Easter 5, May 18, 2025 | A Sermon on John13.31-35 | by Richard O. Johnson |

[At the last supper], when [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man  glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I say also to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13.31-35 ESV)

When you think about the first generation of Christians, what word comes to mind? Courage, perhaps? Or something like zeal, excitement, enthusiasm? They were, of course, on fire with their message of hope and grace. But we know that all these things, as important as they may have been, are not what impressed the non-Christians who were astonished by the growth of this new sect. It was instead their love. Tertullian, the Christian writer from the early second century, records one Roman remark he had heard: “See how these Christians love one another!” In the harsh world of ancient times, the love that Christians showed for each other truly shone like a candle in a dark room.

Of course, the Christians were only following the example of their Master. Jesus’ instructions had been clear. On the night of his betrayal, he had shared an intimate meal with his disciples. He had washed their feet, in a touching symbol of his humility and love for them. And then he had said some words that we have heard so often that we no longer notice their strangeness: “I am giving you a new commandment,” he said.  “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

What’s new about love?

Now what was so new about this commandment to love? Surely there was love in the world before the time of Jesus. What was different about the love Jesus meant? Well, perhaps you are thinking it was the Golden Rule—love your neighbor as yourself. But that wasn’t at all unique to Jesus; indeed, those words, when he speaks them, are quoted from the 19th chapter of Leviticus. They were already centuries old before Jesus uttered them.

No, the real answer to the question, “What was new?” lies in the second phrase Jesus speaks. “Even as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” Here, you see, Jesus refused to stop with the generality. He set up a standard, a guideline against which we can measure ourselves. We are to love one another as he has loved us. That’s what’s new here.

Now the Old Testament had very carefully prescribed what it meant to love one another: It meant that you were fair to one another in all your dealings, that you didn’t cheat one another, that you provided hospitality when necessary, that you cared for one another in time of need. But Jesus didn’t mention any of these things. He said something deeper, something that is simpler and yet more difficult. We are to love one another as he has loved us. What do you suppose that might mean, in practical, day-to-day terms?

Indiscriminate love

Perhaps first we should recognize that Jesus loved people indiscriminately. He didn’t just love his friends and family, people who were like him; he loved people who were different.  Tax collectors, prostitutes, foreigners, even criminals—Jesus loved them all. He was not put off the color of one’s skin, or the accent of one’s speech, or the rumors about one’s behavior. He never turned up his nose at someone, never said a critical word about someone’s weakness. Think about some of those who sat at table with him that night. There was a disciple called Simon the Zealot. He’s not as well-known as the other Simon, the one called Peter, but he was there that night. The Zealots were a party in Palestine who were dedicated to overthrowing the Roman Empire by violence. If you want to know the truth, they were terrorists. They were the al-Qaeda of the day, and they were hated and feared by respectable citizens. And yet Jesus loved Simon and called him to be his disciple and friend.

There was also Matthew, the tax collector. Tax collectors were hated even more than Zealots. They were Jews who were collaborators with the Roman officials, and they were widely viewed as traitors to their own people whose chief aim in life was to make a few bucks, even if it meant betraying their country and cheating the poor. Besides that, they were notoriously crooked. Yet Jesus loved Matthew and called him to be his disciple and friend.

“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” And so it was that in the early days of the church, that special kind of indiscriminate love was known among the followers of Jesus. We hear it dramatically in our first lesson this morning, where Peter violates all Jewish conventions by having dinner with Gentiles, and welcoming them into the church. Indeed those Christians welcomed anyone into their fellowship—Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, whatever their race or language or status in life. And today our Lord expects nothing less of us than to love all his children and to welcome them into our hearts as brothers and sisters in Christ—even the stranger, even the one who is different. As he has loved us, so he bids us love one another.

Understanding love

And then Jesus loved with a love that was completely understanding. He refused to condemn people for their mistakes, but he always tried to walk in their shoes and see with their eyes. He always felt with people, always went beyond sympathy to empathy. Think about some of the others who sat at table with him that night. Consider Thomas, the doubter. The gospels tell us he was the only disciple who, after the resurrection, publicly expressed his doubt. But Jesus didn’t condemn him for that; he understood how difficult it was for Thomas to believe, and he helped Thomas by offering him the chance to touch the nail prints in his hands. Think about Judas, the traitor. Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas was going to betray him, and yet we never hear anything but gentle words from his lips about the betrayer. Matthew tells us that even as Judas approached Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the soldiers at his side, Jesus addressed him as “Friend.” He understood the motives that forced Judas to act; he understood the darkness that filled Judas’ soul. And still he loved him.

“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” And so it was that in the early church that special kind of understanding love was known among the followers of Jesus. Remember Peter, speaking kindly to his jailer and refusing to leave his open prison cell lest the jailer be punished for allowing him to escape. Think of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, willingly giving up their adherence to the Jewish dietary laws so that Gentile Christians would not feel forced to obey them. And today our Lord expects nothing less of us than to love with complete understanding. He expects us to try to look at things from another’s point of view. He expects parents to try to understand how their children see things, and children to try to understand how their parents see things. He calls Americans to try to understand the point of view of Iraqis or Europeans or undocumented Mexican immigrants. He calls the wealthy and the comfortable to understand what it is like to be unemployed or homeless. As he has loved us, so he bids us love one another.

Forgiving love

Then of course Jesus loved with a love that was totally forgiving. He was always ready to give someone another chance, to forgive and forget what was behind and look only to the future. Think about some of those who sat at table with him that night. There was Simon Peter, who had denied that he even knew Jesus. But Jesus never overtly mentioned that incident after it happened; instead, he expressed his trust in Peter and accepted Peter’s remorseful love. There were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who so badly misunderstood Jesus that they got into a quarrel about which disciple was the greatest. But Jesus didn’t rebuke them; instead, he helped them learn that he who would be great must be the servant of others. He forgave their selfish ambition, and he helped them change their lives.

“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” And so it was that in the early church, forgiveness became the order of the day among Christians. Saul, the Pharisee who persecuted the church and even took part in the murder of some of the Christians, could later be forgiven and welcomed into the church as Paul the apostle. Today our Lord expects nothing less of us than to be willing to forgive each other of any offense. He expects us to forgive others when they hurt our feelings, when they take advantage of us, when they let us down or disappoint us.  He expects us to give the other person a completely new chance, whatever he or she has done.

Jesus loved with a love that was undiscriminating, understanding, forgiving. His words to us are the same as those to the disciples long ago: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

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© The Rev. Richard O. Johnson (retired)

Webster, NY

roj@nccn.net