LIVE@5 – Friday, April 8, 2022
John 13:31–35 (NKJV)
31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33 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. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:31-35
Jesus is obviously preparing His disciples for His death and eventual ascension back to heaven. He tries to cast the image in a positive light, stating that the Father would be glorified, and that the Father would glorify Christ in the acts that would follow. Surely, Jesus would glorify the Father by fulfilling the salvation plan which was laid out for Him. The Father would glorify Christ in the resurrection. This is the plan and purpose of God for man’s salvation.
However, Jesus gives the disciples a direct teaching along with this explanation of events to come. In light of them, Jesus instructs the disciples to love one another as He has loved them. This is not new in the sense of teaching. Jesus has taught love to all His followers already. However, in light of His departure physically, He shows them the need for love for one another as being even more important. They need one another. They need to pull together. They need to identify with Christ in His physical absence.
So do we need to identify. We need each other in these insane times of apostacy. Many have gone back from the faith and have called good bad and bad good. Christianity is under attack legally and politically. It is essential that Christians love one another and stand together in these times of need and sorrow. Jesus set the example. We must follow. We must love like Jesus loved.
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