7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister abides in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates a brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness” 1 John 2:7-11.
Now, just after finishing His final Passover Supper on the night before He died, Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment, a new love commandment: “34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” John 13:34-35.
In the text above from the first Letter of John it seems like it is not a new commandment, and yet Jesus calls it a new commandment. What strikes me about this apparent contradiction is that the new commandment is not the so-called “Golden Rule”: "Do unto others as they do unto you!” Or “Love others as they love you.” No, Jesus is saying to us: Love others as I - Jesus Christ - love you! I think this is the lesson Jesus taught Peter when Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love Me more than these?” Jesus used the Greek word agape for the word love. Peter responds that he does love Jesus, but Peter uses the greek word filio for love. Both mean love, but Jesus’ word means total, self-sacrificing love whiles Peter’s love means brotherly or sisterly love, the love of friends.
In one way the new commandment is no new commandment at all in that Jesus has ALWAYS loved us with total, self-sacrificing love, as He did on the cross. The love of the Cross is agape love! But for you and for me Jesus is pushing you and me to love as He loves. Of course total, self-sacrificing love is impossible without the grace of God.
So dear friends, pray for the sufficient grace of God to love everyone in our life as Jesus loves everyone on our life.
Read the text below!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
“15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me’” John 21:15-19.
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