Recall this is a Last Supper of the end of Jesus’ earthly life with the disciples. He reminded them that very soon, he was going to be taken away. He was going to be taken away after this event and very soon he was going to be crucified. And he wanted to eat this meal, this last meal, with his disciples because he had some very important things to tell them. Very important things.
We talk about famous last words even in that depiction when someone is dying, there are normally words that they speak that hold great significance. There is a sense of urgency about those expressions, and I think those are certainly true in this case with Jesus. It’s expressions like we sometimes hear or say these words: I really want you to hear this…I really want you to do this…If you don’t hear anything else…If you don’t do anything else, don’t miss this. And Jesus is sharing some very significant words here. Whatever you do, in your life, whatever direction your life may take, whatever career path you may be on, don’t miss this. Jesus’ words – very simple. Are you ready for this? Something we’ve heard many times. He says, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”
We hear that word many times – love, but this is different. Jesus said it’s a new commandment. Which comes the question…How is this a new commandment? I mean, we hear this word in the Old Testament. Love God. Love your neighbor. It’s there in the Old Testament. Jesus, in the Gospel earlier talked about this…What are the two greatest commands? Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. So, what is new here about this? It would beg the question.
I want to suggest to you that I think it’s new because of the little word, “as.” The little word “as” has a large meaning, right? It’s kind of like the word “but” or “if.” Small words that have great meaning. In this case it is used as an adverb to make a comparison. What this means really is that we are to love in the same way or equal to the way Jesus loved.
This is the same word we say in the Lord’s Prayer today. “Your will be done on earth AS it is in heaven. Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.”
So, the measure of love here is different and more specific than the other commands. Because Jesus is using his love as a standard. You’re not just loving, but you’re loving AS Jesus loved.
Well, this is really a high mark, isn’t it? This would be like me trying to play basketball like LeBron James or asking me to play golf like Rory McIlroy, don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. There’s a very high standard here. We are to love AS Jesus loved. How is that possible?
Well, humanly speaking, I think it’s impossible. And I think we also have different understandings of love. Johnny Lee made popular a few years ago a song, “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places, right? And I would simply add to that as we’re looking for love in the wrong kind of love in all the wrong places.
So, what does this love look like when he’s saying, “Love as I have loved you?” Then it begs the question: How did Jesus love? We’ve heard about this agape love. It’s unconditional, there’s no strings attached to it. Love meets us where we are. God’s love meets us at our worst, but also helps us, even transforms us…to be what we could never be on our own.
In this immediate context, Jesus is modeling this kind of love. You remember what happened at this event at the Last Supper? Jesus took a basin of water and starts washing the feet of his disciples. This is clearly teaching us about Jesus’s love and its specific nature and what it involves. And we would say…
First, loving as Jesus involves serving others
in ways that are unusual at times.
Jesus, you remember washed the feet of his disciples. Pretty amazing. Stunning, even that he would do this. So much so that the disciples were shocked and stunned. And Peter said, “Lord, you’re not going to wash my feet.” The image here is that Jesus was their Lord. He was their Master. He was the Rabbi. He was the teacher and there were expectations around one who had those titles and washing feet was not in that job description.
Well, as I think about this, this would be like Coach Hugh Frieze becoming the water boy or laundering uniforms for the team. Or this would be like President Trump on the back of a garbage truck picking up garbage. Some folks may want to see those things happen. But this is a jaw dropping experience. You would turn your head and say, “Am I really seeing this? Is this really happening? Is this for real? Can I believe my eyes about what’s going on here?”
You see, the disciples were busy asking questions about who’s going to be the greatest, who’s going to be the number one disciple. Arguing over who’s going to sit at what place at the table. They were fussing over who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom and who’s going to sit at the right and the left hand of Jesus…and this caught them totally off guard. Peter was stunned. Jesus took the form of a slave, and he served them. They were arguing about a throne. He offered them a towel. Love in its greatest form is seen here in serving others.
I Corinthians 15 gives us some qualities of this kind of agape love. It says, “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never boasts. It is not rude. Love is not arrogant. It does not insist on its own way.”
Okay, so the orientation of this love is always toward others more than ourselves. How are we doing in serving others? I’m thankful for this church as I see missional giving and service happening. I’m thankful as I see Sunday school classes reaching out to others in need. In small groups and Bible studies and mission groups as well, all reflecting Jesus’s love and serving.
Few years ago, many of you may remember the somewhat funny movie, Bruce Almighty. Now I know there may be some scenes in that movie that we may not necessarily agree with, but it had a lot of truth and reality of the portrayal of God. And I remember this one scene of Morgan Freeman playing the character of God. He was mopping the floor. It’s quite amazing to consider…this is God who mops floors. This is a God who washes dirty feet. This is the God who serves in doing the most menial tasks…even though he is the Lord God Almighty. And none is higher than he. He kneels down to serve.
It was a great song, a friend of mine, Louis Kathman, wrote, “And the Measure of Loving as Jesus’s Loved.” The great question that I wake up to almost every day: Who will I serve today? God or me? Jesus is teaching us here that love involves serving others, even above ourselves.
We are reminded the other writings of John, the same author, teaching about the nature of love. This is in I John 3:16-18. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need, but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us love not with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
The other part of this is you look at the model of Jesus and what he’s modeling here.
