Jesus’ Words in Red A New Command

Jesus’ Words in Red

A New Command

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." 

2000 years later let’s ask ourselves the question

How are we doing?

Are we doing a good job of the “New Command?”

“Love one another. As I have loved you,

so you must love one another.”

“As I have loved you”

“A New Command”

In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus tells us

which is the greatest commandment…

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'   The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 

Jesus makes the most important

commandment “A New Command”.

“Love one another.

 As I have loved you,

so you must love one another.”

“As I have loved you”

We define love in thousands of ways.

A little girl cleans up her room without

being asked, she takes out the garbage,

and tells her mother she is the greatest.

Mom is surprised at all the actions

and attention her daughter is giving

until the little girl asks for a puppy.

 

If we are honest, most of the love we

show is to get something in return.

 

It is not that love should not be reciprocated.

Reciprocal love is what the

Greek word Philos is all about.

Think about it, Jesus is saying…

 “As I have loved you”

Have you ever gotten frustrated

with someone who “didn’t get it”.

How many times did Jesus say “you of little faith”.

In the context of this statement Jesus

has just washed the disciples’ feet.

He washed Judas feet even though

he knew the evil in his heart.

He washed Peter’s feet who he

knew would deny him 3 times.

He washed the disciples’ feet who

all abandoned Him in His darkest hour.

Romans 8 says it so beautifully…

Romans 5:7-8

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone 

might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus laid down His life in two ways…

In life He daily considered

others better than Himself.

In humility He became a servant

so others might know the truth.

The second way Jesus showed His

love was to pay the price for our sin.

Jesus became the sacrificed Lamb, His death, His

blood made it possible for us to have our sins

washed away and have eternal life with Him forever.

Paul echoes this command of Jesus…

Philippians 2:3-8

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

John in his first epistle says… 

1 John 4:19-21

We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

2000 years later let’s ask ourselves the question…

How are we doing?

Are we doing a good job of the “New Command?”

“Love one another.

As I have loved you,

so you must love one another.”

“As I have loved you”

Scripture Reading

John 13:31-38 NIV

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 "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.

34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." 

36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 

37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!