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 13:34-35 NKJV
When Jesus was asked what was the greatest of all the commandments, He answered:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment. Andthe second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV
This is the first and great commandment, to love God with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
At the last supper Jesus gave His last commandment to the disciples, before His death and resurrection. He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
It is significant that it was John who recorded this in his gospel. John was known as the one who Jesus loved. He is also known as the Apostle of love, because love is the central theme in all his writings, and John more than any other of the disciples had a revelation of God’s love and the love we should have for each other.
It was John who wrote, “for God so loved the worldthat he sent His Son.” It was John who also said, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8
To love God and to love each other was not a new concept, yet Jesus calls this a new commandment. What was new about this commandment, and why was this going to be the characteristic that distinguished followers of Jesus from everyone else?
The key is found in the words, “as I have loved you.” This was not simply a command that the disciples should love one another, but that they should love one another as Jesus had loved them.
This was no ordinary love. This was the love that Jesus demonstrated in laying down his life for us. It was the love that He demonstrated as He served others, and it was the same love that nailed Jesus to the cross.
Jesus goes on to say, this is the kind of love that will attract the attention of our world. Everyone who sees this love will know that we are followers of Jesus, because of this demonstration of sacrificial love.
John describes this kind of love in this way:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16
May our prayer and our reality be that we would love like this!