|
The Love of Jesus
"Having loved his own...he loved them to the end." |
September 8, 2019
John 13:1-5 |
If you would, please turn with me in your Bibles to John 13. We are going to be starting a study in this section and going through what is known as the Upper Room discourse. Chapters 13-17 record for us some of the things that went on when the disciples were gathered with Jesus in the upper room on his final night leading up to his death.
John is interesting in that he devotes 4 chapters to the little bit of time that was spent in that room. The other gospels record very little. It is also interesting to note that we have about 5 chapters in John which record for us things that are not mentioned at all in the other gospel accounts. For instance, in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), we read about the institution of the Lord’s Supper. But John does not give us that material. He doesn’t mention it at all. But he does give us a lengthy prayer that Jesus prayed. He also records for us the famous passage about the washing of the disciples' feet. The other gospel accounts do not mention that.
I find that interesting because there are some denominations, particularly the brethren denominations which are prominent around here, that say that footwashing is a sacrament (or at least part of the Lord’s Supper sacrament). But the LS and the footwashing are not even mentioned together in one of the gospels.
In any respect, we are glad that we have this gospel and that the Holy Spirit was keen to reveal these things to us. I really believe we would be lacking so much enrichment if we were not able to be, as it were, flies on the wall in this room. I wouldn’t doubt that this is a section in your Bibles that has a lot of highlights in it. These chapters have been quite meaningful to all the saints throughout history.
Some of that great benefit is found in the first 5 verses of chapter 13. Please follow along as I read God’s holy and inspired word.
John 13:1-5 ESV
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
It is always interesting diving into the middle of a book. That’s kind of been our practice these last several studies. We started at the end of the book of Genesis about a year ago. Then we started in Philippians 2 in our last study.
Today we are starting at what may be called the midway point in the book of John. The first 12 chapters of this book has often been described as the “book of signs.” That’s because Jesus had been going around doing various signs and miracles. Most of the 7 “I am” statements fall in that section of the book too.
Chapter 13 begins what many call the “book of glory” because it deals with the events that lead up to his glorification. But we may call this second half of John “the book of love.” All of John is the book of love, to be sure. The word love is used 57 times in this gospel. That’s more times than all the other gospels combined. But what’s more interesting is that about 35 of those usages are found in these three chapters.
And our passage starts with the idea of love. The very first verse sets the tone by saying that Jesus having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The phraseology here is interesting: It means that he either loved them to the end of his life or that he loved them completely (That’s why some of your versions may say that he loved them to the uttermost).
What John is trying to say is that what you are about to hear is nothing less than a dictation on the love of Jesus. And while this really characterizes the whole of this book (or the whole of the upper room discourse), I think that the verses that we just read render that theme most expressly.
So that will be our theme for this morning. We are going to talk about the extensive love of Christ, and consider its context, its demonstration, and its objects.
I. The context of his love [1-3]
The specific context is mentioned there in the opening words of the chapters. We are told that this love is expressed during the Passover feast. And we know that the disciples are gathered in the upper room. But I want you to understand that the physical setting is merely a peripheral thing. What is more significant is the context of what Jesus knows.
You have to understand that in this context Jesus has an astute grasp on his destiny.
A. The context of his destiny
John says that Jesus knew that “his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father.” Jesus is fully cognizant that this night had been pre-ordained by the Father. He knows that his life had been lived for this very moment. It was that point which all of Scripture had been pointing; all of history had been moving towards this and anticipating it. It was time for him to die. This hour had been his destiny ever since he first entered the womb.
Now, you recognize that this gives you a sense of the love of Christ. He knew what was going to take place. He knew that the angry mob would soon put him in cuffs and lead him away. He had full clarity as to his upcoming misery and the agony that was to come upon him. And despite this knowledge, he stayed the course. He didn’t waiver; he didn’t run. He remained. Why? There is only one reason: it was because of his love. He was willing to undergo the horrors; he is willing to face his fears because he loved his people and was intent on taking the curse that was due them.
People have often wondered about that verse which says, “perfect love casts out fear.” Did you know that the opposite of fear is love? We’d probably say that the opposite of fear is bravery. But bravery is actually symptomatic of something greater: and that’s love.
For instance, if your child was in danger (surrounded by snakes, let’s say). You don’t like snakes; you have a great fear of snakes. Would you try to rescue your child? Only if you could overcome your fear? And how would you do that? It is by means of your love for your child.
If you are scared of the dark or if you are scared of being alone, you know what will enable you to face the dark or courageous enough to venture out on your own? It’s love. You’ll be willing to do whatever is needed if you have that motivation.
