What’s Love Got to Do With It?
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This past Sunday, we hear from the Gospel of John at the end of the Last Supper. You might be wondering why I’m posting this so late in the week and not before like I have done in the past. Well, it could be because we should reflect on the Sunday readings for more than just the day of. Or, it could be because I got the last post mixed up with this one and scheduled it for the wrong day. Who knows these things.
Regardless, here’s what Jesus says at the end of the reading:
“This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
Jesus says this to His disciples (that’s us, y’all).
I’m sure many of you are like, “Yeah Deepu, we get it, we’ve heard that before, we know it. Nothing new here.”
Well, obviously – I’m quoting Scripture – none of it’s new.
Or is it?
Here’s the thing – we keep reading the same Scripture, yet rarely do we do anything about it (I know, I just posted about this, but stick with me, it’s gonna get good).
Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying that he would convert to being a Christian if he ever met one. That wasn’t him saying that he’s never met anyone who claimed to be Christian, but that he had yet to meet a Christian who actually followed Christ’s teachings to its fullest extent.
And I think that comes from the quote from the Gospel of John above.
Do we love others in a way that shows our discipleship to Jesus Christ? Or does the love we give to others look like the love most people do? The love that we give to our family. The love we give to our friends (until they betray us, then we stop loving them). The love we give to those we like. The love we give to those we admire. The love we give to those we’re attracted to. The love we give to those we know will love us back.
That’s not selfless love. That’s not Jesus’ love.
It’s not a part of this Sunday’s Gospel, but if you go back a few verses, Jesus just washed His disciples’ feet, and shared that one of them would betray Him (SPOILER ALERT: it’s Judas). Jesus also gives them Himself in the Bread & Wine.
So Jesus, knowing that Judas would betray Him, still washed his feet. He still gave Judas Himself. Which means that Jesus gave His Flesh for Judas (although it’s not stated whether Judas actually ate it…). That Jesus died on the cross for Judas.
For all of us. Why did Jesus die on the cross? To save us from our sins. What are our sins? The choices in which we choose to turn away, to betray, to not love, Jesus.
Jesus dies for all of us sinners – and you don’t die for people you don’t love. Jesus loves us, regardless of what we do to Him (or what we don’t do for Him).
That’s why the “As long as you’re a good person…” argument doesn’t work with what Jesus teaches. Because most people say that you can be a good person without loving everyone.
Being a Christian goes beyond just being a good person. We can’t hope to evangelize, to bring people to Christ and ultimately to heaven if we’re just good people. We need to be disciples. Sincere, authentic, selfless-loving, disciples. Even if we bring no one to the faith, we continue to love. Even if people don’t agree with us. Even if they hate us. Even if they hurt us. We love.
