Under- and Overestimating • John 13:31-38
Notes
Video teaching begins 21:14
Jesus gave a new commandment to His disciples. Love one another, even as I have loved you. That extends to laying down one’s life for one’s friends.
It’s common to think two things about love. One is, love, I can do that, I’m cool with that. Two, love everybody? That’s unreasonable. He’s asking too much.
The problem is that we underestimate what love is, and we overestimate ourselves. We excuse ourselves by thinking, well, I got that covered. The apostle Peter demonstrates this exact problem. We think, well, I’m better than Peter! He’s a loser. But none of are any different. We’re in the same position.
So we have some real tension this morning. Jesus’ commandment is not unreasonable, but it is impossible. How do we deal with this commandment to love one another? The new commandment is doable only through a new and living way.
Let’s read in John 13 from verse 31.
1. Jesus has a completely different outlook on life and death.
A. Jesus knows that He is going to die.
1. He has told the disciples at their Passover dinner that one of them will betray Him. Peter and John asked Him privately, who is it? Jesus has dipped the bread and given it to Judas. Judas has left the room and is now preparing the betrayal. Jesus is alone with His disciples.
2. Jesus knows what this means. A train of events has just been set in motion that will lead to His arrest, trial, condemnation, and crucifixion.
B. How does Jesus look at this? What’s His estimation of how things are going?
1. Does He say, “That rotten back-stabbing Judas! After all the warnings I gave him, he went out anyway. What’s the use when you have jerks like him around? That’s what I would think.
2. All that Jesus focuses on is glorifying the Father.
C. Here are the ways in which this leads to glory.
1. His death will lead to the Son of Man being glorified. The death that He will die will be crowned with glory and honour.
2. This death serves the Father first. The Father has commanded Jesus to become a substitute for all mankind. All the wrath of God against sin will fall on Jesus instead of us. That wrath would kill us forever. So the Father can be merciful and gracious to sinners and forgive them for their sins instead of condemning them. Jesus’s attitude is: the Father is worthy of all obedience. It is an honour for Me to fulfil that will.
3. This glorifying the Father will result in the Father glorifying the Son immediately. Jesus will die, but three days after that death He will be raised from the dead. He will be glorified, made immortal, He will be crowned with all glory and honour in the presence of the Father. All authority in heaven and earth will be given to Him.
D. In fact, this glory is what Jesus has lived His whole life for. This is His highest purpose: to live for the glory of the Father, not even for His own glory.
1. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is co- eternal, co-equal with the Father. But He is fundamentally concerned with the Father, not Himself.
2. For this reason, to glorify the Father, Jesus left heaven and all glory, and was born as a baby human being. Jesus grew up thirty years. Then He preached the kingdom of God, He healed, He lived in extreme conditions, not even having time to eat a meal. He gave Himself to obedience to the point of death, for the glory of the Father. That’s Jesus’ purpose in life and in death.
E. When I look at death, I see death-to-me. That’s because I do not see things like Jesus. I’m not focusing on the Father’s glory, doing the Father’s will. I see what’s going to happen to me! Wow! I’m going to get killed! Why would I want to do what God wants? I don’t care whose will that is, I’m not doing that!
F. So remember this: Jesus sees things forwards. That’s the way things really are. He has the right estimate of the value of things. If I don’t see things like Jesus, then that means I’m seeing things backwards.
2. Jesus tells the disciples that He is leaving them, and there is to be something uppermost in their minds.
A. You get something about how important this is to Jesus when you think about how Jesus speaks to them. He calls them little children. It’s an affectionate term. He has never used it in talking to His disciples, He will never use it again. He only uses this here in all four gospels. Remember the beginning of this chapter, Jesus, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Completely.
B. He says, “I’m leaving you.” That’s what “I am with you a little while longer.” means. He also says you can’t come with Me, not just now, but later you will, there in verse 36.
C. Here’s the more important thing Jesus wants them to think about: a new commandment. Notice that Jesus gives commandments like the Father gives commandments. This is a commandment, not a suggestion.
D. I command you to love one another as I have loved you.
1. This is a new command. And yet, it isn’t. The two greatest commandments are, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbour as yourself. Part of the newness is how that command is to be carried out. We’ll see that in a few minutes.
2. Here’s another way that it is new: Jesus is the example of that love that He commands. He is the measure of that love. We don’t love people according to our own heart, soul, mind, strength; we are to love one another to the extent that He loved His disciples.
3. How did He do that? Completely, fully. He was patient, He was forgiving, He never cast them off. He was consistent. He washed all their feet, even the one He knew was betraying Him. He loved them even to the extent of laying down His life for them.
4. He is defining what love looks like from here on in. Love is not up to my own private interpretation. This is the way I see love. Love has to look like Jesus. If it doesn’t look like Jesus, it isn’t love.
E. This commandment is what will distinguish Jesus’ disciples from everyone else on the planet.
1. It will clearly identify Jesus’ disciples, and it will be a testimony that Jesus is real, that He exists, that He really did die for our sins and rise again from the dead. It’s proof.
2. Because people cannot love like Jesus. They can love certain people. They can love at certain times. But not every kind of person. Not all the time.
3. Jesus has the heart to love His enemies and forgive those who persecuted Him. He has the power to love the one who will betray Him. He has the power to love the Father in disregard of His own life.
3. People cannot love like Jesus. Peter is the critical example of this.
A. Peter hears all this, but says, hey! You’re going? Where? I’m coming, too. Why can’t I follow You right now? I’ll lay down my life for You!
B. What Peter is doing, all of us do. That is:
1. We underestimate what love is.
2. We overestimate ourselves.
C. Let me explain.
1. Jesus is loveable. Of all the people on the planet, Jesus is perfect. He is sinless. No offence at all in Jesus. He is fully pleasing to the Father. If you don’t love Him there is something really the matter with you. To know Him is to love Him. The reason people don’t love Jesus is that they don’t know Him.
2. Peter honestly loves Jesus. He is attached emotionally to Jesus. He completely respects Jesus, admires Him, looks up to Him. He’s seen Jesus work miracles and teach like no other man. Peter knows that Jesus is God. Jesus commanded Peter to follow Him. Peter is doing what Jesus commanded him to do. Peter wants to obey Jesus. He loves Jesus, he thinks.
D. Jesus tells Peter, no, you won’t lay down your life for Me. You’re going to deny three times that you even know Me. This night. Jesus is not giving His opinion, like it’s a debate. He is telling Peter the truth. I know you will.
E. And we know the rest of the story.
1. Jesus is arrested, and He lets Himself be arrested! That’s a shock, right there! And Peter follows Jesus right into the courtyard of the high priest. And there’s servants of the high priest, warming themselves around a fire.
2. Surrounded on all sides by the servants of the high priest, Peter finds he cannot lay down his life for Jesus, he can’t even say that he knows Jesus. He’s scared for his own life and lies to protect himself. He can’t make himself lay down his life for Jesus!
3. What do you think Peter says to himself when he goes off and weeps bitterly? I thought I loved Jesus! I don’t love anybody but myself! I thought I would do anything for Him! He told me beforehand that I would deny Him and I said no way, but He knew and I thought I knew myself. I thought I knew what I could do. I don’t know myself, I don’t know anything about love.
4. What Peter did, we all do.
A. We think, love? I can do that. I’m okay, pretty good. I’m fine.
B. In reality, we have a really high opinion of ourselves. And a low idea of what love is. Not just believers in Jesus, but anybody listening to my voice today.
C. Are you fine? Are you loving? How do you look in comparison to Jesus? Do you forgive those who hate you? Could you wash their feet? Serve them? Would you give your life for the guy that robbed you, wrecked your car, spit in your face?
D. Your love has to look like Jesus. That is how God is judging the whole world. Mother Teresa was not as good as Jesus. Mahatma Gandhi was not as good as Jesus. This is the righteous condemnation of God, that you are to be as good as Jesus. Nobody is as good as Jesus.
E. If you say, I’m as good as Jesus, you’re not being honest. You are playing with God. You are mocking Him. Our God is a consuming fire, says the Bible. If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.
F. Be honest. Every believer in Jesus came to this point: I am nothing like Jesus. I need to be saved. I don’t love anybody but myself. Confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you. Receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Commit your life to following Him. Flee from the wrath to come.
5. For the believers, the rest of us who fear God, it can sound like we’re sure to be burned. Who of us is like Christ? We have to love one another as Christ loved us?
A. But this is the gospel. The new part of Jesus’ new commandment is not so much what it requires as in how the command is obeyed.
B. 1 John 2:3-8 I’m going to read the context. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
NOW HERE ARE the important verses: Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
C. This commandment to love as Jesus loved is new because of how it is fulfilled in you. John says it is true in Him and in you. When you receive Jesus, He comes to live in you by His Spirit. When you live with Jesus you live by His power to love anyone and everyone. The true Light is shining in you. He dispels your darkness. You are no longer on your own, with only your strength, your goodness.
D. Therefore you can forgive people who wrong you even if they don’t say, “I’m sorry.” Like maybe someone abused you as a child who now is dead and can never tell you, “I’m sorry.” But you have the power of Jesus to forgive them and let go of the hurt. You can forgive seventy times seven. You can forgive traitors. You can love other Christians, just like Jesus loved you.
E. Is Jesus in you? If He isn’t in you, His commandment is not unreasonable, you are. If you think His commandment is unreasonable it means you are guilty. If Jesus is in you, then you do have the power and the ability to deny yourself and love anyone, even other Christians.
Let’s pray.