Why Bother?

We’ve Been Commanded

I suppose if you aren’t a follower of Jesus Christ, then this won’t apply to you. God doesn’t expect the children of the world to love each other with a selfless love. In fact, selfless love should not be in their nature. Those who belong to the world should lie to one another, take from one another, and cheat one another. They should talk behind each other’s back. They should have tribal factions and war with each other. They should think that they are better than one another and kill those who are opposed to them. The people of the world should, by their character, abuse the power they have obtained and lord it over the people who are subject to them. They should feel victimized and blame others for all of their life’s trials and troubles.

If however, you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ, this applies to you....

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12

These are some of the words that Jesus had for his disciples during His last supper with them. In a way, this might be a culmination of His work with them. Out of all of the things He has taught them, of all of the things He has shown them, this might just be the very core of what He was trying to convey. He wanted His people to love each other in the same way that He loved them.

Unfortunately, sometimes the church acts in every way, as if they are of the world. At times, her people bicker amongst themselves. At times, we have our own factions and power plays. From God’s perspective, I think there are very few things that disturb Him to that extent.

My wife and I have been blessed to have had 4 children. Our three youngest children just so happen to be boys. I don’t know if our experience with our 3 sons is typical, although I am led to believe that it is. I grew up with two sisters and no brothers, while my wife had only one sister. We never planned on having three sons, so we really had no idea of what to expect. There is this energy in our household, that neither my wife nor I endured in our own childhood experience. There is always someone jumping, always someone getting hurt, and always someone in a wrestling match.

Being severely outweighed, I had always assumed that my youngest would have to stay away from the traditional boyish tussle, but time has shown me the error of my assumption. Not only is he willing to join the fray at the drop of a hat, he is surprisingly capable of holding his own.

If my child is hurt by a friend of his, it doesn’t trouble me all that much. In that scenario, I merely need to feel the pain of my injured son. I do not have the groaning of a father whose son has been the aggressor. If my son hurts his friend, it bothers me more. It might sound odd, but as long as the injury is not severe, I prefer my son to have taken a hit rather than being the culprit. Most physical injuries will heal over time, but time itself has little power to change one’s sinister character.

As a parent, few things bother me quite so much as when my own children mistreat one another. It troubles me, because no matter who gets hurt, something inside of me hurts. Not only do I have to deal with the pain of the son who hurts, I also have to deal with the injustice committed by my other son. I hurt from both sides. I hurt because one of my sons has been unjust and I hurt because one of my sons has been wrongfully treated.

Without putting words in the mouth of Almighty God, that may very well be why Christ had given his disciples the command to love each other in the same way that He had loved them. God wants His children to love each other, and for this cause, He spent His earthly ministry demonstrating to them what it looks like to love each other. In those precious few hours together before He was arrested, there was an urgent undercurrent in what He was trying to communicate. It was like He was saying, ‘Guys. I want you to do for each other the same things that I have done for you. Have you been paying attention? Have you noticed the ways in which I have demonstrated My love to you? Love each other the same way. If you haven’t been paying attention, I’ll try and explain what it looks like.....’

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s own life for one’s friend.” John 15:13

Over the course of His time with them, I don’t know if they ever really noticed the way in which He had loved them. Some of their time was spent looking at the modern architecture as if they were tourists (Matthew 24:1). They competed with each other for power and control in Christ’s kingdom (Mark 10:35-45). They argued amongst themselves about who would be the greatest. (Luke 22:24)
It is almost as if Jesus is pleading with them to get past themselves. The command to love each other wasn’t so much a new command as it was a summary of what He had been trying to teach them all along. ‘Give up trying to be better than each other. Stop pretending that you are more important than one another. Stop living life as if you are some kind of tourist. I’m going away and I’m leaving you behind to carry on the work of the Kingdom.’