Risky love
Notes
Transcript
John 13
Mackintosh-United in (Nerf) Arms
Mackintosh-United in (Nerf) Arms
It’s a free for all. Every man for himself. Every woman for herself. Last standing wins. You can make treaties, but expect them to be broken.
It’s a Nerf war at youth group. I’m in charge… and I’m playing. It’s a free for all, but everyone is frantically making treaties in the minute before we start. But I’m not worried. I’m pretty good with my Nerf gun, and I have a built in partner at youth group in my son. Other treaties might break, but we have the bond of family, of trust, of life together… and Logan is pretty good with his Nerf gun too. It will come to the two of us, and then we can duel.
Game begins, we are in the back corner, he is covering that way, I am covering this way. I see an opportunity and take out 18 people in one shot. Amazing. And then I feel *WACK* on the back of my head. And it felt like utter betrayal.
Logan, point blank, right to the back of my head. “Sorry, Dad.” Absolute and utter betrayal. I lost. I think Logan might actually have won that one. But I cry myself to sleep every night because he BETRAYED me! Okay, maybe not. But his day will come.
People are Broken
People are Broken
We all know what it feels like to be betrayed. To be hurt by someone. Some on purpose, some on accident, a mix of miscommunication or crossed expectations or just a bad day.
People are people. We are all sinners, we are all flawed. And so we all make mistakes and say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing or panic at the wrong moment… and that means we hurt one another.
But we have this command to love one another as Jesus loved… breaking social barriers, serving one another, willing to be awkward for one another, willing to sacrifice pride and position and status for one another.
And that sounds like a beautiful principle. But if we want to be realistic, that is a risky proposition.
Can we mitigate the risk and only love the “good” people? Is this Jesus-love unrealistic? Idealistic? Impractical?
Jesus’ call to love
Jesus’ call to love
Remember Jesus getting up and washing the disciples feet.
And that leads to Jesus’ command: to love one another.
And that sounds like this pristine moment, even with the awkwardness, where everything just goes right. And sure, it’s okay because it is Jesus. And it works out. And it is a beautiful principle of love. But when that beautiful principle hits the real world it is going to fall apart because people just aren’t that good, they aren’t that nice, they aren’t that strong, and they aren’t that easy to love.
But threaded through this story of love is the truth about human beings. Jesus did not come to teach abstract principles, and there is nothing abstract about what he does here with his disciples. John, right as he is telling us what Jesus is doing and teaching about love, is giving us the raw, brutal context in which this lesson is occurring.
Jesus is teaching real humans to love real humans… right in the midst of betrayal and weakness.
Judas’ Betrayal
Judas’ Betrayal
John 13:1-4a
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper.
Two things put together here, even as Jesus rose, John is very clear to set this in a certain context. This conflict, this temptation in the heart of Judas had already found its point of decision. The devil had influenced Judas, or tipped the balance of decision, or just whispered an idea to Judas, and that idea had taken root, and was already at the point of decision in Judas. AND Jesus already knew it. That is there in the context of foreknowledge, a piece of the Father giving “all things into his hands” and the means by which he would be going to the cross. But it is even clearer as Jesus continues:
10-11
10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Jesus is dropping these hints all throughout his teaching. Little hints that they would only understand in retrospect.
21-30
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
This is such a beautiful image. John just calls himself the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” And this comes up again, but I don’t think it means that Jesus loved John more than the rest, but John knows the Jesus loved him, and that is the only identity he cares to claim. And they are all eating on their side, and the closeness was such, the love was such, that it wasn’t weird to, rather than twist around awkwardly, just to lean back and ask.
26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
No one at the table knew why he said this to him… but Jesus had just said “he to whom I will give this bread is betrayer-man” and then gave him the bread. Presumably, as intimate as John’s question was, so was the answer. So perhaps John knew, at least in part, what was going on and he speaks of everyone else at the table. Or perhaps he thought of some abstract sort of betrayal and didn’t know what the phrase “Do it quickly” might mean.
