Consider not only the words, but the setting. Jesus told His disciples this in the Upper Room, at the Last Supper. He has washed their feet, predicted the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and told them He is going somewhere they cannot follow, meaning He is going to die.
Immediately Peter declares he would follow the Lord anywhere. Jesus knows better, and predicts that His lead disciple will deny even knowing Him not only once, but three times. Phillip then jumps in and asks Jesus to show them God so that they can all believe, still then not realizing God was standing right next to him.
Still, Jesus loved them.
And us.
We're no better than those who shared Jesus' last meal. We refuse to recognize what He's done for us, betray Him for the idols of this life, and deny ever knowing Him when threatened by the world. We promise to follow Jesus anywhere, but jump off the bus at the first little bump. We cry out to Him asking to see His hand in our lives, blind to the fact that our lives are the very evidence we seek.
And still Jesus loves us.
How can we not love one another?
When Jesus said,"As I have loved you, so you must love one another," He wasn't just talking about giving up His life for His friends (John 15:13). He was also talking about loving them despite their weaknesses, their failings, their ignorance and outright stubbornness to accept the truth. Jesus loves us despite our imperfections. And we are to do the same for each other.
Is there a brother or sister in Christ who you find it hard to love because you never seem to agree? How do you think Jesus felt? He knew He was right, but still the disciples argued with Him. What did He do? Did He refuse to be with them, give up on them and find someone else more in line with His way of thinking? No. He loved them. Then He told us to do the same.
A new command for a new year.
Maybe this speaks to you, and maybe it doesn't. Maybe you do this already, love your brothers and sisters in Christ just as He loves us. If so, let us not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9).
But maybe, just maybe, some of us have room for improvement. Maybe we don't love that brother or sister as Christ loves us because they don't look like us, or like different worship music, or have a ministry calling different from ours, or whatever. Christ loves us not only because of our strengths and commonalities, but despite our weaknesses and differences.
Consider that when you see your brothers and sisters in the new year. Do you love them, all of them, the way Christ loves you?
Let's start the new year off right; with love. Who knows what might happen.
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