The New Commandment, John 13.31-35

 

31 So, when he had gone out,

Judas had gone out. Judas rejected Jesus one last time. Whatever fire, or flicker, or spark, there might’ve been, now was gone out. Judas had gone out into the night—never to return to the Light.

After Judas left, according to the other gospels, communion took place.

Pure communion takes place after the devil leaves the room. This is true for the room of our heart, too.

When we come before the Lord, in prayer or communion, the first thing we need to do is examine our heart. Is it right? Is it pure? Are we holding unforgiveness? hate? sin? If so, we must deal with that first, if we want an intimate audience with the Lord.

 

Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. ³² If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.

Now…

Little by little Jesus has been walking this direction; timing His steps.

Notice He says: Now, is, is, is, will, immediately.

Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith abides outside time. It sees the end from the beginning. It looks beyond, time and obstacle, and sees those things which be not, as though they were.

Hebrews 12:2. Jesus looked beyond the cross, the pain, the shame, and saw the joy.  So too, should we.

The phrase, Son of Man… was a familiar title of Messiah.

Glorified…

Now, the Son of Man is glorified…

Now the final mission is set in motion.

And what is the final mission?

The cross.

For Jesus, the cross is the door to His glory. He must go through that door, to successfully complete His mission, and enter His glory.

We all have a cross.  

Matthew 16:24. “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

1 Peter 4:12-19. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…

1 Peter 1:6-8. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials…

James 1:2-4. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…

Lord, whatever our cross, please help us bear it, in a way that glorifies You.

The New Living Translation explains John 13:31-32 like this:

 
As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory, and God will be glorified because of Him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, He will give His own glory to the Son, and He will do so at once

33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.

Little children…

This is the only time Jesus calls them little children. Which was nice considering the disciples had just been arguing (again) like little children about who was the greatest. And, all while smearing their dirty feet all over the furniture; until Jesus got up and washed them.  

He mentioned this before, (John 7:34) so they shouldn’t have been blindsided—but they were.

They’d left everything to follow Him. They expected Him to lead a rebellion, whip the Romans, take the throne of David, and MIGA (Make Israel Great Again).

Their thinking was a little cherry-picked Scripture mixed with their own agenda. A dangerous combination.

Nevertheless, Jesus has faith in them and gives them the most powerful command ever given. 

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Not new as in another commandment, but new as in renewed, refreshed, updated.

Jesus has done this before.  Matthew 5:21-48.

You have heard that it has been said, do not murder, but I say, whoever is angry without cause is in danger of judgement.

You have heard that it has been said, do not commit adultery, but I say, if you look at a woman with lust, you’ve committed adultery in your heart

…eye for eye tooth for tooth, but I say, turn the other cheek

…love your neighbor, hate your enemy, but I say, love your enemy…

The command to, love your neighbor as yourself, goes all the way back to Leviticus 19:18.

However here, Jesus tells His disciples to love each other, more than you love yourself; love as I have loved you.

To love as much as Christ loves is revolutionary.

What does that even look like?

Jesus just gave us a great example by washing the disciples’ feet—especially the filthy feet of Judas.

Jesus simply saw a practical need that needed to be met, one that someone else should’ve and could’ve taken care of. Jesus could’ve ordered someone to do it, but instead, He humbly, graciously, knelt and washed His disciples’ feet.

Lord, help us love like that.

Someone makes a mistake, misses something, drops the ball… Do you beat them up, or bear their burden? Do you talk about it, or take care of it?

Clean up the mess, pick up the trash, put away what they let lay.

IF it needs to be discussed, go to them, quietly, respectfully, peacefully. Not to social media or gossip hour.    

To love like Jesus, we must get comfortable lifting a finger, rather than pointing one.

Jesus was respectfully discreet and didn’t expose Judas to an open shame in front of the disciples.

Lord, help us to discern when to speak, and when bite our tongue.

Show us how to show respect, even to those who don’t deserve it by their actions, but do, because of their position as a person that You love and died to save.

We pray for the integrity to be happy serving You anonymously.

Love for an audience of One

 

Jesus says it like this:

Matthew 6:1-6

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

 

Remember, Jesus invited Judas to the last supper, even knowing he’d betray Him.

Do we include someone as a friend, even though we know they’ve conspired against us?

Jesus gave Judas a place of honor beside Him.

Would we do that? Or shun them? give them the cold shoulder?

Jesus offered bread to Judas, a gesture of honor in the eyes of the others; but Judas knew it was an olive branch—yet, even then, Judas refused the Lord’s loving offer.

To this day, Judas regrets that decision. That was the last offer he ever got.  After that satan entered him.

Although Jesus knew what would happen

He loved Judas to the end

That’s what Love looks like

 

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Christlike love is a characteristic of a disciple of Christ.

What do folks see?

Petty bickering, jealousy, gossip, division?

Or, do they know the love of Jesus by what they see in you?

Love is a verb.

How can we love others as Jesus loves us? 

By helping when it's not convenient, 

By giving when it hurts

By devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, 

By absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. 

This kind of loving is hard to do. That's why folks notice and know it's not by you, but the Supernatural Love of God, that never fails. 

 

The Greatest of These is Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

God is love.

Perfect love casts out all fear.

1 John 4:16,18.

 

Let’s pray,

Lord Jesus, help us to live and love, as You did, and do. To lay down our lives in a way that honors You, not just in death, but day by day, moment by moment, purposely, intentionally, loving in the present, and to the very end.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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