STUDY THEME: WHAT DOES JESUS WANT FROM US? 4-22-07

“LOVING OBEDIENCE “ JOHN 13:34-35; 14:15, 21-24; 15:9-16.

JOHN 13:34-35: 14:15, 21-24: 15:9-11, 12-16.

1. PLASE READ JOHN 13:34-25.

The Biblical Truth in today’s lesson is that those who love Jesus do what He tells them to do and produce fruit that lasts. Jesus commanded that if we were to love Him we would come to love one another. The new standard He set among believers would indicate that it was the believer’s love for one another that would show the world they were His disciples.

Jesus taught that love for Him and obedience to Him necessarily accompanied each other. Jesus wrapped up His teaching on loving obedience by reminding the disciples that He chose them (not vice versa) for the purpose of producing lasting fruit.

After the foot washing and the Last Supper in last Sunday’s lesson, Jesus told His disciples that He was going away. This upset the disciples. Jesus then challenged and reassured them in John 13:34-16:33. John 13:34-35 was His first challenge. It was His last charge to His saints before He went to the cross.

Looking down through the years, He knew they would be in a hostile world and be hated of all men for His name’s sake, and He pleaded with them, “Don’t be ungracious, unkind, quarrelsome and discourteous to each other.”

“You have been redeemed by the same precious blood, indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

The obvious theme is that Jesus’ followers are to love one another. This commandment was given three times in two verses. This was a commandment for the disciples to practice after Jesus ascended to the Father in John 15: 17. There are many “one another” passages in the Bible, but this is the foundational one. We can think of the others as specific ways of loving one another.

The word for love is agapao, the verb form of agape love. This is the kind of love God had when He gave His only Son so we can have eternal life in John 3: 16. It is costly. It gives of self to do good for others. This is why Jesus could command it. It is an action rather than a feeling.

Jesus called this a new commandment. Some have called it the eleventh commandment. In what sense was it new? For one thing, it is motivated by the love Jesus shows for us: Love one another, as I have loved you. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is the model for our love for one another. In Eph. 5: 25 Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Jesus was not the first ethical teacher to call for love, but He was the first to be a perfect example of it.

Second, it is new because the Holy Spirit has come with power. We cannot love as Jesus did in our own strength but only as His Spirit fills us. One of the themes of Jesus’ teaching in John ch. 14-16 was His promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was going away as the incarnate Son, but He would be with them in the Paraclete.

Third, the church is a new kind of way of relating to one another. It is like a family. We all have the same Father, who has adopted us. This makes us brothers and sisters. Imagine, that you are a poor orphan in desperate need of help and a kind, wealthy man adopts you. Would you love your new father? Surely you would.

Now imagine that after you are adopted, you learn that the same generous man has adopted every orphan he can find and that he expects you to treat the other adopted orphans as brothers and sisters. Isn’t this like what the Heavenly Father has done? Because you are human, it isn’t easy to treat some of the adopted orphans with love, but you must seek to do so.

C.S. Lewis wrote the Screwtape Letters, which purported to be letters of advice from one evil spirit named Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, an apprentice tempter.

Wormwood had been assigned one man to tempt. The object of Wormwood’s tempting became a Christian, and Wormwood felt he had failed, but his uncle advised him to focus the new convert’s attention on the frailties of the church people. “When he gets to his pew and looks around him he sees just that selection of his neighbors whom he has hitherto avoided. You want to lean pretty heavily on those neighbors. Make his mind flit to and fro between an expression like ‘the body of Christ’ and the actual faces in the next pew.”

It matters very little, of course, what kind of people that the next pew really contains…provided that one of those neighbors sing out of tune, or have boots that squeak, or double chins, or odd clothes, the patient will quite easily believe that their religion must therefore be somehow ridiculous.”

In vs. 35 Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.” Perhaps that is why non-Christians fail to see the church as belonging to Jesus. When church people live no differently than worldly people outsiders fail to see the church as Christ’s body. When churches fight among themselves, no wonder many people---even some who profess to be religious---are turned off by institutional religion. The churches that make a positive impact are those in which members love one another.

Tertullian was a Christian writer of the second century who wrote of the effectiveness of the church even though it was persecuted. “It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. ‘See,’ they say, how they love one another.’ for they themselves are animated by mutual love; ‘see how they are ready even to die for one another,’ for they themselves will rather be put to death.”

The words of the people who saw the great love of Christians show the truth of vs. 35. Their attention was drawn to people of such love for one another. When they asked them their secret, believers could tell them about Jesus and His love.

D.A. Carson commented about John 13:34-35: “The new command is simple enough for a toddler to memorize and appreciate, profound enough that the most mature believers are repeatedly embarrassed at how poorly they comprehend it and put it into practice.” Perhaps we have trouble understanding this kind of love because we have so little personal experience of it.