That’s really what you have here. Jesus knew his destiny. He new that it meant certain death and a painful one at that. And he was willing to go forward and meet it because of his love for his disciples.
But this love is further accentuated by the fact that he knew his company too. It wasn’t just that he knew his destiny would befall him that night, but the very man who would betray him was sitting right there.
B. The context of his enemy
Look at verse 2. It says that the “devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.” You read later in the chapter about how Jesus expressly calls out Judas. As a matter of fact, we’re going to come back to talk about Judas in this study. In this chapter Judas is mentioned quite a few times. He’s mentioned so many times that you even kinda wonder if the chapter is about Jesus or about Judas.
Now doesn’t that show something of the depth of Christ’s love? It’s one thing to know you’re going to die in the next 24 hours; it is quite another thing to have the very guy who is primarily responsible for it sitting right there in the same room with you.
We will find in subsequent messages that Jesus has a conversation about Judas and with Judas. But what you should understand is that Jesus is not consumed with Judas. Despite the prominent place Judas has in this chapter, Jesus isn’t overly concerned with him. His heart is wrapped up in his disciples.
Imagine if you or I were in his shoes. Who would we be thinking about? We’d probably be consumed with rage that Judas is there and we’d be ready to club him. We’d probably say, “How dare he show up here and sit here like there’s nothing going to happen?” And we’d be playing through scenarios of how we should approach him. Should we ask him to leave? Can we talk to him and get him to reconsider?
But, while Jesus is well aware of Judas’ intentions, his mind is really elsewhere. It is on his Father’s will; and more specifically, he is thinking primarily of his loved ones.
There’s another dimension that we should take into consideration though. In this context Jesus not only is aware of his destiny and his enemy, he is fully aware of his identity as well.
C. The context of his identity
Verse 3 tells us that Jesus knows “that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God.” What is this talking about? It is talking about how Jesus understood himself to be the Son of God and had a place of prominence. He had divine power and a stature that was just as regal. He knew full well who he was as the supreme sovereign who would sit upon the throne of heaven.
Nevertheless, he was content to be here with these sinners and was just as happy to give his life for them.
You see the contrast that is being set up: Look at who Jesus really is: He possesses all things and is Lord of all; he is very God of very God. And yet he is ready to undergo the greatest humiliation.
Even reclining at this table with this band of men is humiliating enough. Do you remember the story of Joseph and his brother? He was in a place of prominence as Pharoah’s man. He had invited his siblings to join him for dinner, but they couldn’t just sit at the same table. It wouldn’t be appropriate. After all, they were Jewish. What’s more, they were disgusting shepherds (a nauseating rabble). So Joseph had to sit at the head table. And across the room sat the foul herdsmen.
That’s not how it was with Jesus. Despite his identity, he drew near to his people and he dealt among them. Despite the radical disparity between them, he loved them.
All this puts the love of Christ in context: And I hope it puts the love of Christ into perspective for you. This is, after all, your context.
Which brings us then to the radical illustration of his love.
II. The manifestation of his love [4-5]
Really, we’ve only been setting the table. We’ve seen something of the magnitude of his love already, but we’ve not really gotten into the real demonstration of it. Everything we’ve covered so far has simply been preliminary, like the opening credits to a movie. The real show has yet to begin.
And that is what we have in verses 4-5. These two verses tell us of the real manifestation of his love for his disciples. We read that he got up from the table and disrobed. He then walks over to the door and grabs the towel and basin for washing. And then, of all things, he goes around and begins to clean the feet of each one of the disciples.
Now, you understand that in those days they didn’t have paved roads and cement sidewalks. So when you got all gussied up to go out for a special night, you’d be walking through the dirt and sand and whatever else may have been thrown out there. They didn’t have gutters and piping. So there could have been all kinds of sludge they tramped through. And when you got to someone’s house you removed your sandals so that you wouldn’t track that all through that person’s house. And usually there would be someone at the door who would wash the dirt from your feet.
And that was the job of the lowliest person in the house, mind you. It was the job for slaves (and the lowliest slave at that) because it was such a disgusting, demeaning job.
It reminds me of the grease buckets that needed to be emptied at the fast food restaurant that I worked at when I was a teenager. As you cook the hamburgers on the grill, you have grease that builds up. And you need to constantly be clearing the grease of it in order to cook the meat. And what you do is scrap it down into a funnel that directs it to a very large bucket underneath the grill. And once that bucket is filled, you had to roll it out to the grease bin outside (which was like a giant dumpster for grease). You’d have to hoist that bucket up and dump it into the bin. The thing about it is is that grease smells terrible and it slops all over the place.
