John 15 (Eighteen) Love's Difference

Good day

For as long as it takes we are going to study the gospel of John chapters fourteen to seventeen. Some of it will be what I have already written and some will be new. Therefore it may sometimes appear that I leave off in the middle of a topic to be continued, since I have reached my daily word count limit.

To pick up the topic, you may need to read the one or two postings preceding this one.

“This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you,” (John 15:17-19).

Up to the previous verse Jesus spoke about bearing fruit and being obedient. For the next few verses He is going to speak about the consequences His disciples (including us) will experience in this world if they do what He expects. He starts this section by simply saying ‘Love each other.’ It is almost as if it comes out of the blue, an island in the middle of bearing fruit in obedience and being persecuted as a result. Why do you think He said this here? I believe it is because He knew that this ‘island’ of love was going to be the fortress that will be the salvation and support of all His disciples in times of obedience and resulting hardship. If anybody had to fight and overcome the resisting powers of their sinful nature and that of the evil forces (Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms) alone, they would soon be overpowered. That is why the Lord established the body of Christ.

So why did the Lord mention this activity of love first before he continued describing the gruesome consequences? I can imagine Him pausing after that sentence and challengingly looking at each of the disciples in turn. Until such love was established in deed and action, none of them would have been able to continue with what He commanded. This fortress was an essential component in the war that lay ahead of them. Can you imagine the hell life would be if the disciples of all times constantly have to fight among one another, or feel ignored and rejected, and at the same time receive severe persecution from a hostile world? We need one another.

What does this love look like? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 puts it well: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” What a powerful fortress! But how do we fit into this fortress? Can we be a harbour to our brothers and sisters? The more a church loves genuinely, the more the Lord can use such a church and the more it can grow. If a troubled soul (and most of us get to such a point) feels safe in the unconditional love of a church, they will be able to heal, grow and do great exploits of obedience from such a fortress.

Also imagine the effect the world experiences when it repeatedly attacks the fortress and just keeps hitting love? Eventually it must start thinking about the love and receiving a desire to have what the church has. There is, however, among Christians such a thing as conditional love. ‘As long as you are like us and do things the way we do them, even though we do not measure up with the Word of God, we love you. If you, however, try to be different we might just ignore you and leave you on your own.’ My experience with true fortresses of love, based on the Word of God, in other words churches that really care and go to trouble to “leave the ninety-nine (sheep) in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it” (Luke 15:4), is that they grow significantly whilst others dwindle or stagnate (to be continued).

Lord, please teach us true love for one another. Help us to look out for the rejected and lonely people around us.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.