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Can you imagine going to a seminar where they only looked at difficult passages from the Bible? It was intriguing enough for me to go. The planners tried to find the hardest Scriptures to understand and teach. Here are some of the winners:
Baptism for the Dead
“Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? (1 Corinthians 15:29, NIV).
All Israel Saved
“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.” (Romans 11:26, NIV).
Cost of Discipleship
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26, NIV).
Dead Flies Making A Perfumer’s Oil Stink
“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1, NIV).
No, that last verse wasn’t really one of the verses picked, but it could have been a pretty interesting class. However, there was a passage selected that totally surprised me. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would choose it as a hard teaching to comprehend. It was this saying of Jesus:
Love One Another
"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." (John 13:34-35, NIV).
Why is this biblical teaching so difficult? It certainly is difficult to practice. But that’s not why it was chosen. It was considered difficult because it says “new.”
What is new about this passage? If you jump back into the Old Testament, there’s certainly some teaching that would make it sound like Jesus isn’t giving any new information at all.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18, NIV).
In Leviticus, God’s people were taught to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In fact, Jesus echoed this teaching when he gave the second greatest commandment in Matthew 27:39.
So what is so new about this passage?
Jesus’ teaching about love in John 13 is new in three ways. It is new in object, measure and purpose. Let’s examine these.
The Object
The object of this new love is the disciples themselves. Jesus had already taught them to love their neighbor. In fact, he had even broadened his command to apply to enemies; “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44, NIV).
But what if Jesus’ disciples worked hard to love their neighbors worldwide striving for expansive social justice, but didn’t love each other? What if they went to the extreme of loving their enemies but didn’t love their fellow disciples?
Can you imagine such a thing? I’m sure you can. It’s called church history. As a result, Jesus tells his disciples that when he is talking about love, he is talking to them. He wanted his disciples to love each other. And he’s talking to you and me too.
The Measure
Jesus also uses a new measure in this passage. In Leviticus, the measure of love was “yourself.” And that would be a lot of love. If I loved you as much as I loved myself, you would feel very loved. If I did for you all that I’ve done for myself lately, you would feel very appreciated. Think about all the things you do for yourself. If I did every single thing that I do for myself for you, wouldn’t you tell everyone everywhere how much I cared about you?
But what is the new measure? “As Jesus loved.”
Think about the context of John 13. What had Jesus just done? He had washed their feet.
What is he about to do? He is going to die on a cross for their sins.
What is the measure of His love? There is nothing too small for Him. There is nothing too big for Him. Dirty feet aren’t too small. A rugged cross isn’t too big.
Now he asks us to love our fellow disciples according to this new measure.
The Purpose
The new purpose of this commandment is evangelistic. Our love for each other will convince the world that Jesus is God’s Son. The norm for the world is disunity and disharmony. Love is new.
If the world looks at us and sees backbiting, dividing, and us gossiping, their conclusion will be “those are not Jesus’ disciples.” Jesus had specifically marked His disciples as the ones who love each other.
Why aren’t our churches and campus ministries more evangelistic?
Could it be that we have lost sight of this new commandment? If we are not a unity movement and polarizing people on the inside of the church, people on the outside will not see Jesus. It is true that putting in a good word for Jesus is shifting God’s people from being internally focused to being externally focused. But Jesus makes it clear in His new commandment that we better get things right internally or our external message will lose all of its validity.
Let’s put in a good word for Jesus on the outside, but how about putting in a good word about your brother and sister on the inside too?
Milton Jones is the preaching minister of Northwest Church in Seattle, Washington. He also serves as a professor at Puget Sound Christian College and as a board member of Christian Relief Fund, an agency in Amarillo which helps needy children around the world. The children are sponsored by members of the churches of Christ through loving contributions of $25 per month. Milton has authored eight books including his latest, The Other Side of the Keyboard. He is married to Barbie Jones and has two sons, Pat and Jeremy.
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