It is not a tidy little process; it is rather a foul process. And guess who got that job. It wasn’t the manager of the store, that’s for sure.
So you can imagine the shock (and maybe the shame) that came over the disciples when they saw Jesus do this. It was preposterous. It was unheard of. It was one of them who should have been doing it.
But there’s more to it than that. This was a parable of sorts. Jesus, by his action, was teaching them a lesson. Not the lesson he would speak of later in the passage when he says, “You see what I’ve done, you should do that for one another.” He tells them that their lives were to be lived in service to one another. That’s what leadership is; that’s what the Christian life is to be about.
But that’s not the point here. What we have here is a manifestation of his love. He loved them to the end by giving them a parable which depicted the extent of his love for them; not their love that they were supposed to show to one another. This is emblematic of his incarnation. He divested himself of his clothes and the symbols of his status. He underwent something of a humiliation as he took the form of a servant.
What we have here is a visible display of Philippians 2. Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He made himself nothing and was found in the likeness of man, taking the form of a servant.
It’s what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians when he said, “Though he was rich, he became poor, so that we through his poverty may become rich.”
He was acting out for them his radical condescension. He was giving them an idea of how much he loved them; what he was willing to do for them.
This little show, so to speak, I hope invokes in you a desire to respond and demonstrate your love to him. Each day you can illustrate your own love; you may not be able to die, but you can die to yourself in service to him.
You can demonstrate your love by cleaning up the table without having to have your parents ask you or pester you to do your chores. You can say to yourself, "Jesus was willing to wash feet and stoop to the level of a slave; I wish to lovingly serve him by serving my family."
Or maybe, young people, you've graduated from having to clean the toilets around the house. That job is a foul one and you've been able to hand it off to your younger siblings. You're no longer the low person on the totem pole. But let's not forget that Jesus was willing to do the lowly job. He was willing to serve you.
There's a million ways to respond to his love. There's all kinds of ways to serve, but it begins with seeing the greatness of his deeds and how he became a selfless savior.
There is one more way the love of Christ is shown in this passage. We not only see his love by virtue of what was going on in his mind and what he did at the dinner, but we also see it in who he was willing to love.
To gauge the love of Christ more precisely, it is necessary to consider the objects of his love.
III. The objects of his love [1]
It should not go unnoticed that Jesus’ love has a specific target audience. In verse 1 John says, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
The focus of these last few chapters (and the sufferings that they will unfold) is for one purpose: it is for his people; the ones he calls his own. The disciples were the special objects of his love and they are the real concern of his heart.
Up to this point, he was willing to minister to a wide range of people. He would speak to hypocrites and gainsayers and those who were spiteful of him. But we understand that with the upper room and the opening of this chapter there is a shift of sorts. He is concerned only with loving those which belonged to him. His final teachings, his extreme anguish, and his ultimate death had a singular motivation: it was his love for his particular people.
And this particular love is extraordinary because of how unloving and unlovable they really are. It is always a real indication of how much love a person has in that you see what exactly they are willing to love.
You’ve heard the expression, “He’s got a face only a mother could love.” That baby is so ugly no one is going to love him. It’s going to have to be a special love to love someone like that! And there’s only one person in the world who would have that much love: it’s obviously his mother.
JC Ryle in his commentary points out how radical this makes his love to be by truly describing who it is that Jesus loves. Ryle says that Jesus,
“Knows perfectly well that his disciples were about to forsake him shamefully in a very few hours, [and] in full view of their approaching display of weakness and infirmity, our blessed Master did no cease to have loving thoughts of his disciples. He was no weary of them: He loved them to the last.”
Do you see the irony? Jesus loved his own, but these disciples were on the verge of disowning him in his greatest hour of need. They were going to deny him and run from him and not want any kind of association with him.
Yet despite this, Jesus loved them. Ryle goes on to apply this by saying,
“The love of Christ to sinners is the very essence and marrow of the gospel. That he should love us at all and care for our souls,--that He should love us so much as to come into the world to save us, take or nature on Him, bear our sins, and die for us on the cross, -- all this is wonderful indeed. It is a kind of love to which there is nothing like among men…
“That he should bear with our countless infirmities—that he should never tire of our endless inconsistencies and petty provocations, that he should go on forgiving and forgetting incessantly and never be provoked to cast us off and give us up, all this is marvellous indeed!”
