Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from March 28, “A New Commandment”
Jesus said in John 13:34, “”A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” This verse, along with 35, has been one of my favorites for most of my life, but it was only a few years ago that I really noticed the first part.
Jesus called it a new commandment. What was new about it? The Mosaic law said that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and that had been around for thousands of years. Jesus even said that it summed up everything else that the law and the prophets had to say. But do you see the difference? The law said that we should love others as we love ourselves, but Jesus said that we are to love each other as He loved us! Jesus has just raised the bar. How did He love? He loved with His life! In verse 35, he says that this kind of love identifies us to the world as His disciples.
What does this mean for us? How should it affect the way we treat each other? What sacrifices might it require of us? What would you do for your own family? WE are all in His family.
