31 After Judas had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man’s glory is revealed; now God’s glory is revealed through him. 32 And if God’s glory is revealed through him, then God will reveal the glory of the Son of Man in himself, and He will do so at once. 33 My children, I shall not be with you very much longer. You will look for me; but I tell you now what I told the Jewish authorities, ‘You cannot go where I am going.’ 34 And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”
Other readings: Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145:8-13; Revelation 21:1-5
LECTIO
Today we are with Jesus and his disciples in the upper room at the Last Supper. John does not describe the “Eucharistic meal” itself like the other Gospel writers, but provides different insights into Jesus’s life and teaching.
Jesus waits until after Judas has left before revealing a “new” commandment to his disciples. It is not surprising that Jesus, knowing what Judas was harbouring in his heart, chooses to speak about this after he has left.
What is so special about this “new” commandment? The requirement to love God and to love our neighbour as ourself would already have been well known to the disciples from the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18). But Jesus’s teaching and example of love deepen these commands. In the other three Gospels this teaching is often referred to as “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28).
The new challenge Jesus lays before his disciples here is to love each other “as I have loved you”. Jesus proclaims that God now makes known the divine identity and authority of the Son of Man, who is Jesus himself. Jesus’s love for his disciples, for us and for all people reflects the unconditional mutual love that exists between God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Christians, living out this mutual love in their everyday lives, make God’s mystical love a concrete fact to people around them and demonstrate they are Jesus’s followers. In practising this unconditional love ordinary Christians draw back a veil to reveal a glimpse of heaven and the love flooding from the Holy Trinity.
Now we can see why Jesus and John place such a great emphasis upon the relationship between the persons of the Holy Trinity (John 14-16). And this is why Jesus insists that the love shared between Christians has to be modelled upon his own love towards them: self-sacrificing and unconditional.
MEDITATIO
What strikes you most from these verses? Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
How do you feel about Jesus’s command to love other Christians as Jesus loves us?
Does Jesus ask the impossible? How can we try to obey this command? Whom can we go to for help? Consider whether there are any ways God might want you to express his love to another Christian.
ORATIO
Psalm 145:8-13 lists some of the characteristics of God. As God chips away at our worldliness to reveal his image and likeness we will start to reflect his nature. Prayerfully offer these verses to God. Open your heart to God and let him speak to you. If you are experiencing difficulties in a particular relationship then bring this before the Lord.
CONTEMPLATIO
Revelation 21:1-5 speaks of the “new heaven and earth”. Consider this promise and think about the links between Jesus’s new commandment and this vision. Think about how Jesus is clothing us, as the Church, to be his bride.
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