Having loved his own, he loved them to the end. We may easily translate that into having love you, he loved you to the end (sinner that you are).
How great is the love of Christ? It is so great, that he was willing to love even you.
John is interesting in that he devotes 4 chapters to the little bit of time that was spent in that room. The other gospels record very little. It is also interesting to note that we have about 5 chapters in John which record for us things that are not mentioned at all in the other gospel accounts. For instance, in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), we read about the institution of the Lord’s Supper. But John does not give us that material. He doesn’t mention it at all. But he does give us a lengthy prayer that Jesus prayed. He also records for us the famous passage about the washing of the disciples' feet. The other gospel accounts do not mention that.
I find that interesting because there are some denominations, particularly the brethren denominations which are prominent around here, that say that footwashing is a sacrament (or at least part of the Lord’s Supper sacrament). But the LS and the footwashing are not even mentioned together in one of the gospels.
In any respect, we are glad that we have this gospel and that the Holy Spirit was keen to reveal these things to us. I really believe we would be lacking so much enrichment if we were not able to be, as it were, flies on the wall in this room. I wouldn’t doubt that this is a section in your Bibles that has a lot of highlights in it. These chapters have been quite meaningful to all the saints throughout history.
Some of that great benefit is found in the first 5 verses of chapter 13. Please follow along as I read God’s holy and inspired word.
John 13:1-5 ESV
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
It is always interesting diving into the middle of a book. That’s kind of been our practice these last several studies. We started at the end of the book of Genesis about a year ago. Then we started in Philippians 2 in our last study.
Today we are starting at what may be called the midway point in the book of John. The first 12 chapters of this book has often been described as the “book of signs.” That’s because Jesus had been going around doing various signs and miracles. Most of the 7 “I am” statements fall in that section of the book too.
Chapter 13 begins what many call the “book of glory” because it deals with the events that lead up to his glorification. But we may call this second half of John “the book of love.” All of John is the book of love, to be sure. The word love is used 57 times in this gospel. That’s more times than all the other gospels combined. But what’s more interesting is that about 35 of those usages are found in these three chapters.
And our passage starts with the idea of love. The very first verse sets the tone by saying that Jesus having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The phraseology here is interesting: It means that he either loved them to the end of his life or that he loved them completely (That’s why some of your versions may say that he loved them to the uttermost).
What John is trying to say is that what you are about to hear is nothing less than a dictation on the love of Jesus. And while this really characterizes the whole of this book (or the whole of the upper room discourse), I think that the verses that we just read render that theme most expressly.
So that will be our theme for this morning. We are going to talk about the extensive love of Christ, and consider its context, its demonstration, and its objects.
I. The context of his love [1-3]
The specific context is mentioned there in the opening words of the chapters. We are told that this love is expressed during the Passover feast. And we know that the disciples are gathered in the upper room. But I want you to understand that the physical setting is merely a peripheral thing. What is more significant is the context of what Jesus knows.
You have to understand that in this context Jesus has an astute grasp on his destiny.
A. The context of his destiny
John says that Jesus knew that “his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father.” Jesus is fully cognizant that this night had been pre-ordained by the Father. He knows that his life had been lived for this very moment. It was that point which all of Scripture had been pointing; all of history had been moving towards this and anticipating it. It was time for him to die. This hour had been his destiny ever since he first entered the womb.
Now, you recognize that this gives you a sense of the love of Christ. He knew what was going to take place. He knew that the angry mob would soon put him in cuffs and lead him away. He had full clarity as to his upcoming misery and the agony that was to come upon him. And despite this knowledge, he stayed the course. He didn’t waiver; he didn’t run. He remained. Why? There is only one reason: it was because of his love. He was willing to undergo the horrors; he is willing to face his fears because he loved his people and was intent on taking the curse that was due them.
People have often wondered about that verse which says, “perfect love casts out fear.” Did you know that the opposite of fear is love? We’d probably say that the opposite of fear is bravery. But bravery is actually symptomatic of something greater: and that’s love.
For instance, if your child was in danger (surrounded by snakes, let’s say). You don’t like snakes; you have a great fear of snakes. Would you try to rescue your child? Only if you could overcome your fear? And how would you do that? It is by means of your love for your child.
If you are scared of the dark or if you are scared of being alone, you know what will enable you to face the dark or courageous enough to venture out on your own? It’s love. You’ll be willing to do whatever is needed if you have that motivation.
That’s really what you have here. Jesus knew his destiny. He new that it meant certain death and a painful one at that. And he was willing to go forward and meet it because of his love for his disciples.
