Sermon Talkback 5 17 2009
John 15:9-17
Relationship based on Love
The commandments of God are summarized in Jesus’ instruction to his closest followers and friends: love. As God loves, Jesus loves. To know such love, we must love others. To prove such love, we must be willing to sacrifice. God’s commandments are given that we might prepare ourselves for such sacrifice—that we might truly love one another.
Jesus’ love for his disciples is not a result that is established by either their love for him or for one another. Rather, keeping the commandments foremost of which is their love for one another—is a condition for abiding/remaining in that relationship with Jesus such as the “vine and the branches.” Also, the point in vs. 16, “You did not choose me but I chose you.” Being a part of the vine is not a decision they have reached or the result of an action they have taken; it is a condition that follows from God’s love for them through Christ.
Friends Rather than Slaves
Whereas slaves/servants must obey the master’s commands even when they lack the knowledge of the master’s intentions, Jesus has brought the disciples into the relationship between himself and God, revealing everything that he had heard from his Father. This is still not a friendship among equals; it remains the case that God’s purpose and Christ’s commands determine their actions. It is their shared knowledge of and desire for God’s purposes that will shape “whatever” they ask for in Christ’s name and thereby assure the Father will provide it (15:7).
Complete Joy
Jesus issuing commandments is not intended to create hardship on his followers but to bring joy. He tells them these things so that he might find joy in them, so that he might delight in their obedience, love and fruitfulness. These instructions have an intrinsic benefit for the disciples as well—that their joy might be made complete.
Showing Love Today
In today’s troubling economic times when we have seen a number of our friends and associates losing their jobs, how might we show love to them? As Jesus’ friends according to John 15:14, how might we act like Jesus to love one another and particularly with those who are in need of assistance? What might God calling us to sacrifice today?