Dear Family and Friends, 

Today we will spend our time with Jesus as He begins His Farewell Discourse with His disciples. It’s the last time He will be with them before the events chronicled as Good Friday begin. 

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

“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 13:33-35

Have you ever wondered why Jesus called this a new command? By this time in His ministry, Jesus had told His disciples several times to love one another. Why would He call what He already told them a new command?

The answer can be found in the phrase that follows, “as I have loved you.” In previous teachings, Jesus commanded them to love their neighbor as themselves. In this John 13 passage, Jesus raises the bar. Here, Jesus asked the disciples to love others as He loved them.

As Jesus prepared His disciples for the sacrifice He was to make, Jesus now asked His disciples to do the same. Don’t just love others as you love yourselves, instead love others sacrificially.

Father God loves us so much that he sacrificed His Son. Jesus loves us so much that He became the unblemished sacrifice.

Jesus’ new command to His disciples, and to us today, is to love others sacrificially. 

As we look back at the events of this past year, there is one group of people that stand head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to loving sacrificially. I’m referring to those who work and serve on the front lines: the doctors, nurses, and first responders.

Based on several sources, the lives of over 3,000 healthcare workers were cut short this past year as they worked tirelessly to save the lives of others from COVID. 

These men and women risked their lives to help their patients. Patients who were not friends, they were strangers. These men and women on the front lines exemplified the love that Jesus asks of us, to love as He loved.

It’s love for others, not money, that motivates front line workers to do what they do. Are you inspired to love sacrificially as well? I am!

Let’s take another look back at this past year. If I had a thermometer that could measure the love temperature in our society today, it would likely tell me that our society is close to freezing.

We have always had differing opinions in our country. The tension between competing opinions can be healthy at times, often leading to open discussions and better decisions.

But when opinions, whether it be over race, political beliefs or other hot topics, lead to violent and harmful actions, love is obviously absent. Love is so absent that relationships turn frigid at best.

Simply put, love cannot exist when we think only of ourselves and fail to consider the well being of others.

In the scripture above, Jesus went on to say that when we love others as He loves us, everyone will know that we are His disciples. 

My friends and fellow disciples, as we go about our day today and interact with others, we have a choice to make.

We can be like others in the world, and think of ourselves. Or we can show everyone who we really are – Jesus followers.

How do we do this? By choosing to love sacrificially. By showing others through our actions that we care.

Be blessed, and be a blessing by showing your love to someone. Let’s change the world around us, one person at a time.

In love always,