Articles
Love One Another
“Jesus said, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ ” (John 13:34-35).
What Jesus taught was revolutionary. His revolutionary teaching didn’t overthrow a political system, but He did turn the spiritual world upside down. In the days of Jesus, people largely lived by the “law of retaliation,” which was commonly stated as “an eye for an eye.” This simply said, “If you hurt me, I will hurt you back, except even more. That is my right.” Jesus told His followers that He had a different command: Forgive your enemies.
In the final weeks before Jesus was killed, He taught His disciples about their relationship with each other. What He said was just as revolutionary as what He said about how to treat one’s enemies. He taught them to “love one another; as I have loved you.” That teaching had tremendous power then, and still has it today. His disciples had seen Jesus overlook many offenses. They watched Him forgive many sarcastic remarks. They witnessed Him return kindness for coldness and hatred. Now they realized that he was telling them to love one another with the same patience, forgiveness, and kindness He had shown them countless times.
Loving people comes down to choices. When we’re tempted to compete to show how superior we are we need to stop and think about how Jesus loved and chose a different path. When we’re tempted to compare ourselves with others we need to stop and think about how Jesus loved and chose a different path. When we’re tempted to engage in petty jealousies and gossip we need to stop and think about the way Jesus loved and how He chose a different path. Love does not happen because we use flowery words or express good intentions. Love becomes real in our difficult choices every day.