Loving AS Jesus involves sacrifice. This last supper represented Passover. You remember the Passover in the Old Testament back in the Book of Exodus. The last plague over Egypt was the death of the first born and God gave instructions for the Hebrews to kill lambs and place the blood of the lambs over their doorposts so that they could be spared. And that’s exactly what happened. They were spared; they were set free; they were delivered.
Well, the old hymn, “When I See the Blood I will Passover You.” And this was a meal representing their deliverance, the Passover was one of the most monumental events in the Old Testament. Indeed, in Israel’s history.
But now Jesus is coming to this Last Supper, and he’s personalizing this meal, and he’s transforming this meal. And here’s the other amazing part about this: Who is he eating with? He’s eating and giving bread to the one who would betray him. Think about that for a moment. He’s eating and giving bread to the man who would betray him. He’s eating and giving bread to the person who would deny him. This is radical love. It’s love from above. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This is a case in point. This is also the reality that we cannot do this on our own. So how do we get this love?
Well, from the scripture’s perspective, there’s a kind of a divine infusion that takes place through the Holy Spirit. Paul talks about this in the Book of Romans 5:5, and he says, “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.” Catch that: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to is.” One translation says, “The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts.”
Matthew reminds us that anybody can love those who love them…but to reach out to someone who would betray you. To reach out to someone who may make fun of you. To reach out to those we may claim as our enemies. This is supernatural love!
There’s tremendous symbolism in this meal. Jesus is the lamb who was sacrificed for us, to spare us, to deliver us, and most importantly, to fill us with his love as we seek to serve others. But it’s more than just serving here. This is sacrifice for others. Sometimes it involves even greater sacrifice. He sacrificed himself for us. That’s why we’re here. And the only reason why is that we’re here. Because Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
Nearly all these disciples would be laying down their lives as well. Nearly all of them were martyred. I talked about this last Sunday. They sacrificed for their faith. But it is not just in big sacrifices or dying for Christ. This kind of love sacrifices in small ways too. Even giving bread to betrayers and sometimes in larger ways than even laying down our lives. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
When I think about this in the marriage covenant, the covenant that certainly I entered as a husband. It says husbands love your wives “as,” there’s that word again. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church. How is that love shown? Christ laid down his life for the church!
It’s really a great imagery of the church as the bride of Christ. Christ loves us. Christ gave himself for us. Reminded certainly in the classic John 3:16. “God so loved the world he gave…” He sacrificed, “…His only son.” So love involves – sacrifice and often it does not count the cost.
We, as parents today know the sacrificial love that we have for our children…doesn’t count the cost.
Sometimes love calls us to sacrifice in smaller ways. Yes, giving bread or food to others. Sometimes in larger ways…as those who have sacrificed their lives for others
This is what Jesus is saying here to us among his last words to his disciples. It is just as important for us today. He says, “Love is our greatest witness.” Love is truly what will change our world. It is only through God’s love that’s going to happen. But this is love again at a different level. I think most of what passes for love these days is only sentiment or superficial offerings. Jesus put it very plainly here. People will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another, agape love. Love that serves. And love that sacrifices.
One of my favorite stories is about a little girl in Brazil. She was among those inner city people, homeless in that great city in Brazil. And a helping agency brought food that day. They had food and drink out for the people, and she was one of the last ones to come for food. And the only thing left there were two bananas. And this little girl was, I think, about 13 years of age. And she took one of the two bananas. And there was a journalist there who was observing what was happening that day and he followed her. And she walked about three or four blocks in the inner city. And out behind this little hut came two younger girls. And that girl broke her banana in half. And she gave one to each of those smaller girls. And she took a couple of steps…and she started licking the banana peel. The journalist stated, “I swear I saw the face of God.” That’s love that serves. That’s love that sacrifices. That’s love that can change our world. That’s love that represents the Kingdom of God.
There’s a great prayer in the Book of Ephesians, which talks about God’s love working in our lives. And I’d like for us to pray this together as I conclude these comments today. To say whatever else we do in life, whatever accomplishments we have, as Paul writes in I Corinthians 13… without love…it’s all in vain.
So this is Ephesians 3: 14-19, it’s on the screen for you. I’d like for us to pray this together if we can. In these few verses, a prayer of the apostle Paul to know the love of God. So let’s pray this together:
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
May we pray?
“Lord, I pray for us as your church. For all of us, God who hear this today, that we may love as Christ has loved us. We pray this in the name and for the sake of Jesus.”
(Additional story)
I was reminded of a story and of course we’ve read the headlines of the shootings that have taken place in the course of this weekend as well. Back in 2006, at the Nickel Mines Amish School in Pennsylvania, there was terrible tragedy there…shooting. Charles Roberts barricaded himself inside the school. There were eleven girls there, all under the age of 14 in that school. Tragically, five of them were killed before he took his own life. And one of the girls who survived that incident told the story that what happened inside that school. One of the oldest girls there, her name was Marie Fisher. Knowing the intent of what was going to happen with Roberts, the shooter, she made a request. And she said, “shoot me first. And let the others loose.” Shoot me first. And let the others lose. She was hoping that giving her life might spare those other girls and her younger sister right beside her said, “shoot me second.” Shoot me second. Six of the girls survived because of love and bravery of those two little girls. Their sacrifice changed that whole situation and help spare those other girls. What an incredible story of love and bravery they displayed.