What Jesus Taught Us About Love

Scriptures: John 13:34-35; I Corinthians 13

A sermon by Rev. R. Franklin Gillis, Jr.

Love is the most popular theme for songs, poems, movies, and stories. Who doesn’t enjoy a love story with a happy ending? What more could possibly be said about love that hasn’t already been said? Yet the concept of love is one of the most confusing and often misused words in the English language. We usually think of love in terms that has to do with emotions and feelings about someone or something. But for Christians, it is much deeper than that. The heart of the gospel centers in the word love.

One of the best attempts to describe the nature of love was provided by M. Scott Peck in his book The Road Less Traveled. Dr. Peck defines love this way: “The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” To live and love like Jesus is about growth toward Christian maturity and the goal of faithful discipleship. That’s why we need to learn and apply the lessons about love from Jesus.

Scribbled on a wall along with other graffiti were these words: “Love is the answer!” Someone had written under it, “What is the question?” And then someone else wrote a response offering the answer: “What gives meaning to life?” Good point! Can you imagine what life would be like void of love and relationships? Love is central to the life God desires for all of us. That’s why it is important for us to understand what Jesus taught about love Against the background of all that we have read, heard, and experienced about love, if we want to be faithful disciples, we need to consider what did Jesus taught about love so we will get it right!

The first lesson from the gospel of John is this: Love is a new command-ment. It is not an elective. While gathered with his disciples in an upper room. Jesus told them: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” He offered a simple but clear directive: to love one another. But the love he was talking about was not the sentimental kind, but the self-giving kind. It was a deep, abiding, life changing kind that he had shared with them and others. That’s why he added to this new commandment… to love “as I have loved you.” Those words add a whole new understanding. How did Jesus love? Unconditionally, not selective, not expecting anything in return. That’s quite different from how many people are taught and act. Many think love can be conditional and selective. Selfish love is offered with the desire of receiving something in return, motivated by the question, “What can I get out of this”? But Jesus redefined love as a selfless act, motivated by the question, “What can I do for others?” He wanted his disciples to understand that love was more than some emotional feeling. The Greek word used here is “agape”, which translated means a “self-giving for the good of another.” It is about relationships. It is about reaching out to those who need to know they are loved. It’s about selfless living and giving, not selfish desires.

A woman shopping in a mall took a break and went into a coffee shop. She bought a cup of coffee along with a bag of cookies and a magazine which she placed in her purse. She discovered that all the tables were filled but one at which a man sat reading a newspaper. She seated herself in the opposite chair, pulled out the magazine and began to read it and drink her coffee. After awhile she looked up to reach for a cookie from the bag on the table, only to see the man across from her also taking a cookie. She glared at him, but he smiled at her, and she resumed her reading. Moments late she reached for another cookie just as the man also reached for one. To her surprise there was only one cookie left. Angrily she stared at the remaining cookie, whereupon the man reached into the bag, took out the last cookie, broke it in half and offered her a piece. She grabbed the cookie and stuffed it into her mouth, the man smiled again and got up and left. The woman was furious as she finally rose from the table to leave. She opened her purse to put away her magazine. Then she saw her bag of cookies, and realized that she had been helping herself to cookies that belonged to a gracious stranger. She had experienced a simple lesson in love. Sometimes love is simply sharing what we have with others. Jesus taught us that love is motivated by self-giving, not selfish desires.

In examining Jesus’ behavior we discover another lesson: Love is a verb – and expression of a Christ-like action toward another. Jesus shows us that love is not how we feel, but what we do. The most beautiful stories in the gospels are love stories—stories of Jesus reaching out to persons in loving ways: the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, the tax collector, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, to name only a few. As we examine these stories the nature of Jesus’ love becomes clear. The kind of love we are to live is action-oriented behavior which addresses the needs of others, even though sometimes risk may be involved. Jesus’ kind of love which we are called to live involves compassionate, responsible actions toward others.

After hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, many well-meaning Christians volunteered to be a part of the recovery mission efforts. Most of the volunteers were ordinary persons who simply wanted to help. Many United Methodist from Virginia took vacation time and spend their own money to travel to Mississippi to lend a hand in the clean-up and restoration efforts. In fact, mission teams are still going. Similar things have happened recently as a result of the earthquake in Haiti. Many miraculous stories of transformed lives have come out of such responses to needs of others. But the greatest transformation has been experience by those who went to be “Christ at work” addressing the needs of others. One team member of volunteers was interviewed by a reporter who asked, “Why did you volunteer to be a part of such an undertaking?” And the volunteer replied, “Because we are called to love one another, and especially those in need. Hopefully in some small way through simple acts of love and helping hands we restored hope and let them know that love is alive and at work in the world.”

Jesus drove home the importance of his new commandment to love by reminding his disciples that love is the mark of true discipleship. He said it this way: “By this all will know you that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Sentimental songs about love are simple reminders that people need love, but they don’t always define what that love involves. But Jesus has through his life and teachings. Perhaps you remember the song made popular a few years ago by Stevie Wonder: “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” But God did more than just “call” to say He loves us. He sent his son that we might know the depth of His love, and so we could learn from him how to love.

A parishioner once made a felt banner for me. On it are the words of Brother Adrian who expresses the challenge of faithful discipleship. He wrote these words about Jesus: “He came singing love, he lived singing love, he died singing love. He rose in silence. If the song is to continue, we must do the singing.”

Are you willing to keep the song alive by living the new commandment? “Love one another, as I have loved you... by this all will know you are my disciples I you love one another.” That’s what Jesus taught us about love. May God help us to faithfully live love as his disciples today.