What Jesus Requested as the True Way to Love Him
John 14:21
We might not be loving Jesus the way He wants to be loved!
Most of us want to love Jesus deeply. And, we were probably taught that we love Jesus best by having private devotions every morning, going to worship services, attending Bible studies, memorizing Scripture, and a host of other Christian activities.
But, NONE of that is what Jesus said is the KEY to loving Him.
Imagine your son saying that what he wants most for his birthday is a trick yo-yo. You give him a party and a number of great presents. But, he is looking for that one special yo-yo – and it isn’t there. All your other gifts have less joy.
Well, this is a very inadequate illustration of what we are doing to Jesus when we ignore His Nunber One Request made just before He died on the cross for us, recorded in
John 14:21
"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
|
The key to understanding our Lord’s request is deciding what are the commandments to which he is referring. What comes to mind is loving God and neighbor as well as the Ten Commandments. And, surely, those would be included.
However, in this last intimate talk with his closest friends, he tells the disciples one new commandment and even repeats it. In fact, he talks of no other commandment. Since his request is in the plural (“commandments”), we know that other commandments are included. But, this new commandment seems to be foremost on his mind. Therefore, it is the commandment we most want to understand.
However, in this last intimate talk with his closest friends, he tells the disciples one new commandment and even repeats it. In fact, he talks of no other commandment. Since his request is in the plural (“commandments”), we know that other commandments are included. But, this new commandment seems to be foremost on his mind. Therefore, it is the commandment we most want to understand.
John 13:34,35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
|
repeated in John 15:12
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
|
Our sinful tendency is to reduce biblical instruction to its least demanding definition and then give ourselves an “A+” on obedience. And, in this case we count superficial loving concern as the agape love (self-denial for another’s good) commanded many places in the Bible. Or we point to a few church members who really go out of their way with agape love to help others. And we sing songs like “They will know we are Christians by our love” with little evidence that it is really our self-proclamation as Christians that identifies us.
Here, in the upper room with his disciples and facing immanent and painful death, Jesus asks for a love that is response to what He is about to do for the disciples. Yes, they are to love in the agape way rather than the phileo (affection) fashion.
But, what is overlooked is the critical phrase
Here, in the upper room with his disciples and facing immanent and painful death, Jesus asks for a love that is response to what He is about to do for the disciples. Yes, they are to love in the agape way rather than the phileo (affection) fashion.
But, what is overlooked is the critical phrase
“as I have loved you”.
This is such a radical departure from what we naturally think of when we consider our responsibility to love. It flies right over our heads. Jesus is not talking of a general love.
He is requesting as our way of loving Him that very intimate and knowledgeable love between those with whom we are very, very close.
|
So, the answer to the question, “How does Jesus want to be loved?” is “By each of us loving those with whom we are closest, those we walk the paths of life with frequently, in the very way that Jesus loved those in his inner circle, his disciples.”
That presents one further problem to be solved. How did Jesus love them on the roads between their destinations, at wedding ceremonies, in Jerusalem and the temple? The Scriptures do not tell us, so how do we find out how our Lord loved his disciples, since we are requested to love those in our inner circles in the same way.
The answer is that Jesus loved his disciples in those ways the Bible instructs us to live with one another. Of course, Jesus did not love them with unbiblical love. Therefore, we know that it is biblical love that we want to focus on carefully.
Almost all the time, Jesus loved His disciples through close, personal relationships.
And, He did it in the course of daily life.
That’s pretty simple. Jesus knew His disciples well because He spent a lot of time with them and got to know and understand them. Jesus’ type of love can flourish only when relationships are close and are founded on understanding and trust.
And, that is the whole aim of the Lamb’s Bride Project. We spell out the various aspects of that love Jesus showed his disciples and we are to show to those Christians with whom we have deeper relationship. The general, less potent love, is still to be shown to everyone, even those outside of the faith. But, a deeper love is only possible with deeper relationship. We are to share such relationship with the Christian friends, spouses and families with whom we come into contact regularly and for whom we are biblically more responsible.
This deeper love is spelled out in our Togethers of Scripture. Hundreds of Bible verses and passages have been categorized into 65 aspects of agape love that God instructs of Christians. These are both the ways to love and strengthen the very fabric of our Lord’s church as well as the ways to reflect back to God his own character, which results in continual worship and praise.
