A New Command

When Jesus gives a command, it is not quite the same as they way we usually think about giving or receiving a command.  If you notice the verses with which chapter 13 (quoted to the right) begin,  you will see Jesus, their Lord and "superior," taking a towel and taking the role of a servant, washing the feet of His disciples. That is the context in which He gives a new command.  Receiving a command from someone who exploits their superiority and leads from position is much different than receiving a command from someone who serves with humility and leads by example.  It feels very different when we understand the disposition and character of the person who is speaking to us.  It is the difference between power and authority.  

Love is like that.  It is by love that people will recognize that there is something different about us.  Not just what we say, but the kind of people we are.  Jesus says it is imperative for us, not so much so we are able to prove that we are right, but so we are able to be the kind of people who love well.  That's how people will know who we are.  It's the only way they will really know.

Jesus told a clarifying story that is recorded for us in Luke 10 (see passage to the right), so that we might understand what this love looks like.  This is what the law of God is about.  This is what it looks like when it is lived out.  This is how people will know.

Jesus invites us to live the new command, which is really an old command but one that had never been fully understood or embodied until it became incarnate in Jesus.  Jesus then invites us to love as He has loved.  That's how people will know.  It may not look efficient - in fact it may not be fast or efficient, at least the way people often think of efficiency.  Jesus embodied grace.  Grace is not cost effective.  It is not the fastest, easiest, or  cheapest way to do anything or get things done.  It fact, the cost can be very high. I cost Jesus more than we can ever imagine.  But it is how people will know.  It is the only way that they will know clearly.

 Are we ready to listen to a new command?  Are we ready to live responsively, not just to the words that are spoken and heard, but the live that has been lived, and the investment that has been made?  Do we sense the difference in this kind of command?  Others will know if we do.

This is what Pastor Jon explores with us in the sermon this week.  If you would like to listen to this sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library by clicking here.*  You can also access the streamed version of our service here.

*(please allow 24-48 hours for the sermons to be posted to our sermon library)