St Mary's

Today Talk from Peter

5th May 2024 - John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17 NRSVA - As the Father has loved me, so I have - Bible Gateway

Today’s reading takes place at the Last Supper. Judas has just left and then Jesus begins with what might be regarded as his final instructions for his disciples. Almost the handbook he was leaving them with. If you’ve ever watched a police drama or even a real-life police documentary you know the scene where the officers are in the briefing room and the briefing ends with wise words from the sergeant, including stay safe out there. Well, these are Jesus words to his followers, words of encouragement, words of support, words setting out how they will deliver their mission against all the difficulties they will face.

The themes in our particular verses follow a series of Jesus well known sayings earlier in this dialogue with the disciples.

In John 13 verse 34 we have:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

John 14 verse 1:

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”

John 14 verse 6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know the Father as well.”

John 14 verse 15:

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.”

“I will not leave you as orphans”

John 14 verse 21:

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”

We then come to today’s reading:

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.

And how do we remain in his love – “by obeying his commands”. (Verse 10).

Julie talked about this last week when she said:

“We too must immerse ourselves in Jesus: live with him and learn from him, imitating everything that he did. In other words, we must be with Jesus, become like him and do as he did and so live the life he would if he were us.

So, whilst the command is simple and repeated, remain in me, obey my commands, love one another, the remaining verses of our passage bring some important messages to us.

Firstly, having told the disciples to obey his commands, he sets out the benefit.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

The Life Application bible says of this verse:

“When things are going well, we feel elated. When hardships come, we sink into depression. But true joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstance. Joy comes from a constant relationship with Jesus Christ. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us level-headed, no matter how high or low our circumstances.”

In Nehemiah 8 verse 10 we read:

“for the joy of the Lord is your strength”

Secondly, whilst the police sergeant I referred to earlier was addressing his colleagues or staff members, the words of Jesus are to his friends. Even though he knew his disciples would soon abandon him, he still called them friends and showed his love for them. Friends can sometimes let us down, but if they are true friends, through our love for them, we find a way to work through those situations.

Jesus shows his love for us in calling us friends three times in this passage.

Verse 13 - Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his

friends.

Verse 14 - You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Verse 15 – I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends.

And to prove that we are his friends, he says:

“for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you”

We may tell people we meet something about ourselves, but we reserve those things that really matter to us for our closest friends.

Jesus told his disciples everything and they wrote it down, so that the friends of Christ through the generations, and we today, can know about the Lord. We have his Word.

But what about verse 13. Jesus shows his love for us in laying down his life for his friends.

There are many stories, especially in war, of brave people risking and laying down their lives for fellow soldiers and friends. The difference with Jesus is that in laying down his life, we are given the opportunity of eternal life.

Loving like Jesus involves sacrifice. We may not have to die for someone, but we practise sacrificial love in many other ways. Some people will be difficult to love. But we are called to act lovingly towards them anyway. The following text was found on the wall of Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta. It’s based on the Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith. As we go through them it might be worth reflecting on our own experiences on how our responses measure up against them.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centred. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Jesus went to the cross willingly, to die on the cross for the salvation of his people, his friends.

Our passage continues in verse 16:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”

Jesus chose his disciples. And when he did, he was continuing a long tradition that we see throughout scripture, and throughout the history of the church, of God choosing unlikely people to accomplish surprising tasks.

In the Old Testament we have Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt but chosen by God to preserve his people. Then there is Moses, he should have died as a baby but was chosen to lead God’s people out of Egypt. David, youngest son of Jesse but chosen by God to be King and finally Mary, a young virgin from a small town chosen by God to give birth to Jesus.

Or what about John Newton, a slave trader and investor in the slave business who went on to be a great evangelist, abolitionist and wrote one of the most famous hymns we have.

But what about the disciples. You could say there were some surprising choices here. Fishermen and tax collectors, no religious leaders and yet God chose them to build his church. Jesus reminded them that there were chosen. Things were happening that they couldn’t understand, things that would make them anxious and confused, probably scared as well. It was important that they understood that Jesus chose them. Chose them to bear his fruit, fruit that would last. All they had to do was remain in him.

So where does that leave us. We to are chosen for a particular purpose, to bear the fruit of God’s love in this world. Through reading the bible and through prayer and fellowship we discern God’s will for us, the fruit he has chosen us to bear.

Jesus has chosen us. He loves us and he died for us. Have we made the choice to accept his offer?

Do we remain in his love today? Have we made that choice.

Have we accepted Jesus’ commission to love sacrificially? Are we growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Does our life bring God glory? Are we an example of discipleship? Are we being obedient?

Do we live as one who is loved by God, and through the power of his Holy Spirit, share that love with others?

These are challenging questions and in our own strength we will fail.

But our reading from 1 John gives us encouragement:

“For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

If we remain in Jesus and obey his commands, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish our task and to experience his joy within us and that our joy may be complete.

There’s an old song that reminds us of what we need to do:

While we do his good will

He abides with us still

And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey

For there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey. Amen