May We—Through Acts of Love—Reveal We Are His Disciples
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.”
(John 13: 35)
What is the greatest act of love we might do for another today—on this Thursday, on this fifth day of the week? I must admit, today, I am mentally fatigued, and if you heard me speak, you would hear my raspy, almost non-existent voice and wonder where the laryngitis came from this Holy Week. Without a doubt, actions of love can make us bodily—weary, but we who Believe are commanded by Jesus Himself to love one another as Jesus loved us. It is a TRUTH!
Jesus demonstrated the “greatest love” of all when He willingly died upon the cross for us!
- The Greatest Love of All—Jesus Gave All He Had to Give—Jesus Gave His Life!
- Salvation because of what Jesus did.
- Salvation because Jesus rose from the grave to new life.
- Salvation because Jesus was resurrected to reveal to the world—Jesus Is Who He Says He Is!
- Salvation because Jesus came to set all mankind free.
- Salvation because God gave His only Son—so we might come to know Him—Intimately!
- Salvation—the Greatest Act of Love!
Today is Thursday but not just any Thursday; today is Maundy Thursday, the day Christians are to remember how Jesus knelt down and washed the disciples’ feet. The new command to “love” came right after Jesus’ action.
SEE WITH ME GOD’S MOST HOLY WORD.
“Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, ‘Lord, do You wash my feet?’
Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.’“
(John 13: 5-7)
A command—God’s mandate!
A model—Love in action—A verb!
A convincing proof—Selfless & Forever Giving!
A testimony to the world—Love —that will continue, loving & giving Himself—to You & to Me.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.”
(John 13: 34-35)
On that fateful night, when Jesus was betrayed and arrested, the Bible tells us how His disciples ran off in fear. Maybe we, too, would have reacted in the same way, fearful that we would be arrested next. The week was Passover week. Jesus instructed them how to prepare the Passover meal. Jesus demonstrated the servant-act of love for them by washing their feet and telling them how they did not yet understand, but they would—understand. They did not realize how quickly they would understand. Thursday to Friday—a span of one brief day. Then after Jesus gave the disciples this new command, how they were to love, he went to the Garden to pray. It was there, after He prayed, when Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested. It was there, in that moment, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ began.
Also in that moment, we see the reaction of the disciples.
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber?
Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.’
And they all left Him and fled.”
(Mark 14: 48-50)
- We see Peter’s denial, how he never knew Jesus.
- We read and see Jesus before Pilate.
- We cringe to see how Jesus was mocked and scourged and beaten, again and again and again—the entire night.
- We cannot hardly fathom how horrible the crucifixion of Jesus must truly have been, but we see it there, described upon the passages of the Holy Scriptures.
- We see Jesus’ death.
- We see Jesus’ burial.
- We see how His disciples remain hidden.
- We see how the women go to the tomb early Sunday morning, after the Sabbath.
We see the EMPTY TOMB!
We see the angel of God proclaim, “Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.”
(John 20: 13-14)
We see Mary’s reaction to the empty tomb, to the resurrected Lord.
We see the way Jesus confirmed and revealed Himself to her.
We see the way Jesus told her to ‘go and tell’ His disciples the TRUTH—HE WAS ALIVE!
We see how His disciples ran from their place of hiding to the Empty Tomb!
We see the way Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples.
We see the way the disciples were transformed from fear to fearless—all because of the resurrection of Jesus!
“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection.”—John Stott
The Bible also records these words:
“Jesus said to him, [to Thomas who had some doubt] ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
(John 20: 29-31)
What is the greatest act of love we might do for another today—on this Thursday, Maundy Thursday, the day Christians are to remember how Jesus knelt down and washed the disciples’ feet?
May we on this day—Maundy Thursday—ask the Lord for wisdom how we can serve another, how we can demonstrate the love of God for another, so the world will know that we are His disciples.
Then, when the Lord reveals to us “the what” we must do so in His love for another person—May we “do what God lays upon our heart”—to do!