Therefore, if Christians want to love Jesus in the way he requested and receive bonus love from God, it is important to know and put into continual practice the instructions for Christian relationships of love. Our presentation of the Togethers of Scripture found at our other website www.ChristiansTogether.org will help with that education
That presents one further problem to be solved. How did Jesus love them on the roads between their destinations, at wedding ceremonies, in Jerusalem and the temple? The Scriptures do not tell us, so how do we find out how our Lord loved his disciples, since we are requested to love those in our inner circles in the same way.
The answer is that Jesus loved his disciples in those ways the Bible instructs us to live with one another. Of course, Jesus did not love them with unbiblical love. Therefore, we know that it is biblical love that we want to focus on carefully.
Almost all the time, Jesus loved His disciples through close, personal relationships.
And, He did it in the course of daily life.
That’s pretty simple. Jesus knew His disciples well because He spent a lot of time with them and got to know and understand them. Jesus’ type of love can flourish only when relationships are close and are founded on understanding and trust.
And, that is the whole aim of the Lamb’s Bride Project. We spell out the various aspects of that love Jesus showed his disciples and we are to show to those Christians with whom we have deeper relationship. The general, less potent love, is still to be shown to everyone, even those outside of the faith. But, a deeper love is only possible with deeper relationship. We are to share such relationship with the Christian friends, spouses and families with whom we come into contact regularly and for whom we are biblically more responsible.
This deeper love is spelled out in our Togethers of Scripture. Hundreds of Bible verses and passages have been categorized into 65 aspects of agape love that God instructs of Christians. These are both the ways to love and strengthen the very fabric of our Lord’s church as well as the ways to reflect back to God his own character, which results in continual worship and praise.
Therefore, if Christians want to love Jesus in the way he requested and receive bonus love from God, it is important to know and put into continual practice the instructions for Christian relationships of love. Our presentation of the Togethers of Scripture found at our other website www.ChristiansTogether.org will help with that education
FURTHER EXPLORATION
How to Get Bonus Love from God the Father and Jesus
The Togethers of Scripture
this article expanded
You have heard that we Christians are to love one another. Good. That’s a start, at least.
But, Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another as He had loved them. And, there are two critical points to make about Jesus’ command that Christians love one another as He loved His disciples.
The first is that we are to love as Jesus loved. Jesus most likely loved His disciples a lot more, and in more significant ways, than what typically happens in church services and programs, house church meetings or small groups.
The second is that Jesus was speaking to a group of no more than 12 people about how they must love one another. He was not addressing a large audience of people who didn’t know one another very well.
Jesus certainly wants us to love wherever we are, even to love our enemies. But this commandment that He gave on the way to the cross was something entirely different.
Jesus said to love Him Christians are to love one another as He had loved the 12 disciples, something that was possible only in an intimate group. Our Togethers highlight scriptural instructions that apply to all gatherings of Christians, no matter the size of the crowd. However, to love Jesus as He loved his disciples calls for a deeper application of each of the Togethers, in the close relationships of Christian friendships, Christian marriages and Christian families.
When you let us show you how The 65 Togethers can be applied in friendships, marriages and families, you will discover that you really have not heard enough about God’s Best Way of Living.
It is BEST in many ways. But most important, John 14:21 tells us it is the way to get extra love from God the Father, extra love from Jesus, and a more personal relationship with Jesus because He will show Himself in some special way.
Many people will ask, “Does this mean that we can’t love one another like Jesus loved His disciples when we go to church gatherings?”
Sometimes we can, but the reality is that church fellowships, including most small groups, have an agenda — such as Bible study — that gets in the way of our coming to know each other well. To love one another in the many significant and costly ways that Scripture instructs, we need lots of time together. We must observe one another’s natural, unguarded behavior in a variety of settings as well as share candidly our deepest joys and burdens. Otherwise, we have little idea where help is needed and where faith stops and can be pushed a little further along.
That is why we, at ChristiansTogether.org, choose to emphasize developing deeper, loving relationships within Christian friendships, marriages and families. It is in these intimate settings that people can get to know one another well enough to love one another at a deep level, just like Jesus did with His disciples.
__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA