Fifth Sunday of Easter (C)

Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C [Jn 13:31-35]

15.05.2022

The New Commandment of Jesus

Readings: (1) Acts 14:21-27 (2) Rev 21:1-5

1.    Theme in brief

      Loving one another as Jesus loved

2.    Focus Statement

Since Jesus is no more present among us physically, we are called to make him present in the world by obeying his new commandment to love one another just as he loved us.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to John’s gospel, Jesus prepares his disciples to face his impending “departure” (passion, death and resurrection) from this world at his Last Supper with them. Today’s gospel text is written in the context of Judas parting the company of Jesus and his disciples and going out to betray him (Jn 13:30). When Judas departs, Jesus refers to his glorification that will be realized in his death on the cross, resurrection and ascension (13:31). He says that God will be glorified through this paschal event (13:32).

Tenderly or affectionately addressing his disciples as his “little children,” Jesus plainly admits that he will be with them “only a little longer” (13:33). In other words, he reveals to them that soon he will not be present among them physically. At present, they cannot go where he is going because his mission has to be continued on earth through them (13:33). Before his physical departure, he wants to give them a commandment so that they may make him present in the world by obeying it (13:34). Just like a teacher (guru) who gives his disciples commandments to be obeyed by them, Jesus gives a commandment to be kept by them till the end of their life or end of the world, namely to love one another in the same way as he loved them.

Jesus calls his commandment to love one another a “new” commandment (31:34). What is new about it? “To love” others is not a new commandment; it is an old commandment found in the OT (Lev 19:18) – where Israel is commanded to “love your neighbour as yourself.” First of all, the object of love in today’s text is new. The object here is not neighbours as in the OT or in the synoptic gospels, but “one another,” In this context, “one another” does not mean one’s “neighbour,” as many of us understand by mixing it up with the synoptic gospels. In the synoptic gospels, “neighbour” means anybody in need, including one’s enemies, and “love” means “doing good” to such people (cf. Lk 10:25-37; Lk 5:27). But in John’s gospel “one another” means the members of his disciples’ community. Though Christian love is universal, without undermining its universality, in this context Jesus focuses on the special warmth of love-relationship that should exist among his disciples or within the Christian community. Just as the faithfulness of Israel to the Old Covenant was proved by obedience to the Law of Moses, the faithfulness of Christ’s disciples to him is proved by their obedience to his commandment to love other members of Christian community just as he loved them.

Secondly, the newness of this command is found in the words “as I have loved you” (31:34). These words indicate an imitation of the characteristics (features) or the model of love with which Jesus loved his disciples. To love one another as he loved precisely means to do good, heal, feed, serve, care for, show mercy, make self-sacrifices and forgive others as he did. The living example of the Master is the model for the practice of love among his disciples. Therefore, the model of love presented by Jesus and shown or demonstrated by him in action, especially by his sacrificial death on the cross is new. Hence, to love one another in our Christian community in the way, and as much as Christ loved us was and is a ‘new’ commandment.

Thirdly, in the OT, the Ten Commandments were the requirements that Israel had to observe if they were to be God’s chosen people. God had promised through his prophets that the days were surely coming when he would make a new covenant (agreement of love) with them which would be written not on tablets of stone (as in the days of Moses) but on their hearts (Jer 31:31-34). Naturally the fourth evangelist has taken the sacrificial love exhibited by Jesus by shedding his blood on the cross as the new covenant of love written on our hearts. Hence, this new commandment of love is closely related to a new covenant to be ratified by his blood to be shed on the cross.

Is not this new commandment narrowed down to love members of only Christian community? Though Christian love is always universal even in John’s gospel, in this context Jesus teaches that a special love-relationship among his disciples becomes a sign for everyone to know that they are his disciples (31:35). In other words, he or his continual presence will be made known and recognised by others if his disciples love as he loved. He willed that the type of love with which he loved them should become a distinctive mark of the Christian community for the outsiders to see. Thus, even after his Ascension to the Father he will continue to be present among them through their love for one another, though physically absent.

4.    Application to life

In today’s gospel Jesus presents himself as our Teacher who commands us to imitate the qualities of his love towards his disciples. The qualities of his love are: caring, serving, healing, forgiving and sacrificing to the point of laying down one’s life. Since the word “love” in our vernaculars has many connotations, many of us mix it up with its common meaning of a good or warm feeling, an attraction or a kind regard for the person whom we like. Christian love (in Greek ‘agape’) goes beyond this; it means doing a loving action rather than having a loving or sentimental feeling for somebody. We are called to do good, serve and care for people even if we do not feel any affection or attraction towards them.

Sometimes we naturally think that we have a valid reason for not helping so and so in need because of his/her nasty behaviour in the past. If so, we should reflect on the context in which Jesus gives his love-command – the context of his full knowledge about the impending betrayal of Judas and denial of Peter. Further, this commandment is given as a ‘farewell message’ at the Last Supper by affectionately calling the disciples his “little children”. Therefore, if we want to love as Jesus loved us we should not go by our feelings but make a decision of the mind to show love through deeds of mercy done even towards those whom we feel have betrayed us or denied us. In fact, ‘agape’ (love) is an attitude like that of Christ, which is manifested in concrete actions.