But this love is further accentuated by the fact that he knew his company too. It wasn’t just that he knew his destiny would befall him that night, but the very man who would betray him was sitting right there.
B. The context of his enemy
Look at verse 2. It says that the “devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.” You read later in the chapter about how Jesus expressly calls out Judas. As a matter of fact, we’re going to come back to talk about Judas in this study. In this chapter Judas is mentioned quite a few times. He’s mentioned so many times that you even kinda wonder if the chapter is about Jesus or about Judas.
Now doesn’t that show something of the depth of Christ’s love? It’s one thing to know you’re going to die in the next 24 hours; it is quite another thing to have the very guy who is primarily responsible for it sitting right there in the same room with you.
We will find in subsequent messages that Jesus has a conversation about Judas and with Judas. But what you should understand is that Jesus is not consumed with Judas. Despite the prominent place Judas has in this chapter, Jesus isn’t overly concerned with him. His heart is wrapped up in his disciples.
Imagine if you or I were in his shoes. Who would we be thinking about? We’d probably be consumed with rage that Judas is there and we’d be ready to club him. We’d probably say, “How dare he show up here and sit here like there’s nothing going to happen?” And we’d be playing through scenarios of how we should approach him. Should we ask him to leave? Can we talk to him and get him to reconsider?
But, while Jesus is well aware of Judas’ intentions, his mind is really elsewhere. It is on his Father’s will; and more specifically, he is thinking primarily of his loved ones.
There’s another dimension that we should take into consideration though. In this context Jesus not only is aware of his destiny and his enemy, he is fully aware of his identity as well.
C. The context of his identity
Verse 3 tells us that Jesus knows “that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God.” What is this talking about? It is talking about how Jesus understood himself to be the Son of God and had a place of prominence. He had divine power and a stature that was just as regal. He knew full well who he was as the supreme sovereign who would sit upon the throne of heaven.
Nevertheless, he was content to be here with these sinners and was just as happy to give his life for them.
You see the contrast that is being set up: Look at who Jesus really is: He possesses all things and is Lord of all; he is very God of very God. And yet he is ready to undergo the greatest humiliation.
Even reclining at this table with this band of men is humiliating enough. Do you remember the story of Joseph and his brother? He was in a place of prominence as Pharoah’s man. He had invited his siblings to join him for dinner, but they couldn’t just sit at the same table. It wouldn’t be appropriate. After all, they were Jewish. What’s more, they were disgusting shepherds (a nauseating rabble). So Joseph had to sit at the head table. And across the room sat the foul herdsmen.
That’s not how it was with Jesus. Despite his identity, he drew near to his people and he dealt among them. Despite the radical disparity between them, he loved them.
All this puts the love of Christ in context: And I hope it puts the love of Christ into perspective for you. This is, after all, your context.
Which brings us then to the radical illustration of his love.
II. The manifestation of his love [4-5]
Really, we’ve only been setting the table. We’ve seen something of the magnitude of his love already, but we’ve not really gotten into the real demonstration of it. Everything we’ve covered so far has simply been preliminary, like the opening credits to a movie. The real show has yet to begin.
And that is what we have in verses 4-5. These two verses tell us of the real manifestation of his love for his disciples. We read that he got up from the table and disrobed. He then walks over to the door and grabs the towel and basin for washing. And then, of all things, he goes around and begins to clean the feet of each one of the disciples.
Now, you understand that in those days they didn’t have paved roads and cement sidewalks. So when you got all gussied up to go out for a special night, you’d be walking through the dirt and sand and whatever else may have been thrown out there. They didn’t have gutters and piping. So there could have been all kinds of sludge they tramped through. And when you got to someone’s house you removed your sandals so that you wouldn’t track that all through that person’s house. And usually there would be someone at the door who would wash the dirt from your feet.
And that was the job of the lowliest person in the house, mind you. It was the job for slaves (and the lowliest slave at that) because it was such a disgusting, demeaning job.
It reminds me of the grease buckets that needed to be emptied at the fast food restaurant that I worked at when I was a teenager. As you cook the hamburgers on the grill, you have grease that builds up. And you need to constantly be clearing the grease of it in order to cook the meat. And what you do is scrap it down into a funnel that directs it to a very large bucket underneath the grill. And once that bucket is filled, you had to roll it out to the grease bin outside (which was like a giant dumpster for grease). You’d have to hoist that bucket up and dump it into the bin. The thing about it is is that grease smells terrible and it slops all over the place.
