Reading I: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Reading II: 1 John 4:7-10
GOSPEL: John 15:9-17
Love One Another
It all seems so simple when Jesus says it. “This I command you: love one another.” It’s just one little line in scripture, but as is often the case in the Bible, the smallest verse can hold a tremendous lesson with many layers of meaning.
What Does It Really Mean?
When we read this Gospel verse in context, we see that Jesus led up to this command by discussing what he means by “love.” To Jesus, it’s not about the warm and fuzzy feeling we get when we think of someone we care about. It’s not about merely wanting good things for someone else.
To Jesus, love is about action. It’s about doing. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, so we know that Jesus is foreshadowing his own death to some degree. But that’s not all this line is about. Don’t overlook the plain meaning while looking for the deeper stuff.
Laying down your life for a friend is about action! It means you’ve actually done something! When we love people, we can’t just feel it, think it, or even say it. We have to do it. We have to live it!
How Can It Really Be Done?
The first step to loving one another as Jesus commanded is to continue to act. Without action, all the thoughts and feelings in the world don’t mean a thing. Ideas and dreams don’t amount to anything without someone acting upon them. The same is true in regards to love.
The second step is to reflect on our motives. Why did we choose to do one thing and not another? Was our reason selfless or selfish? This is perhaps the most difficult part, and it requires us to consistently monitor ourselves. Our goal, of course, is to do things for others without considering what’s in it for us.
And finally, we must look and listen for feedback. Are the things we’re doing actually benefiting the people we love? Do our actions have the desired effect, or is something negative coming from our attempted good deeds? When we truly act out of love, we are concerned with the results. And if one thing doesn’t work, then we try something different.
“Love one another” may seem like a simple commandment, but the true meaning of it runs much deeper. And even when we understand the deeper meaning, living that command is quite often anything but easy.
Life Applications:
What are some things you do for others?
Why do you do these things? How do you benefit?
Examine your true motives.
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle B):
Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2003-2021.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.