Love Like Jesus Loved: The New Commandment

Love Like Jesus Loved: The New Commandment | Quentin | Efficient Church

Introduction

There are some texts you think you know by heart, until the day they catch you off guard. Quentin admits it right away: five years ago, this passage had already shaken him. Rereading it to prepare this message, he got hit again. His blunt conclusion: "You understand nothing about the love of God." John 13:21-35 tells the story of a last meal, an approaching betrayal, and a new commandment slipped in among the farewells. At this table, Jesus loves Judas to the end. And he asks you to love as he loved. That's why this sermon from the From the Table to the Mission series is going to disrupt the way you love.

Sermon Outline

1. Unconditional love: even for the one who will betray you

Jesus is troubled (v. 21). The Greek word suggests an inner fog: anger, fear, abandonment, confusion. He is not calm and composed. He is human, and he is not doing well.
It's in this state that he chooses to love Judas. Love is a choice, not a feeling, Quentin repeats: we love as long as the inner motivation holds up. Jesus has none left.
At a Jewish meal, guests reclined in a U shape around a low table. Judas holds one of the two places of honor, at Jesus' left. Jesus seats right next to him the man who is about to betray him.
The dipped piece of bread he hands him is a gesture of affection, like getting up to serve a guest. And Jesus protects him: he doesn't expose him, otherwise Peter would have drawn his sword.

2. Intentional love: the one who takes the first step

Jesus doesn't wait for Judas to make the first move. He doesn't love in reaction, he loves by initiative.
Our love is often reactive: we respond once the other person expresses a need. Jesus' love, though, works hard to figure out what the other person needs.
Judas will never be able to say, "Jesus stopped loving me because he knew." On the contrary, Jesus makes an extra effort for the one who is about to betray him. This love leaves you without excuse.
Good news: that's exactly how Jesus loves you too. When you know you're about to sin, and you sin, he doesn't pull away. The devil's lie is that God backs off when you fall.

3. Love motivated by the glory of God

After Judas leaves (v. 31), Jesus says: "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him." The verbs are in the past tense even though the cross still lies ahead: Jesus is so sure he will go through with it that he speaks of it as already accomplished.
Glory here means honor, greatness, what makes God great. Jesus is glorified by giving his life, not for friends, but for his enemies. That's what is magnificent.
The Church exists for one single, vertical purpose: to glorify God. When the motivation to love becomes "he's my friend, so I'll try," at some point that's not enough, because he will eventually wear you out.
To love is to honor the other person because you want to honor God. Your love should become a billboard for God in the other person's life. In the end, he's the one who receives the honor.

4. A new commandment: love by the measure of the cross

"A new commandment I give you: that you love one another." The command to love already exists in Leviticus. So what's new about it?
Look closely at verse 34: part 1 and part 3 repeat each other. What's new is what's in the middle: "as I have loved you." The standard changes. The rule for measuring love is no longer found in you, it's found at the cross.
This love adopts you: "My children," Jesus says. It changes your status and your identity. John never names himself: he presents himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." That's not vanity, it's the foundation of his identity.
This love transforms evangelism: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Quentin observes: no one in his church has been converted after one of his sermons. The baptism testimonies all talk about the way brothers and sisters love one another.

Key Takeaways

Jesus loves Judas at the very moment he knows he will betray him. The love of Christ is a choice, not a feeling that depends on the other person.
The dipped piece of bread and the place of honor at his left are not incidental: Jesus honors Judas and shields him from the other disciples' notice.
Jesus' love is intentional. He doesn't react to a request, he goes ahead of it. Your love, on the other hand, is often self-centered because it waits for the other person to speak up.
The true engine of love isn't getting something in return, it's the glory of God. Without that motivation, love gives out at the first sign of fatigue.
The commandment is new because of its standard: to love as Jesus loved means loving all the way to the cross. This love adopts you, shapes your identity, and becomes the visible sign that you belong to Jesus.

Personal Application

Who in your life is playing the role of Judas today? Are you willing to offer him the place of honor at your table rather than pushing him away?
Is your love reactive (you wait for the other person to express a need) or intentional (you work hard to figure out how to love them before they even ask)?
When you obey or serve, what is your deepest motivation: the glory of God, recognition, your own clear conscience, or the hope of getting something back?
If John first defines himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved," what defines your identity today: your name, your past, your journey, or the love of Christ for you?
Where are you between the table and the mission? Are you receiving at the table without giving back, or going out on mission without coming back to be fed?

Scriptures Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Jesus call this command to love a new commandment, when it already appears in Leviticus?

What is new isn't the command to love, it's the standard. In verse 34, Jesus says "love one another" twice: part 1 and part 3 say the same thing. The newness is hidden in the middle: "as I have loved you." The measure of love is no longer found in you, it's found at the cross. From now on, love is measured by the rule of Jesus' blood being poured out.

How did Jesus concretely love Judas in John 13?

Three gestures. First, Judas is seated at Jesus' left, one of the two places of honor at a Jewish meal. Then, the dipped piece of bread Jesus hands him is a gesture of affection: in that culture, dipping a piece and giving it to a guest honors them. Finally, Jesus doesn't expose him openly, the disciples don't understand who he's talking about. Jesus protects the one who is about to betray him, right up to the last moment.

What does "from the table to the mission" mean for a disciple?

The series From the Table to the Mission follows John 13-17. The order matters. Jesus first invites you to his table to receive his love and grace. That's where the disciple's life begins. But if you stay at the table without going out on mission, you become bloated, as Quentin puts it, full of knowledge and experiences, without giving anything back. Christian maturity isn't measured by how many meetings you attend each week, it's measured by what you give back from what you've received.

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