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Our Love Made Possible By Jesus’ Love
(John 13:31-35)
Mari Ikeda
Today we continue our series on the Gospel of John, reading from 13:31-35. This passage contains one of Jesus’ most crucial teachings: “Love one another.” While all humanity surely agrees that loving one another is better than hating or fighting, the reality of the world in every age remains far from this ideal of mutual love. The reason for this may become clear if we consider what it actually means to love those close to us. Loving one another seems simple yet is difficult; it is not a one-time act but requires continuous effort. And as the passage concludes by asking, the church is the community where loving one another should be realized. What it means for us gathered in church to love one another is another challenge altogether. Let us now read the passage. Though it’s a short passage, I would like to divide it into three parts. Let’s read the first verses, 31-32.
A. What is glorified in Jesus’ suffering (31-32)
31 When he (Judas) was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
As it says at the beginning, “When he (Judas) was gone,” Jesus did not try to stop Judas from betraying him, but told him, “Do what you are going to do,” and let him leave. Judas going out meant the countdown to Jesus’ arrest and execution had begun. However, Jesus’ choice of words here feels somewhat odd. He speaks in the perfect tense: “Now the Son of Man is glorified.” Though Jesus has not yet been arrested, He speaks as if everything has already happened. I believe this shows Jesus’ conviction that His execution is a foregone conclusion, something that cannot be reversed. Though that time had only just begun, it was already as certain as if it had already occurred. So, what does Jesus mean here when He says “the Son of Man is glorified” or “God will glorify the Son”? Considering the context leading up to this, it directly relates to Jesus’ arrest and execution. In summary, it means that Jesus receives glory through suffering and dying on the cross. Though it seems contradictory that Jesus’ suffering is His glory, this is the truth of God’s love. The truth of God’s love might always be paradoxical. Jesus seemed to die a hopeless death, yet it was the beginning of hope leading to resurrection and eternal life. Jesus appeared to be defeated by the devil, yet He actually achieved eternal victory. Because Jesus died, we were given eternal life. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God demonstrated both the judgment of sin and the forgiveness of sin at the same time, simultaneously fulfilling both justice and love. Jesus’ death and resurrection proved that God is both righteous and merciful. At that moment, when Judas left the room, Jesus understood that the time for all this to happen had come. Yet no one else understood this at that point. Jesus knew this too, which is why I believe He spoke the following words to His disciples. I feel the tone of Jesus’ words shifts abruptly here. Up to this point, He was declaring the critical events that must happen. From here on, I believe He is speaking affectionately to His disciples about what they should do in the reality where these events have not yet occurred. First, let’s read verse 33.
B. What we should do in our sufferings
1. To remember His call, “My children” (33)
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
The term “children” here apparently uses a word in the original language that specifically refers to small children. Therefore, I believe that in this passage, Jesus spoke to His disciples with great affection, just as a parent would speak to a small child.
What Jesus spoke of here was the time when His disciples would be overcome with despair after His arrest and execution. He said, “You will look for Me, but you will not find Me.” I believe Jesus deeply pitied His disciples during the time He would be absent.
In the passage we will read next week, Jesus tells Peter, “You cannot follow me now, but you will follow me later.” This refers to Peter eventually coming to understand the meaning of Jesus’ cross, receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, and dedicating his life to spreading Jesus’ love throughout the world. And for that purpose, he also came to willingly bear various sufferings. Peter walked the same path that Jesus walked.
But just as Peter and the other disciples did, there are times when we too search for Jesus and cannot find Him. In our suffering, there are times when we feel as though Jesus is not with us. At such times, I believe Jesus’ words today are also directed toward us. “Children, you will not find me.” What matters is that Jesus knew this. The hearts of the disciples, and our own hearts, can be crushed by the desperate situation before us, plunging us into confusion where we don’t even know how to make sense of it. It is precisely in such times that Jesus calls out to us, “Children,” telling us, “I know exactly what you’re going through.” Whether we despair or are confused, God knows everything and will not leave us as we are. Jesus’ cross proved this. Despair will be transformed into hope, confusion into peace, defeat into victory. Jesus knows that we sometimes struggle to believe this, and that is why He speaks to us, saying, “Children.”
Moreover, Jesus clearly showed us what we should do. Let us read verses 34-35.
2. To love one another by the love of Jesus (34-35)
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Love one another always—this is the commandment Jesus gave us. What I especially want to keep in mind today is that this commandment was given immediately after Jesus said, “You will lose sight of me.” Precisely when we feel we cannot understand Jesus, precisely when we are lost, we are told, “Love one another.”
Jesus called this a “new commandment.” But the teaching to “love your neighbor” existed since Old Testament times and is not new in itself. So what is new? It is the part that says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” The part that says, “As I have loved you.” This did not exist before Jesus. It was only when Jesus came and died that God revealed to us how He loves us.
Moreover, it is also a new point that those who have come to know that love loving one another is the sign that they are disciples of Jesus. Those who have known Jesus’ love are taught by that love what true love is, and through that love they become able to love one another. This love does not originate within us, nor is it based on our reason or emotions; it is given by Jesus and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It means that, in place of the invisible Jesus, we deliver Jesus’ love to one another, thereby becoming part of Jesus’ body. That is why the church is called the body of Christ.
So what does it mean, specifically, for us to love one another through the love of Jesus? I think there are many ways to express it, but what I have been taught in this church, and what I also want to cherish, is to be with one another. It’s not about doing something special, but sharing each other’s burdens and rejoicing together in times of joy. We don’t have the power to instantly remove unresolved relationship issues or incurable illnesses. But we can carry them together, lift our eyes to God together, trust in Jesus’ love, and move forward step by step. In doing so, we sometimes discover that Jesus is truly with us, and in those moments, we can offer thanksgiving together. There are many ways to do this: eating meals together, praying together, connecting online, holding mini-church gatherings. Ultimately, we can only lift our eyes to Jesus together; we cannot fully replace Him. We don’t need to force ourselves to look up when we can only look down, but the presence of someone beside us who helps us keep our eyes fixed upward is profoundly important. We are called here together precisely to support one another in this way.
First, during the worship time ahead, let each of us remember the One we should look to. No one can take the place of Jesus. Let us listen to the voice of the One who speaks to us intimately, saying, “My child.” In that moment, the Holy Spirit will surely make us aware of the thirst in our hearts. If you feel the need to talk to someone, to have someone pray for you—whether immediately after worship, during the week, or with me or anyone else in the church—please reach out.
(Prayer) Lord Jesus, we remember how you loved us and gave your life for us. You know each one of us intimately. Though we sometimes lose sight of you, you know this too, and you place the necessary friends beside us. You have gathered us here so that none of us would despair alone. Therefore, please use each of us so that together we may look up to You. And even when we cannot see what You are doing, be with us, and grant us the experience of rejoicing together when we do see. Lord Jesus, we pray in Your name, placing our hope in You. Amen.
Summary
“Love one another” is central to Jesus’ teaching. But the crucial part is “as I have loved you.” It is through knowing the joy of being forgiven and loved by Jesus that we gain the motivation to forgive and love others. This love is not driven by our reason or emotion, but is made possible by Jesus’ love and the power of the Holy Spirit. The church is the community where such love should be realized. It exists to support one another as the visible body of Jesus, even in times of suffering when understanding Jesus becomes difficult.
For Discussion
1) What is God’s (Jesus’) glory? How is it related with us?
2) What do we do specifically in order to love one another by the love of Jesus?