It might seem a little odd at first that Jesus described his directive to “love one another” (John 13:34) as “a new command”—didn’t Jesus already tell us to love our neighbor and our enemy? Loving one another hardly seems like it would’ve been a novel idea at that point in Jesus’ ministry.
However, last Sunday Pastor Bob Boehr laid out for us four ways in which this command actually was “new”:
- This command was given strictly to Jesus’ disciples and was intended to be enacted follower to follower (while still keeping Jesus’ other commands to love neighbour and enemy, of course).
- Through his interactions with the disciples throughout his ministry, Jesus had already set the example for what this love was supposed to look like.
- There was a mutuality communicated in the command: If we’re supposed to love one another in church we have to allow people to love us.
- Enacting this command would be the way that the rest of the world would know that we are Jesus’ disciples.
May these points prove helpful for us as a church as we seek to keep this command at the forefront while moving through this time of transition.
Thanks very much to Bob for his message. If you missed it or would like to listen to it again, click here. To download it, click here and follow the instructions at the top of the page.