John 13:31-35 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." [John 13:31-35 NKJV] Judas has barely left the room and Jesus declares “Now the Son of Man is glorified,” and glorified is used here in the sense of being confirmed; that His worth and purpose is made manifest and can be acknowledged. There is now no going back — the Divine Plan is being fulfilled — and so Jesus is set irrevocably on course for Calvary. Jesus repeats His statement “Where I am going, you cannot come,” and as we will see, His disciples are confused again by His meaning. Then we find something that is only reported in John’s gospel, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Only John uses the phrase a new commandment, and “love one another” appears in writings by John, Paul and Peter. Other New Testament writers use expressions like love your neighbour as yourself. It might seem pedantic, but there is a subtle difference in how “love one another” is presented here, because it is qualified by “as I have loved you”. Jesus loves us like no other, and this is Him again turning our perception from the ways of the world to the way of the Spirit. He is the way. When Jesus speaks it is always to ‘the higher calling’. A HOLY PROMISE: Oswald Chambers on HopeCertainty of God means uncertainty in life; while certainty in belief makes us uncertain of God. Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life, and they must both go together. [from ‘The Love of God’] Click below for an audio version of this meditation
“Love One Another” — Tommy Walker Ministries ‘Meditate On These Things’Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
[Romans 12:9-13 NKJV] |
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