In the Upper Room

Beloved People of God,

Recently while enjoying a commentary on the Gospel of John written by Jey Kanagaraj I found myself returning repeatedly to one particular statement. Reflecting on the upper room he writes: “Love and self-sacrifice are reciprocal actions. Jesus’ love for his followers is the ground on which they can love one another. It is essential to experience Jesus’ love before we love our fellow beings.”

Truly, Kanagaraj packs so much wisdom into these short sentences!

If love and self-sacrifice are reciprocal actions, then any definitions of one without the other will lead to a lack of understanding of either. Love modeled on the life of Christ will always lead us to sacrifice, not a self-flagellating mindlessness, but an intentional self-emptying for the beloved. And if we will sacrifice for the sake of the beloved, we will find ourselves more deeply aware of Christ’s love.

If Jesus’ love for you and me is the ground on which we love one another then any attempt to live in the image of God without that foundation will have the same results as the man who built his house on sand. Beautiful for a moment, but fleeting and foolish. And yet, even if we know the parable which tells us to build our house on the rock (Matthew 7.24-27), we still pursue meager definitions of love built on frail human foundations.

If it is essential to experience Jesus’ love before we are truly able to love one another then it’s time to ask His Spirit to turn our lives right side up. We seek out love so often with ourselves in the center. But how could we, as people searching for love, know what we are looking for?! Rather, we should receive Jesus’ love and from the fullness of that incredible and matchless love, allow it like light refracts through a prism to fill in all other relationships.

Friend, as we share a common table, with our hearts set on a common Pentecost, may we read the words of John 13.21-38 in the radiant light of Jesus’ love for us!

For His Name’s Sake,

Brett