Yesterday, betrayal, today a New Commandment in John 13:31-35.
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.”
I have to tell you this, I’m getting tired as the day is hastening on, but I just wanted to spend some time with the Lord before I went to bed. Bear with me if I’m brief though. 🙂
Judas has left, he’s the betrayer of Christ. Jesus lets him go.
He doesn’t just ignore the rest of the disciples though, heart-sore or not. He goes on to tell them “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.”
Yeah I know… lots in this passage eh?
First off, the Son of man is glorified, but not only that.. God is glorified in him. And, if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify that Son of Man IN HIM. It goes both ways you see? I know.. took me a bit to read that too. But glory is happening that’s the big thing I get from these two verses.
Jesus calls the disciples little children… I don’t know why, but tonight that just makes me smile. Did you know I used to struggle with being able to discern God’s voice from Satan’s? It took me a while and I felt dumb you know? After all, scripture tells us that the sheep know the sound of the shepherds voice and here I was struggling. It took me some time but then I realized something, GOD was the only one to ever say “listen child, hear me child”. Satan doesn’t do that. He never calls me child. So seeing Jesus calling the disciples children… just makes me smile. 🙂
Anyways, moving forward. He goes on to tell them that he won’t be with them forever. He’s with them for just “a little while“. He knows they will look for him, but just as he told the Jews he tells them now, where he is going, they can’t tag along.
Tonight in our Heidelberg study one of the questions was “why did Jesus go to hell?”. We can’t go there with him, we are in him now, but when Christ went there we couldn’t go with him. We just can’t. He went there though, so that even in our darkest moments, we know we can’t go there. Jesus keeps us from that.
But Jesus leaves them with a new rule to follow: Love each other. Love like Jesus has loved them. THIS love, oh, this love will show others that they are truly Jesus’ disciples. Jesus was so known for his love and we should be too.
Let us then show out our love for each other eh? Showing Christ’s love for the world. Even when we are pressed and hurried and ever so busy. Let us remember, show love.
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