”Love” in John 13-16

Articles

Derek Long
10/28/18 - Understanding The Bible

“Love” in John 13-16
By Derek Long
The Bible will emphasize the importance of “love” in
many places. The gospel of John contains more references to “love” than any of the other gospel accounts. John 13-16 contain for us a record of some of the last things Jesus said to His disciples before facing death and He addresses the subject of “love” multiple times throughout His discourse.
John 13-16 speak about Jesus’ love for His disciples. John records for us, “when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Jesus’ love for His disciples did not run out. He continued to display love toward them despite their failures, lack of understanding, and continued bickering about greatness. John 13:23 reminds us there was a particular disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Throughout the gospel of John a disciple is referred to in this manner. Only at the close of the gospel do we find out the disciple is John himself (John 21:20-25). John had an especially close relationship with Jesus. John understood Jesus’ deep love towards him.
John 13-16 shows how Jesus’ love becomes the pattern for how we are to love one another. John 13:34-35 says, “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 15:12 says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” The type of love we should display to others is patterned after the love Christ has for us. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). We are called to love our enemies in the same manner God does good to unthankful and evil people (Luke 6:35-36). We are to love as Christ loved in all our relationships (Ephesians 5:2). Love is a characteristic which sets the disciples of Christ apart from the world.
John 13-16 speaks about the love we have for Jesus. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” If we truly love Jesus, we will seek to live our life in conformity with His commandments. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Jesus tells us the person who loves Him is the one who has His commandments and keeps them. If we fail to keep Christ’s commandments, it is an indication we do not truly love Him no matter how much we think we do. Jesus also teaches us the person who loves Him will be loved by the Father. One cannot expect to be in good standing before the Father while at the same time failing to show their love for Christ by keeping Jesus’ commandments. John 14:23-24 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” Jesus promises the person who loves Him and keeps His word will have fellowship with the Father and Himself. Many people today want to talk about having an intimate or a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is important to realize it is impossible to have a personal or intimate relationship with Jesus Christ while refusing to do what He says. Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). The person who claims to have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and yet refuses to be baptized to be saved is lying. Only the person who hears and keeps Jesus’ word has a personal, intimate relationship with Him and the Father.
John 13-16 speaks of Jesus’ love for the Father. Jesus says, “But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here” (John 14:31). Jesus’ love for the Father led Him to do what
the Father commanded Him to do just as our love for God will lead us to keep His commandments. Jesus is not calling upon us to show a type of love He Himself was unwilling to display.
John 13-16 speaks of the Father’s love for Jesus. John 15:9-10 says, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” Jesus affirms the Father loved Him in the same manner He loved the disciples. Jesus affirms the very thing He did in response to the Father’s love is what the disciples should do in response to His love.
John 13-16 speaks about the greatest level of love one man can show to another. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” True love is willing to sacrifice for the good of others even to the point of giving one’s life for the benefit of others.
John 13-16 speaks of the love the world has for its own. John 15:19 says, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” The world approves of, accepts, and loves those who are just like them. However, the disciple of Christ should be different than the world and thus will face the hatred of the world around them.
John 13-16 speaks of the love the Father has for Jesus’ disciples. John 16:27 says, “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” The Father is willing to love those who love Christ.
Do we show the proper love toward God, Christ, and others as we should? Do we respond in the proper way to the love of God toward us? Are we willing to receive the hatred of the world instead of its love because of our determination to love God? Hopefully these thoughts challenge us to consider how we live up to the standards God sets for His people today!