Our love should be the kind of self-giving love Jesus showed for us. If we practice such love, the world will realize we are followers of Christ.

2. PLEASE READ JOHN 14: 15.

This verse is similar in some ways to 13:34, but it has some distinctives. It adds a new perspective on love. Whereas 13:35 focuses on love for one another, 14:15 focuses on Christians’ love for Christ. His love for believers motivates them to love one another and also to love the Lord. A genuine experience of Christ’s love results in an overflow of love for one another and for Christ.

The word keep can mean to keep in the sense of guarding something or it can mean keep in the sense of observing or obeying something. Thus the verb can be translated, “If you love me you will obey my commands.”

Notice also that the verb form can be either imperative (keep my commandments) or future (“you will obey my commands.)” The impacts are similar.

Love for Christ is inseparable from obedience. In Luke 6: 46 Jesus asks of a large crowd of His disciples: “Why do ye call Me, Lord, Lord, and yet do not do what I tell you?”

Vs. 15 has an “if” clause that can mean either that the disciples may or may not love Jesus. But one thing is clear, if we truly love Christ, we will obey His commands.

The link between love for Christ and obedience to Him is found also in 14:21,23 and in 15:14. If we truly love the Lord, we will obey Him. And what did Christ command us to do? The emphasis in the Focal verses in this lesson points to the commands to love God and one another. Later He would add “fruit bearing” to love.

3. PLEASE READ JOHN 14: 21-24.

Vs. 21 begins by repeating the main point in vs. 15. Then Christ made three promises to those who love Him. Both the divine Son of God and God the Father will love the person who keeps Christ’s commands. This does not contradict the biblical teaching that God’s love is unconditional. That teaching emphasizes that none of us receive God’s love only as we become worthy. God loves all people unconditionally because He is love. He loves sinners as well as saints. But having said that, there is a level of love only possible when people respond to God ‘s love with faith, obedience, and love.

This passage does not teach a “works” religion, but rather “one who believes and obeys Christ’s Word,” is loved by the Lord. Saving faith results in obedience. Rom. 1:5 says “The obedience that comes from faith.”

That deeper level of love is rewarded by Christ, who will manifest, or reveal Himself, to the person who loves Him. This assumes close personal relationship between believers and the Lord. When the obedient believer gets a direct command from the Lord he says, “It is not for me to argue nor to reason about it; as a Christian, for me it is to do what my Master tells me.”

You will notice much repetition of key ideas in the focal Verses of this lesson. John probably saw this as a reinforcement of his main points. Vs. 21 begins with a reinforcement of vs. 15. Both verses stress the link between love and obedience. Vs. 21 takes it a step further by Jesus’ promise to manifest or reveal Himself to those who love Him.

At this point one of the disciples asked a question. The questioner was the other Judas, (not Judas Iscariot.) Judas Iscariot had left earlier and was out in the process of betraying Jesus.

This other Judas was related to James. He seems to have also been called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. His question seems to assume that Jesus was speaking about some public display of His power. Like the others, he expected Jesus to do something dramatic to reveal His power. Judas thought that Jesus was not preparing to reveal His power to any one except His disciples.

Jesus answered the question in vs. 23-24. He repeated the emphasis that those who love Jesus keep or obey His word and that His Father would love such obedient people. Jesus added the promise that the Father and the Son would make their abode or “home” with Him.

By contrast to those in vs. 23, those who did not obey the words of Jesus show that they do not love Him. Jesus said that these words of judgment were not His but had come from the Father.

Let’s summarize all these love connections. First of all, the Father and the Son love each other. Second, they reveal that love for people in many ways. This is a key point because God’s love lies behind any human love. A good commentary on this subject is found in 1 John, especially 3:14-18 and 4:7-11.

Rom. 5:8 says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Thus any love on our part is a response to His love. The third summary point is that believers ought to love God and others.

When Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He referred to wholehearted love for God and love for our neighbor (who He defined as anyone in need.) God has a special level of love for those who love their fellow Christians.

Obedience is not a popular requirement. People’s nature is to want to be free from any authority that calls for obedience. Many people view God’s commandments as something that robs them of freedom to do as they please. The Bible’s position is that only through obedience to God’s commandments do we ever find true freedom to be ourselves. His commandments are for our good.

Consider a piano. A child cannot resist the urge to pound on the piano keys. The only result is noise. In order to make music, the pianist must submit to the laws of music and to the score of a particular piece of music. Life is like that: When we reject God’s laws for living. All we can produce is noise. When we live in God’s way the result will be harmony. Thus obedience to God is a liberating experience. Only through Obedience to God do we find life meaningful.

