Love and Obedience – Easter 6

Love and Obedience

Easter 6 T John 14:15-21

INI

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!

            Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of the congregation! As many of you mothers know from child-rearing, there’s a connection between love and obedience. Every parent dreams that their kid will love, respect and honor you – so much so – that they’d listen! For example, when a child is told to clean their room, the hope is not just that the task gets done, but they’ll do it out of love, honor, and respect! And hopefully, they’ll do it with a smile on their face, and won’t drag their feet to do it.

            As children grow up, that desire won’t change. A mother wants her children to listen to her – to trust her wisdom. Because, you’ve gone through life. You know how to navigate some of life’s challenges. But they might be too stubborn to want to listen to ‘mom’s opinion.’

            But every parent knows the difference between obedience that’s forced, and obedience that flows from love.

            That sentiment echoes what Jesus speaks of at the start of the Gospel lesson when He says – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And at the end – “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father.”

            At first glance, that seems like a condition. That if we love Jesus, we will obey His commandments – all of them. And if we do all that, then the Father will reciprocate our love, by loving us back. But is that really what Jesus is suggesting to His disciples in this discourse – and us? That His love for us is dependent upon our love for Him?

            If that were the case, we’re in serious trouble. Just think of all the ways we fall short of His commands. If we just look at the list of Ten Commandments, there’s not one we’ve kept perfectly.

We’ve put other things before God.

We’ve used or lived out His name for vanity.

We’ve all skipped church or have come and then mentally and spiritually tuned out.

We’ve all disobeyed our parents, or not honored them.

We’ve all committed murder – either by a more coarse form, like real harm to someone’s body, or a finer form like hatred within our hearts.

We’ve all committed adultery in our hearts at the least, or with our bodies.

We’ve all committed theft – whether it’s time theft at work, or took advantage of someone in some kind of business deal.

We’ve all given false testimony against our neighbor – either by gossiping or failing to stand up for someone’s reputation when there’s gossip.

We’ve all coveted our neighbor’s stuff or their people – because deep down, we’re dissatisfied with the things God has given us.

That’s a lot to keep track of and think through – but all this can be summed up in one command that we’ve fallen short of – love.

So, if Jesus’ words are a condition – IF you love me, THEN you will obey – the conclusion is terrifying. And the conclusion is this: I’ve not obeyed as I should. Which means I’ve not loved God as I should – so does God the Father love me?

            At this point, it’s easy to misunderstand what Jesus is talking about.

            Because you’ve probably heard it said before – that in the Old Testament, God was more concerned with outward obedience. That it was about obedience to the ceremonial laws and the strict commands. And that only in the New Testament does Jesus come and teach us about loving others. And it’s true, Jesus just gave the new command to love a few verses before. He says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have love you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35)”

            But here’s the truth – love isn’t a new teaching. It’s all throughout the Old Testament. In fact, when Jesus speaks, He’s reiterating what’s already been said in the Ancient Shema from Deuteronomy 6, which says “Hear O, Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

            So, the Old Testament wasn’t just about external obedience – it was always about love and what living in love looks like towards God and neighbor.

            So, what is new about what Jesus taught? What’s new is that in Jesus – through His death and resurrection – the command to love isn’t an impossible demand. Love is something given to you. The source and power of love has been given to you in the person and work of Jesus. Without Him in you, we have no desire for Christian love. But with Him, through faith, our hearts are made new, and Christ establishes a new desire to love our neighbor. Obedience becomes something we do because we love our Heavenly Father, and not to earn His love.

            And that’s exactly why Jesus promises His disciples the ‘Helper.’ Because this kind of love cannot come from us naturally. Jesus must live in and through us. He says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper…. Even the Spirit of Truth… I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Jesus tells us that He will give another Helper – what the Greek calls a ‘paraclete’. This paraclete is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Now, a Paraclete can mean many different things – a comforter, a counselor, an advocate, or an intercessor. But Jesus gives us this Paraclete, that is, the Holy Spirit, to be with us, dwell with us, and to teach us about Jesus – not just His commands to love, but He teaches the sufficiency of Christ’s love for us, and gives us the strength to enact that love for others.

            The Spirit teaches us that the only reason we’re able to love is because He’s first loved us. That’s what John teaches in 1 John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.” Our love for God isn’t dependent on us, but it’s dependent on Him. He loved us in that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. His love certainly isn’t dependent on our ability to keep His commandments, for even “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).”

            Christ doesn’t love us because we deserve it, or we’ve impressed him in anyway. Luther once said that love doesn’t find it object – that is, the person who’s the most loveable or attractive, or easy to get along with. In that way, love doesn’t FIND it’s object, but instead it CREATES it’s object. So, this means that God doesn’t scan the world and decide who’s worth loving and who isn’t. He loves the unlovable –the sinners, the evil and the foolish. And He makes them into a new creation, formed by His love.

            And by love, we don’t mean a feeling or affection. That’s often how the world uses that word. So, when we talk about loving God, we demand more than affection for God. The devil would love to convince us that we can love Jesus with merely our affections, and still love Him while our ears are closed to His Word. But love is something far more beautiful. It requires action. Self-sacrifice. Giving up of your time, resources, or convenience for the well-being of another.

            On our own, we’d have no hope of accomplishing such love. But because we have Christ, we have hope. Because now when Jesus says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” – He’s not threatening you. He’s describing what His love does to people. He sends His Spirit to you, to have Christ dwell in you, that your heart may be made clean by the blood of Christ. And overtime, you will bear fruit – a real fruit marked by obedience. Not without struggle, or the putting down of the sinful, selfish flesh. And not for the effect of earning God’s love. Rather, it’s a result of the love that’s been shown to you in Christ.

            In Christian love, you hear God’s Word and are obedient to it. You serve the less fortunate. You love your neighbor as yourself. You live in forgiveness towards your family. You fight against the temptations of the flesh, and not give in to them. You do these things not out of force, but out of love, honor, and respect for God, His wisdom, and His love towards you.

            His love has created it’s object – and it’s you.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston