C, Easter 5 - John 13:34-35 "Truth and Love"
You love them knowing they have set you up and will let you
down! They have heard the truth; the
truth has revealed all things about yourself and them. You love them anyway despite what they depart
to do.
Judas Iscariot departed from Jesus to betray him. How do you react to those who you believe
have betrayed you? This is how Jesus
reacts…
“When he (Judas
Iscariot) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now
is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified
in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.”
(John 13:31–32 ESV)
When I’m betrayed by someone in whom I trust, I don’t feel
glorified. I imagine, like me you don’t
feel that way either! Rather, the sense
of being betrayed or deceived leaves us with feelings of debilitating disbelief
and distress, at first. Then after the
shock wears off, sorrow and anger moves one to protect their self-interests,
and even plot revenge. There’s definitely
not much love for the person whose betrayed your confidence!
However, Jesus knowing his mission as the Son of Man has been
set in motion by Judas, testifies to the glory of God’s truth and love, and
gives the commandment to love.
As Judas leaves to betray him he charges his eleven
disciples, “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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35 ESV)
The love that Jesus brings to life just before his betrayal
is a love that’s perfect. At the Sermon
on the Mount Jesus speaks to the truth of this love, saying, “Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. You therefore must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:44–45a, 48 ESV)
Here Jesus reveals the love God expects of us and it’s a
hard truth! The love we so often submit
to others as God’s love is not a love that submits to God’s truth. Love without God’s truth can be just about
any kind of passion or pleasure, desire or selfish whim, deceiving ourselves
and others, with our love, opposing the love God commands. God’s love and truth, reveals that all other “loves”
fall short of God’s holy love, as imperfect, impassioned, partial, and eternally
hopeless.
The themes of truth and love run concurrently throughout
God’s Word. Paul tells the Corinthians
that, “Love is patient and kind… it does
not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth… Love never ends.” (1
Corinthians 13:4–8 ESV)
Love and truth are developed in John’s Gospel. Right from the introduction, written down by
his congregation we hear, “And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the
only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV)
John proclaimed the grace and truth of Jesus to his
congregation, and through John they saw Jesus’ glory, a glory that was
manifested at the cross in his death for his believers, his church.
This is the glory to which Jesus himself testifies after
Judas departs to betray him. Peter could
not follow the gracious glory of God’s love and truth in Jesus Christ. Instead, Peter denied Jesus three times and deserts
him at his trial. Jesus was the only one
lifted up in glory, but for the rest of us we only see the way of the cross as a
gory death killing our human glory.
Love and truth come to us in that Jesus is the
personification of truth and love. Jesus
says to you who believe him, “If you
abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32 ESV)
Jesus says, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
(John 14:6 ESV) And he prays for those who are his, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17 ESV)
Jesus makes us holy or sanctifies us in himself and his Word,
which is truth, but with this truth he commands us to love, just as he has
loved us. He knows the heart of
humanity, he knew the heart of Judas who rejected his Word, and he knew the
heart of Peter who despite hearing the commandment to love, couldn’t see the
love of God over his love of self in the face of death.
Truth and love need to be bound together within us, and the
only way that can occur is with external help.
We cannot keep the commandment to love, and we struggle with the truth
the cross reveals about us. We have an
inbuilt inability to fear and love God, revealing us as fearful enemies of God’s
glory that comes to us in truth and love.
For us to be made holy in the truth of Jesus’ glory, Jesus
promises the Holy Spirit. He says, “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells
with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15–17 ESV)
Paul also agrees that the Spirit of Truth helps us to love,
saying to the Romans, “God’s love has
been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
(Romans 5:5 ESV) And to the Galatians he proclaims, the fruit of the Spirit is
firstly, love, then other things. (Galatians 5:22)
The theme of love and truth, developed in God’s Word, and
especially the Gospel of John are pulled together in John’s three Epistles
where John says, “Whoever says ‘I know
him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” (1
John 2:4–5 ESV) And, “Little children, let us not love in word or
talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18 ESV)
In Revelation, Jesus Christ shows himself to John who, “saw heaven opened, and behold, a white
horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are
many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is
clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The
Word of God.” (Revelation 19:11–13 ESV)
Jesus, the Word of God, is Truth and Love, and he calls his
church, his bride into his truth and love.
Like Cornelius we are Gentiles baptised into God’s church of Jesus’ truth
and love. We hear the circumcised believers glorifying
God that the Gentiles have been granted “repentance
that leads to life” (Acts 11: 18 ESV), after Peter brings this good news to
Jerusalem.
Like Cornelius and his family, we have been granted by the
Holy Spirit repentance that leads to life, through Jesus’ truth and love. God is truth! In the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all truth
is revealed by the truth in his Word of Law and Gospel. God is love! This love is perfect, impartial, and
holy! In his Word of Law and Gospel, he
shows you your sin, is saving you from it, and is making you holy! By the power of the Holy Spirit he works in
you deeds of truth and love. That is, to
be loved by God through continual repentance and forgiveness, to love the truth
of God’s Law and Gospel, to love God, and to love one another as God has loved
us.
Do you want to conquer and be a part of God’s one holy
eternal and apostolic church? Jesus, the
faithful and true witness speaks his great word of the Amen, the Yes, the Truth
and the Love, calling us from being lukewarm in God’s truth and love, saying, “Those
whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.’” (Revelation
3:19 ESV) Amen.
Dear
Heavenly Father, God of truth and love, remove all half-truths and lukewarm love from our hearts. Work in us the burning desire of Jesus’ truth
and love, with the Spirit of truth and love, your Holy Spirit. Amen.
