Love As Jesus Loves You

Welcome to week two of a six-week study following Pastor Tom Holladay’s book, “The Relationship Principles of Jesus.”

Holladay challenges me to love as Jesus loves by setting the scene so perfectly: “It was the night before Jesus would die on the cross. He and his disciples gathered in an upper room to share an important meal together - the annual Passover meal....But this night is different. The joyful memories are overshadowed by more pressing feelings. As Jesus and his disciples enter the upper room, the air is filled with doubt and confusion. Jesus has told his followers that he was soon to die, but they did not understand. This confusion has created tension among them. To add to the tension, Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray him! It is a night of sideways glances, hushed conversations, and stubborn hearts. In the midst of this all too human picture, Jesus begins to talk about something new.”

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 (NIV)

Holladay goes on to say: “Our temptation is to want to change this “as I” principle into an “at least as good as” principle. Instead of “love as Jesus loved,” we’d rather the standard be “love at least as good as those around you love.” It feels a lot more comfortable to compare ourselves to others than it does to compare ourselves to Jesus!” I paused for a second and carefully turned to look over my shoulder. Did Pastor Tom somehow find his way into my home to personally deliver this important lesson on love? Being able to love as Jesus loves is going to require some change on my part.

I’m not really much different from most people. I often place a qualifier on my love for others. I can easily fall into the familiar trap of expressing my love in what Holladay describes as polite selfishness: “We say, “I love you,” but we really mean, “I love you because ...” “Because of what you do for me, because you’re pretty, because you’re handsome, because you’re smart, because you’re rich.” Or we really mean, “I love you if ...” “If you meet my needs, if you’re not too much trouble.”

In order to love like Jesus, I’m going to be intentional about removing the “because” and “if” out of the kind of love I give to others. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I’m relieved that God is giving me time to practice this important concept of loving others, but how I use that time is up to me. Let’s pray together.

Pastor Tom’s prayer for this week: “Lord, I need to grow in my relationships. I pray that I never get beyond being challenged by this incredible promise that I can love others as you loved us. As I hear the challenge in these words, I choose to turn to you and ask you for the strength to love. As I pray this, I recognize how deeply you love me. I pray that the love you have for me will motivate a love for others that I could never have on my own. In your name I pray, Jesus. Amen.”