Reading
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 (NRSV)
Reflection
We all have some degree of influence over the people around us—our family, friends, coworkers, and sometimes even strangers. There are many ways we can influence others. We can use our position, our experience, our knowledge, or our authority. We can remind people of our titles or all the reasons they ought to listen to us.
And if there was ever anyone to wield their authority, it was Jesus. He had authority over everything, even death itself. Yet when Jesus gave his disciples the command to love one another, he did not begin with his authority. He began with his own example, saying “love as I have loved you.” In Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, Andy Stanley writes, “Jesus did not leverage his holiness, his personal righteousness, or even his divinely granted moral authority. Jesus leveraged his example—how he loved.”
Jesus did not simply tell his disciples what love should look like; he showed them. He showed them by paying attention to people that were often overlooked. He showed them by offering forgiveness, healing, and compassion. On the night before his death, he showed them by washing their feet.
Jesus’ love shaped the way he lived, served, and led. His love was not dependent on whether people deserved it or could offer him anything in return. This is the kind of love he calls us to share. Sometimes we may be tempted to lead with our title, our knowledge, or why we are right, but Jesus invites us to lead with love instead. Jesus tells us that love is how people will know that we belong to him. Not because our love is perfect, but because it points to Christ, who loved us first.
Prayer
Holy and Loving God,
Thank you for showing us what love looks like through Jesus. Help us follow his example in the way we speak, listen, serve, and care for the people around us. When we are tempted to lead with pride or judgement, draw us back to the love of Christ. Amen.
