What does Love Prove?
“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to His Father. He had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end.” (John 13:1 NLT)
The verses and four chapters following contain some of the most important truths that Jesus taught. These were His last hour instructions. In these passages Jesus emphasizes the priorities He wanted to leave with His disciples. It was in this setting, during the Passover meal that Jesus demonstrated His love and servanthood by washing the feet if His followers. “He loved them to the vey end.” That verse can also be translated, “He showed them the full extent of His love.” His example was a vivid illustration that love is expressed in service to others and that love never fails. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas, His betrayer, teaching us that love is not to be extended only to those we deem worthy. There is to be love shown to our fellow man out of respect for their being made in the image of God. We do not have to like, agree with or approve of someone in order to love them. I am sure God does not agree with, nor approve of all that we are and do. Yet it does not keep Him from loving us. In fact, “…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 MKLV)
The Bible teaches and Jesus demonstrated the high priority that love should have in the life of a believer. If loving God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves is the foundation on which all the commandments rest, then we do well to make sure that is at the top of our priority list. The effectiveness of our witness is in direct proportion to the expression of our love, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT)
–Terry Morrison