The Way in a Manger - The Way of Love

In John 13, Jesus gives His disciples a new command. “Love one another.” That wasn’t actually a new command. What made it new was what Jesus said next: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This was a raise the bar, sacrificial kind of love. And His followers took this command very seriously. First century Christians developed a reputation for taking in abandoned babies. Infanticide was not only legal throughout the Roman Empire, but it was widely practiced. Parents who abandoned their children were considered guiltless. Babies were abandoned for a variety of reasons, including economics, gender, suspicion of infidelity, or birth defects. The primary way this would take place was called Exposure, where babies were left outside to starve, freeze, or be eaten by wild animals. Christians rejected infanticide from the beginning, taking in these abandoned infants in huge numbers. But here is what is so interesting. Rescuing babies isn’t commanded in the New Testament. Food was scarce and expensive, and another mouth to feed was often seen as a liability. Christian Scripture didn’t specifically require it. The Old Testament didn’t specifically require it. But these first century followers were convinced that LOVE required it. And this kind of love would eventually catch the attention of the whole Roman Empire. So much so that Rome is now a tourist attraction while the church of Jesus is still growing today. Join us this weekend as we talk about the Way of Love, the central and over-arching command of King Jesus.