But this is it.
It is after all of that, Judas has already left to betray Jesus, that Jesus gives the full explanation of his teaching example of love.
31-35
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This love for one another is surrounded by betrayal. It is explicit that Jesus washed the feet of Judas. It is explicit that Jesus knew AT THE TIME that Judas had betrayal in his heart. And he teaches this example of knowledge in the very moment that the betrayal is taking place.
This isn’t fairy-tale kind of love that just pretends it is all going to be sunshine and roses and happy faces. This is practical love that gets on its knees and washes feet, even feet that are about to carry out betrayal.
And if Judas wasn’t enough… there’s more. There is this divine sort of conflict happening with Judas, leading to the cross, and the devil is putting things in his heart. There are maybe excuses there, exceptions. But one betrayal isn’t enough here.
Peter’s Betrayal
Peter’s Betrayal
John 13:36-38
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Now remember, Jesus said “where I am going you cannot follow…” and then the powerful teaching about “a new commandment I give you, love one another…”
Yeah Peter didn’t hear any of that, he is fixated on the first part. Woah… what do you mean I can’t follow.
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
I love Peter. “Jesus, I’m the guy! I’m the guy who wants to wash your feet. But if you say I need washing, wash my WHOLE body! I am the most fervent, and you can tell because I’m the loudest!”
38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
Peter, you talk big. And loud. And often. But I know your heart. I know the weakness in it. I know the fear in you. And in a few hours you will be intimidated by a middle-school girl into denying me.
Peter, you’re going to betray me too.
And Jesus knows it.
We will talk more about Peter’s betrayal later, and Judas’. But today I want to see Jesus’ example of love and command to love in light of the betrayal of Judas and Peter. It is no accident the way these are woven together through the chapter.
Jesus loves his disciples as they actually are. And he knows the whole picture, the whole story of who they actually are. Including their weakness and fear and imminent betrayal. And yet he washes their feet and “loves them to the end.”
And then commands those weak-willed, inconstant, untrustworthy people to love one another the same way.
It’s ludicrous. It’s impossible. And so when we do it all men will know we are his disciples. Because it is impossible love.
Risky Love
Risky Love
But you know what that feels like when we do it? It feels risky. It feels like making a Nerf treaty with Logan. Because we know something is going to go wrong at some point.
We have a treaty together. Members of Next Step Christian Church, this is the very heart of what it means to be a member. It is a commitment to do life together, to love one another in just this way. It is a covenant.
And that is risky, because it is a covenant with people. It is scary because people make mistakes, people do wrong things, hurtful things. And Jesus commands us to take that risk, to love his people anyways.
Jesus commands us to love anyways.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Jesus. This night doesn’t end well, and Jesus knows full well what is coming. Jesus loves anyway. He loves and serves Judas. He loves and serves Peter. He loves and serves each one of the disciples, though none of them are worthy of it, none of them are trustworthy enough, none of them are faithful enough. Jesus loves anyway.
And you look around this room. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. And it’s a good looking bunch of really wonderful people. But here is a hard truth. Everyone you see in this room has problems and issues and sin and brokenness. And sometimes maybe my internal mess gets through all my social skills and boundaries and into your life in a way that is hurtful and harmful.
And that has happened time and time again, hasn’t it. I have had the privilege of watching it happen at times in our church. And I say “privilege” not because it isn’t an ugly thing, but because I have seen you people do exactly what Jesus did here. You loved anyways. It was risky to love in the first place, but you loved anyways. And you got hurt, or even betrayed. And you loved anyways, you served anyways.
That is the kind of love we are called to be famous for. It is a love that is willing to humiliate itself for one another. Awkward love.
And it is a love that is willing to be betrayed… and then just keep loving. Persistent love, resilient love, invincible love.
We are commanded to and empowered to love one another in this way. That isn’t a suggestion, that is our identity. And if we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ, this is non-negotiable.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
