Daily Devotions
John 13:31-35 – When he [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 also say 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.”
Note to readers: This is an alternate reading from the Three-Year Lectionary, and may not match up with the readings your church uses this Sunday.
Listen to the urgency in Jesus’ voice! Judas has just gone out the door to betray Him. Jesus knows He has only a couple of hours at most before the soldiers come to arrest Him and take Him away to His death. And He has so much He still wants to say to His disciples!
And so He starts with what might be the easiest to understand, though it’s hard to do. He says, “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.”
Now that’s downright terrifying. Because think of how Jesus has loved us. It starts with His birth into this world, God come to be a human baby, to grow up and to live among us as we live. It continues with a whole life dedicated to caring for people in need—teaching, healing, feeding, caring. And it winds up with His betrayal and suffering and death on a cross—not because He deserved it, but because that was the only way He could rescue us from our own slavery to evil. He set us free by His death and resurrection. That’s the kind of love He’s talking about.
I already know there’s no way on earth I can measure up to that love. But maybe I don’t have to. Because Jesus doesn’t expect us to do this on our own power. He promises us the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us. He is the One who will make us into “little Christs,” children of God who are learning to love each other—and the world—in the way Jesus loves us. And though we are still toddlers as we learn to walk in love, and we fall down a lot, He keeps picking us up again and starting over.
If God Himself is living in me, then I can relax and let Him do His work. He has already forgiven me for all the times I fall. And He is so happy when I succeed, even in the smallest way!
WE PRAY: Lord, help me trust You as You teach me to love. I don’t know how, but You do. Work through me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do you know if someone really loves you?
2. Why is it hard for us to love more than a few people?
3. How do you know that Jesus really loves and wants you to be His own forever—yes, you, personally?