Commanded To Love

Primary Scripture: John 13:31-14:4 Primary Topic: Jesus is speaking to his disciples during an intimate time together before he is taken from them to be crucified. Surely he wanted to convey the lessons and instructions that were most important to them before he left. In verses 34 and 35, he gives the disciples a “new” command: to love one another as he loved them. This isn’t the first time Jesus has spoken about love, however He puts the command as if it had the same level of authority as one of the Ten Commandments. By doing this, he calls his disciples to reconsider the religious laws and acts they have been raised in. Jesus calls them beyond religious works to humble themselves by serving one another as he had shown them, as God in the flesh humbled himself for us. (Phil 2:1-8) Jesus points to this new command as more than mere religion. Instead, He is showing that this is how to depend on Him, follow Him, and lead others to trust Him in the same way. Prompting Questions: What is the significance of the timing of Jesus giving them a new commandment? This commandment is new, but is it different? How is it possible to love each other the same way that Jesus has? What does that kind of love look like in our context today? Cross References: Phil 2:1-12, Mark 10:42-45, Galatians 6:2, Ephesians 4:2-3