It is not a tidy little process; it is rather a foul process. And guess who got that job. It wasn’t the manager of the store, that’s for sure.
So you can imagine the shock (and maybe the shame) that came over the disciples when they saw Jesus do this. It was preposterous. It was unheard of. It was one of them who should have been doing it.
But there’s more to it than that. This was a parable of sorts. Jesus, by his action, was teaching them a lesson. Not the lesson he would speak of later in the passage when he says, “You see what I’ve done, you should do that for one another.” He tells them that their lives were to be lived in service to one another. That’s what leadership is; that’s what the Christian life is to be about.
But that’s not the point here. What we have here is a manifestation of his love. He loved them to the end by giving them a parable which depicted the extent of his love for them; not their love that they were supposed to show to one another. This is emblematic of his incarnation. He divested himself of his clothes and the symbols of his status. He underwent something of a humiliation as he took the form of a servant.
What we have here is a visible display of Philippians 2. Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He made himself nothing and was found in the likeness of man, taking the form of a servant.
It’s what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians when he said, “Though he was rich, he became poor, so that we through his poverty may become rich.”
He was acting out for them his radical condescension. He was giving them an idea of how much he loved them; what he was willing to do for them.
This little show, so to speak, I hope invokes in you a desire to respond and demonstrate your love to him. Each day you can illustrate your own love; you may not be able to die, but you can die to yourself in service to him.
You can demonstrate your love by cleaning up the table without having to have your parents ask you or pester you to do your chores. You can say to yourself, "Jesus was willing to wash feet and stoop to the level of a slave; I wish to lovingly serve him by serving my family."
Or maybe, young people, you've graduated from having to clean the toilets around the house. That job is a foul one and you've been able to hand it off to your younger siblings. You're no longer the low person on the totem pole. But let's not forget that Jesus was willing to do the lowly job. He was willing to serve you.
There's a million ways to respond to his love. There's all kinds of ways to serve, but it begins with seeing the greatness of his deeds and how he became a selfless savior.
There is one more way the love of Christ is shown in this passage. We not only see his love by virtue of what was going on in his mind and what he did at the dinner, but we also see it in who he was willing to love.
To gauge the love of Christ more precisely, it is necessary to consider the objects of his love.
III. The objects of his love [1]
It should not go unnoticed that Jesus’ love has a specific target audience. In verse 1 John says, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
The focus of these last few chapters (and the sufferings that they will unfold) is for one purpose: it is for his people; the ones he calls his own. The disciples were the special objects of his love and they are the real concern of his heart.
Up to this point, he was willing to minister to a wide range of people. He would speak to hypocrites and gainsayers and those who were spiteful of him. But we understand that with the upper room and the opening of this chapter there is a shift of sorts. He is concerned only with loving those which belonged to him. His final teachings, his extreme anguish, and his ultimate death had a singular motivation: it was his love for his particular people.
And this particular love is extraordinary because of how unloving and unlovable they really are. It is always a real indication of how much love a person has in that you see what exactly they are willing to love.
You’ve heard the expression, “He’s got a face only a mother could love.” That baby is so ugly no one is going to love him. It’s going to have to be a special love to love someone like that! And there’s only one person in the world who would have that much love: it’s obviously his mother.
JC Ryle in his commentary points out how radical this makes his love to be by truly describing who it is that Jesus loves. Ryle says that Jesus,
“Knows perfectly well that his disciples were about to forsake him shamefully in a very few hours, [and] in full view of their approaching display of weakness and infirmity, our blessed Master did no cease to have loving thoughts of his disciples. He was no weary of them: He loved them to the last.”
Do you see the irony? Jesus loved his own, but these disciples were on the verge of disowning him in his greatest hour of need. They were going to deny him and run from him and not want any kind of association with him.
Yet despite this, Jesus loved them. Ryle goes on to apply this by saying,
“The love of Christ to sinners is the very essence and marrow of the gospel. That he should love us at all and care for our souls,--that He should love us so much as to come into the world to save us, take or nature on Him, bear our sins, and die for us on the cross, -- all this is wonderful indeed. It is a kind of love to which there is nothing like among men…
“That he should bear with our countless infirmities—that he should never tire of our endless inconsistencies and petty provocations, that he should go on forgiving and forgetting incessantly and never be provoked to cast us off and give us up, all this is marvellous indeed!”
Having loved his own, he loved them to the end. We may easily translate that into having love you, he loved you to the end (sinner that you are).
How great is the love of Christ? It is so great, that he was willing to love even you.