John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know that his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name he may give you. This I command: love one another.”

This Gospel is a powerful word of confirmation and consolation. Just think of it, as the Father loves Jesus, so Jesus loves us! How does the Father love Jesus? Eternally, and with a love so real that we give it a name: the Holy Spirit!

“Remain in my love,” Jesus exhorts us. How could we do otherwise? The greatest possible love is ours, eternal and free. We don’t have to do anything to earn it, for we did not choose Him. Rather, He chose us. And how do we remain in His love? By keeping His commandments. But this is hardly a chore, for His burden is light.

He calls us His friends. What other religion offers such an intimate relationship with the deity as to be called friends. No, other religions and traditions hold to a deity that is powerful over his or her subjects and knows it and reminds his or her subjects of it constantly. Our good and gracious Lord, however, calls us friends because everything the Father has told Him, He tells us. This is what friends do – they share everything. Jesus is our Lord, our Master, our Savior, and our Friend. He humbles Himself, empties Himself, in order to save us from our sin. No greater love is there than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, and this is precisely what Jesus does for us.

Do we fear God? Of course. But we do not fear Him because He is a monster. We fear Him because He is awesome. Standing in His presence and being aware of the love He has for us makes us tremble. How could we not tremble? How could we not be awestruck at such power and love – given for the sake of our salvation!

How shameful, how horrible even, that some have pictured our dear Lord as a judge eager to destroy, eager to punish, eager to cast into hell when the opposite is what is true. How could anyone listen to His words of love for us and not perceive that He is a just judge, eager to forgive and to save. His justice is mercy.

Perhaps we impose upon Him the image of ourselves. We do not love as He loves. Our love is conditional. We judge to condemn, to punish, to get the best of. That is our broken humanity. And so, we project onto Him our image. But He is not like us. Or, rather, He is like is in all things, except sin. His humanity is not broken. He has no fear of losing face, or of losing privilege, or of failing to gain the upper hand against others. Our desire to judge harshly is motivated by fear – fear of loss, loss of reputation, loss of privilege, loss of the upper hand. He suffers none of this, so He can risk loving unconditionally and judging with mercy.

This He commands us: love one another. Love is a choice. It chooses to recognize the presence of Christ in the other, so knowing that when we judge others, we judge Christ Himself. This ought to inspire us to judge with mercy, as Christ judges us. This ought to inspire us to love unconditionally, as Christ loves us.

DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.