¹⁷ “This I command you, that you love one another.

Five times, count them. Jesus commands Christians to love one another.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34)

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. (1 John 3:23)

Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. (2 John 5)

When God repeats Himself, He isn’t stuttering. Jesus knew the propensity of His followers to miss the mark of our calling in life. We so easily get caught up in our theologies, our efforts of good works, our striving for pride, esteem, respect, acceptance, significance in the world and among people—all designed to somehow enhance our standing in life, in the sight of others or in God’s sight. We so easily fail in the most fundamental task of loving others more than ourselves. If there was anything Jesus wanted to convey to the disciples it is this, “Love one another.”

Love is foundational to witnessing. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). It reflects the love the Father and Son have for each other, that extends beyond the Godhead to the whole world. And the love we have from the Father and the Son, is extended to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and through us to the world. Love is absolutely central and supreme in the Christian life. Without love, as Paul writes, we are nothing. Our theology is nothing more than noise in a noisy world (1 Cor 13:1-3).

This is not a touchy-feely sentiment or emotion. It is not a feeling to be enjoyed with those closest to us who can love us back. Jesus defined love as sacrificing oneself for the sake of others (John 15:13). This is an action, a forgetting about oneself and focusing on the needs of others. The apostle Paul fleshed this out by writing, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves …” (Phil 2:3). Oh, that we could be like Jesus who loved with His sacrifice.

Lord, thank You for loving me with such a perfect love. Help me to love others in the same way, sacrificing what I want to do today for the sake of others.