching my show this time. Next time we’ll watch what you want.
Girl 2 Ok. Hey, ….. – do you want to watch TV with us?
Boy Sure. Next week come over to my house and we can watch Wrestling Mania.
Girl 1 & 2 OK!
That sounds so simple, but in reality we know it’s not but Jesus has COMMANDED us to do so and I believe that if everyone really loved the person sitting next to them – the problems they may encounter would not feel so acute – why because they would have someone to share that burden/problem with – AND who knows YOU may even be able to sort it out, but you wouldn’t have been able to if you didn’t know about it because they couldn’t share their situation with you because they didn’t know you cared.
We may not be able to change our family, community, town, the Worlds injustices and unfairness, greed, poverty overnight but we can make a start; Street Angels, an example, and slowly erode away the decay of our worlds. But if we consider what Jesus has done for Us, you and me – we should be spurred on to reach out in love to others.
Real life story………..
So the next time you wonder if you have it in you to love as Jesus loved, consider what he did for you. It is little enough that we respond to this by loving one another. Don’t you think?
Prayer
Lord, may we love as Jesus loves us. It is as simple as that... and as hard. But find us faithful in trying to do it. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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