Which actions? Doing good even to those who do not do good to us; doing an act of service to others even when it is so inconvenient; giving until it hurts; spending our energies and talents for others rather than for ourselves; forgiving the hurts without thinking of retaliation; forgiving even our tormentors and enemies as he forgave from the cross (Lk 23:34); understanding those who misunderstand us (as he did to his disciples); tolerating even betrayers (like Judas); forgiving those who deny and desert in times of trouble (like Peter); sacrificing our own desires and preferences for others; etc. This is what is meant by loving others as Jesus loves us. Jesus wants that we should love one another within our Christian community by sacrificing our self-interests as he did. His supreme sacrifice on the cross for his disciples whom he loved to the end (Jn 13:1) is the new standard with which we are called to love our Christian brothers and sisters.

Why does he call his teaching to love others within our Christian community a “commandment?” He wants to tell us that a special love-relationship within our community is not an optional subject; it is a requirement to claim to be Christians. How can we love the world when we do not genuinely love one another within our own community? To practice this kind of love is hard. Since physical love between two opposite sexes, blood-related love between members of the same family and love between two intimate friends is natural. Nobody needs any commandment for such a love. Christian love is a commandment precisely because it goes beyond natural inclinations, to the extent of doing good even to our enemies towards whom we have no natural atraction. It is precisely at such moments the Master commands his disciples to do good to such persons also. It does not come spontaneously and naturally, but from God’s grace. That is why it is supernatural, that is, it goes beyond human nature, human reasoning and logic. It is so illogical to love our enemies or those who are so different from us. I and you miserably fail daily to love, even our family members, the way Christ loved us, let alone those who mistreat us. Therefore, we totally rely on God’s supernatural and transforming grace with which alone we can rise above our natural inclinations. 

Christ’s love is a commandment for another reason: it is open-ended. We can never say that we have exhausted all the limits and obligations of love, however saintly we may be. Therefore, Christ’s love is a commandment, which summons us everyday to obey to the end of our life. It has to be repeatedly called forth and repeatedly obeyed. To do good even to those who do harm to us, we need to constantly listen to the commandment of our Master. Hence, love becomes ever ‘new’ because everyday it leads us to newer and newer possibilities, situations, choices and avenues. The disciples can remain faithful to the Master only by their obedience to his commandment of love.

At the end of today’s text, Jesus speaks about genuine love among us as a credibility test for the world to know whether we are his disciples or not. Genuine love among is the standard with which the world judges us whether we are genuine or not. By showing real love for our fellow Christians we demonstrate to the world that we are his disciples. If people of the world notice a type of love among us which is uncommon in other communities they begin to believe in the transforming nature of the gospel. On the contrary when we fail to exhibit genuine love we invalidate the gospel of Christ. Whenever we fail to love genuinely, we should realize that the world gets a right to judge that we are not real Christians, though we are still Christians. Tertullian, one the Church Fathers, wrote that outsiders who saw in the early church such a genuine love for one another exclaimed, “Behold, how they love one another.”  

People come to know whose disciple we are even without proclaiming it in our words or showing it by exhibiting religious symbols. Jesus says that others (especially people of other faiths) will come to know that we are his disciples, not by the cross we exhibit on our bodies or houses and buildings, but by our love for one another and service to the world. Thus, Christ remains present in our world until the end of time. If the people of the world notice petty bickering, infighting, linguistic/ ethnic/ racial/ caste conflicts, divisions and open fights within the Christian community or Diocesan and Religious communities, it is shameful to say that we are Christ’s followers to people of other faiths. If two Christian institutions working side by side in the same locality publicly fight against each other as if they are India and Pakistan, people will know that we are Christians not by our love but by our fight. Therefore, today’s message challenges us to grow in our love within our own community first so that we can give better witness to the world. Let us encourage and appreciate our own community members instead of cutting them off. Let us readily, willing and joyfully help one another in our neighbourhood especially in times of misfortunes. Let us not make excuses by saying: “I do not like so and so.” We are to remember that Christ has not commanded us to like so and so or to be affectionate to him/her. Instead, he has commanded and continues to command us today as our Guru to help that person in his/her need even if we do not like him/her.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we try to alter our minds again and again to love others as Jesus loved us when our mind is not attuned to such love? In other words, do we consciously try to choose (by making a decision of the mind) to serve, care for, sacrifice and forgive as Jesus did when our mind is not inclined to do so? When persons betray us how can we respond by doing good to such persons and refrain from revenge? How often have we become unfaithful disciples of the Master by disobeying his command to love as he loved us? Do people of other faiths feel happy to recognize us as Christ’s disciples more by our life of genuine love, or by our institutions and external religious symbols? Do we directly or indirectly support the forces which cause infighting and divisions within the Church based on caste, tribe, ethnicity, language, region, diocesan priests and religious communities, etc.?

6.    A Prayer

Jesus, our Lord and Master, you summon us every day and in every situation to imitate the qualities of your love towards us such as caring, serving, healing, forgiving and sacrificing for one another. Give us the grace to manifest your example of sacrificial love in action. Since the type of love exemplified by you does not come naturally to us, we totally depend on your grace. May we make your presence in the world felt by all people through our service. Grant that we may neither succumb to the temptations of petty bickering or infighting, divisions and bitterness within our community nor join such divisive forces. Grant that people in the world may recognize us as your disciples by our genuine love and service. Amen.