Do We Love Him?

This is the message given in the Sunday night service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on February 14, 2021.  The Bible verses used are John 14:15-24.

             It’s Valentine’s Day.  A day of love.  And of course, in the context of Valentine’s Day, we usually think of love as being romantic love.

            Now, there’s nothing wrong with romantic love.  In fact, there’s a lot that’s right about it.  But it’s interesting how little the Bible has to say about romantic love.  The Bible does have things to say about marriage and sex and relationships.  But romance?  Not so much.

            The Bible does talk about love, of course.  But it talks about love in the context of the two things Jesus told us were most important:  love of God and love of others.

            In our reading for tonight, the word “love” shows up eight times in just ten verses.  Jesus is talking to the twelve disciples, the people closest to him.  He’s talking to them just before he goes to the garden of Gethsemane.  This is part of the last speech Jesus makes before he gets arrested and eventually killed.    

What does Jesus say?  He says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”  “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.  The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.  Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”  And then, just to make sure everyone knew Jesus meant it, he said, “These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

Jesus knows he’s about to be arrested and killed.  He knows that the only way the ministry he started on earth is going to continue is if the disciples carry it forward.  He also knows this is going to be his last chance to give instructions to those disciples.  And so, Jesus takes this chance to emphasize how important it is that the disciples do the things Jesus told them to do.  If Jesus’ ministry is going to continue, the disciples need to remember and follow all the things Jesus taught them.  The things about God, the things about faith, the things about trust, the things about spreading the word, everything.  Including, of course, the things Jesus taught them about love.

But in giving them these instructions, what does Jesus emphasize?  He does not say, “do what I taught you or you’ll go to hell.”  He does not say, “Do what I taught you because you owe it to me for all I’ve done for you.”  He does not say, “I’m giving my life for you so you need to do this for me.”

Instead, Jesus emphasizes love.  Jesus wants them to do what he’s taught them, not out of fear, not out of guilt, but out of love.  Jesus wants them to follow his commands, not because they’re afraid of what might happen to them if they don’t, but because they want to, out of love for Him.

This was really a remarkable change Jesus made in the way people looked at their religious faith.  In a lot of the Old Testament, the emphasis is on obedience to God.  It’s on the fear of God.  People were supposed to obey God in the hope of gaining God’s favor.  And if they could not gain God’s favor, maybe they’d at least not be the object of God’s anger.  It’s not that they’d have thought that loving God was wrong or anything.  It’s just that, well, loving God was not really part of the equation.  You did what God said because it was what God said.  What you thought about it, how you felt about it, well, none of that really mattered.  God said it, so you did it.  Or at least, you were supposed to.  And that’s all there was to it.

But Jesus changes all that.  Jesus says, I don’t want you to just obey blindly, because you’re afraid.  I don’t want you to feel like you have to do what I said because you feel guilty about what I went through.  I want you to love me.  I want you to do the things I’ve taught you willingly and gladly.  I want you to do the things I’ve taught you to do because you know that’s the best way you can show me you love me.

Jesus knew that love is an incredibly powerful motivator.  Love is more powerful than fear or guilt.  When we love someone, we’ll do all kinds of things for them, things that we would never do otherwise.  Before she met me, I don’t think Wanda had ever seen a sports event, other than a rodeo.  But because she loves me, she’ll sometimes go to games with me and even watched part of the Super Bowl with me.  I had no interest in crafts before I met Wanda.  But because I love her, I help her get the supplies she needs and even help her with a project if there’s some way I can.  These are just a couple of examples of the things we’ll do for people, things that we would never do normally, but that we will do for someone when we love them.

Do you think, before they met Jesus, that the disciples had any idea that they would become traveling evangelists, spreading the good news about the Savior?  It sure does not seem likely, does it?  Peter, James, and John were fishermen.  Levi was a tax collector.  And before they met Jesus, they probably thought those were the jobs they’d be doing the rest of their lives.  But out of love for Jesus, the disciples left their jobs and their businesses and even their families and helped Jesus spread the word of salvation and eternal life.

And of course, Jesus knew that.  He knew the disciples had left everything behind to follow Him.  And he knew they’d done it out of love.  But he also knew, as we said before, that he was about to leave them.  And he knew that, after he was gone, they might all go back and do what they’d done before.  In fact, after Jesus was killed, one of the first things Peter did was go fishing.  And a few of the other disciples went with Him.

Because Jesus knew they loved him, but because Jesus knew he was about to leave them, Jesus reminded them of their love for him.  And he told them, if you really want to show how much you love me, here’s what you do.  Keep my commands.  Do what I’ve told you to do.  If you do, I’ll know you love Me.  And not only that, the whole world will know you love Me, because the world will know you’re doing what I told you to do and are living like I told you to live.

Most of us, maybe all of us, would say that we love Jesus.  So, are we keeping Jesus’ commands?  Are we obeying Jesus’ teaching?  Or are we just doing pretty much whatever we feel like doing?  Are we just coming to church, or watching a livestreamed service, but not really letting our so-called love for Jesus change our lives in any significant way?

Because when we love someone, it should change our lives in a significant way.  Wanda has changed my life in many ways.  I’ve changed her life in many ways, too.  I mentioned one example earlier, but there are lots of ways in which I’ve changed because of Wanda.  I’ve become a more caring person.  I’ve become a more patient person.  I’ve become a more giving person.  Not that I’m perfect at any of those things, because I’m certainly not.  I’m very far from perfect.  Perfect and I are not even in the same area code.  But I’m better than I was before I met Wanda.  She’s changed me in significant and important ways.  

But here’s the thing.  Wanda never came to me and said, “You need to change.  You need to be a more caring, more patient, more giving person.”  I changed because I saw those things in her.  And because I love her, I wanted to be a better person for her.  Again, a very-far-from-perfect person, but a better person than I was before.

Again, most of us, maybe all of us, would say that we love Jesus.  So, do we love Jesus enough that we want to change our lives for Jesus?  And change them in a significant way?  Do we love Jesus enough to want to be better people for Jesus?  Do we love Jesus enough to want to show Jesus that we love him?  Do we love Jesus enough to keep His commands and obey His teaching?  Do we love Jesus enough that the whole world will know we love Him, because the world will see that we’re doing what Jesus told us to do and living the way Jesus told us to live?

I hope you won’t just slough those questions off.  I hope you’ll really think about them.  I hope you’ll take them to heart.  I hope you’ll pray about them.  How much do you really love Jesus?  How much do I really love Jesus?  Do we love Jesus enough to keep His commands and obey His teaching?  Even when we would not do so otherwise?  Even when it’s inconvenient?  Even when it might cause us problems?  Even when we just plain don’t feel like it?  Do we love Jesus enough for that love to overcome all of our excuses, all of our fears, all of our doubts, all the other things that keep us from keeping Jesus’ commands and obeying Jesus’ teaching the way we should?  Do we love Jesus that much?

Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.”  Let’s show our love for Jesus, this day and every day.