Podcast Introduction

Our reading today John 13-15. After the reading, I’ll have some comments for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Unity.”  

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Comments on John 13-15

What Jesus shared with His disciples in these three chapters is so rich that an entire college semester could be devoted to its study. We don't have that kind of time, so I am going to focus on just two topics. 

Jesus knows that this is the last meal he will share with His disciples before He will be crucified. They are in the Upper Room. They are going to have the Passover meal together. And knowing this is His last time with them, He wants to leave them with some final words. 

God uses repetition in the Bible to emphasize important points. 

John 13: 3x

John 13:34-35 “I give you a new commandment – to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

John 15:12 My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you.

John 15:17 This I command you – to love one another.

Why was loving one another so critical? Why did Jesus emphasize it so much? 

Jesus will soon be leaving them with a monumental task: to take His message of salvation to the entire world. Eleven men. He knew that in order for them to do this, they had to be united in every way. They had to be focused on the one purpose. They had to love one another. 

He said they were to love each other as He had loved them. And they did not yet know it, but in a few short hours He would demonstrate just what that meant. 

By loving one another, they would be able to overlook petty differences that always come up when people are involved.  1 Corinthians 13: 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. 6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

Where there is love, there is unity. When there is unity, great things can be accomplished. And when God is in it, nothing can stop the mission.

In chapter 15, from verse 18 to the end of the chapter Jesus told them that the world would hate them because it hates Him. In verse 25 he said, Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ What he means there is they had no *good* reason. Of course they had a reason: they hated everything Jesus was and did and said. 

And that's why the disciples needed to love one another. So that they could stand the attacks.

Beloved, we live in difficult times. And Jesus' command still stands, for the same reason. If we allow the attacks of the world to divide us, we lose. Isn't that what has been happening for decades? We're divided because of race, sex, political party, age group, the neighborhood we live in, you name it. Why? Because when we are divided, we are weak. We are less effective. 

How are we going to win people to Jesus if we don't love? We first have to love one another, and then we need to love the lost. But if we can't even love other believers, why would non believers have a reason to listen to us? What do we have to offer them? 

I understand being passionate about your political views. But do divisive or insulting social media posts help or hurt the mission of sharing the love of Jesus? Don't participate in spreading the hate, the division. We are called to be salt and light. To do that, people need to see Jesus in us. Let's remember that next time we sign on to our social media accounts. 

Today's Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 13 GNT; Ch. 14 NASB; Ch. 15 NET

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