It's the 5th Sunday after Easter. During this season, we're exploring what it means to live out Easter Faith. This week, we come to Jesus' "new" commandment to love one another.
Our text is John 13:31-35.
It can be embarassing to come across someone who obviously knows you, but whose name and face you can't place. In this situation, you're left with two options. You can try to be smooth, pretending to know who you're talking with. Or you can be honest, and just ask, "Do I know you?"
On the evening of Jesus' arrest, he makes it clear to his disciples that their identity is supposed to be as obvious as the nose on their face...that people will know they are Jesus' disciples if they love one another.
For years, the church had this reputation. Tertullian and Lucian wrote extensively about Christianity during their lives in 200 AD. The general consensus was that although the world thought Christians were nutty, their love for one another was impressive.
Somehow, this doesn't seem to be true anymore. Today, the world often looks at the Church and is left asking, "Do I know you?"
Maybe that's because loving behavior is not an exclusively Christian practice. But it's more likely that we too often fail to realize the depth of love to which Christ calls us. Jesus calls us to love sacrificially. And he showed us what that meant by humiliating himself by washing feet and laying down his life for us.
Most of us will not be asked to die for another believer. And footwashing is no longer a necessary practice in most places. So what does loving one another look like in a modern world?
One way to answer that is to consider another question. To what extent are we willing to go for each other. Parents learn a lot about this when their kids get into serious trouble. It seems there is no extreme too great for a parent to go to help their kid.
So, how far are we willing to go for each other?
Jesus' comand gives us a place to start. It gives us a path to walk. It gives us a goal to attain.
They will know we are Christians by our love.
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