4. PLEASE READ JOHN 15: 9-11.

A BELIEVER IS MOTIVATED BY THE WONDER OF JESUS LOVE, which is patterned after the Father’s love in its quality and extent. Remain or continue in my love might seem to be mystical but Jesus makes it very concrete. Obedience to the Father’s commands is the same for a disciple as it is for the Son. Active dependence and loving obedience are the proper paths for all of God’s children.

Jesus had great joy in pleasing His Father by living a fruitful life. The author of Hebrews writes in Heb. 12: 2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God’

Jesus said earlier to love one another as Christ loved us. Here He said that He loved people the way the Father loved Him. The word continue or remain means to be joined in union with and continue that relationship. This is the same word as “abide ” in verses 4.5.6. and 7. Jesus compared it to the relationship between a vine and its branches. Thus He emphasized personal union with Christ, the true vine of which we are branches.

Vs. 9 focuses on abiding in His love----this love like God’s love for His Son and like the Son’s love for us. Many people back away for such a close relationship with the Lord but it is a relationship of ultimate love.

Obeying Christ and loving Him go together. Another part of this package is abiding in His love. He is the source of our life, and we must continue to abide in Him to know life at its best. Abiding in His love is demonstrated by keeping His commandments. The wording can be misunderstood. Jesus was not saying that we become His disciples by keeping His commandments any more than He was saying that those who abide in divine love show this by obeying divine commandments.

Closely related to this love is joy. Jesus spoke of my joy. Some people think of Jesus as a great kill-joy. Actually He is just the opposite---He is a joy-giver. Sharing His joy is doing the will of God. Such joy is inward and lasting.

We are told in the O.T. that the joy of our lord is our strength. Joy is more than peace. Joy is peace bubbling up. The Lord would have us joyful people. He Himself was like that.

5. PLEASE READ JOHN 15: 12-16.

Jesus and His disciples are on their way to Gethsemane on Friday night as He continued His discourse on love. They have already learned that abiding in Christ means abiding in His love and experiencing His joy. His objective is that his Joy might remain in us, and that our joy might be full. Such love and joy are part of the fruit we bear for Him.

He says in effect, “If you abide in fellowship with Me, and make it the object of your life to glorify Me, you shall share my joy; the very joy that is mine will be yours, that your joy may be full.”

Vs. 12 repeats the important teaching of 13:34. “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Vs. 13 tell us how much Jesus loved them---He laid down his life for them. There is no greater love than this that one person can do for his friends. Jesus told them He called them my friends, if they did whatsoever He commanded them. He did not call them slaves, but friends.

Christians grow by caring for and nurturing each other. The standard for that love is Christ’s example of humble sacrificial service: as I have loved you.”

What does it mean to be a friend of Jesus? Slaves must blindly obey their masters, but Jesus had confided in His disciples as a friend would. Of course we are still servants of the Lord and of one another, but we have an intimate relationship with Him as friends. The Roman emperors had special groups who were called “friends of Caesar.” How much more wonderful to be friends of Jesus.

Vs. 16 is a key verse. It makes three main points. One is that the disciples did not choose Jesus; instead, He chose them. The same thing is true of all Jesus’ followers. He sought us before we sought Him. Each of them could recall when they heard Him call, “Come, follow Me.” So can each follower of Jesus. But someone may say, “But didn’t I also choose Him? Yes, but our choice to follow was in response to His invitation. The biblical doctrine of election emphasizes that when we trace back our salvation to its ultimate source, it goes back to the heart of the eternal God. He chose His followers for salvation and for service.

When the Lord chose us, He chose us for mission in His name. “I have ordained or appointed you that you should go and bring forth fruit.” The Greek word for fruit is prominent in verses 1-8. Vs. 4 speaks of the fruit that results from abiding in Christ. This reference seems to refer to qualities of life, such as the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23.

The reference to fruit in vs. 16 seems to point to bringing people to Christ. This fruit comes from going on mission for Christ. Both kinds of fruit should characterize believers.

We should be growing more like Jesus by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and our testimony and example should lead others to follow Him. Sometimes people try to take one kind of fruit and ignore the other, but both are taught in the Bible. Concerning new converts as fruit, someone said, “The fruit of a Christian ought to be other Christians.” Such fruit lasts (your fruit should remain or last.)

The third point in vs. 16 is the assurance that those who go forth on the Lord’s mission are acting in His name. Therefore, they can be sure that the Lord will give them whatsoever they need to act in the name of Jesus. Believers can bear lasting fruit only as they continue to abide in Christ.

NEXT SUNDAY WE CONTINUE IN JOHN 15: 18 TO 16:4. THE LIFE QUESTION IS, “HOW SHALL CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO THOSE WHO HATE US?

A.V. DAUGHERTY altav@swbell.net http://www.theweeks.org/av/