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Weekly Message | April 12th, 2009
Passage: John 15:9-17
Key Verse(s): 13-15
Happy Easter! Traditionally, the message for Easter is from the passage of Jesus’ resurrection. This passage is from John 15. The message of Jesus’ resurrection is more than the account of Jesus’ resurrection. Just consider: what if we read this passage apart from Jesus’ resurrection? If Jesus had died and was still dead, what would it be like to read this passage? However, Jesus is risen. He speaks to us today.
The key verses of today’s message are about Jesus’ friendship. Today, we have a joint service with our little children. Just look at them. How many of you are willing to say, “You are my friends. No longer will I call you my little ones.” Jesus the Son of God offers his friendship with us. Therefore, we do the same to the little ones around us. Today, let’s consider what it means to be a friend of Jesus.
First, we are Jesus’ friends if we remain in his love (9-12). In verses 9-12, Jesus gives two commands—"Remain in my love" and "Love each other." Jesus' commands are about love. The order is important: first, "remain in my love", second, "love each other". Before Jesus gave these commands, Jesus had first loved them.
How did Jesus love them? Look at verse 9: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." Here, Jesus teaches the basic nature of love. Love flows down from God the Father. The Father loved Jesus in eternity. This eternal love relationship is not comprehensible to us because we are mortal. Through Jesus' ministry on this earth we see a glimpse of God's love for Jesus. God blessed Jesus with his presence (e.g., at his baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration). God supported Jesus with the display of the power and authority of God. Peter described Jesus' beautiful life and ministry in this way: "…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:38) God showed his unity with Christ.
Most of all, with his resurrection God demonstrated his power through Jesus. Through this resurrection God confirmed all the teachings of Jesus as credible and trustworthy. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, this teaching is no longer about them. It is not limited to what Jesus said about the people of the past. Rather, the risen Jesus speaks to us today. This precious word is applied to us. Jesus says to us, “As the Father loves me, so do I love you. Now remain in my love.” This is the invitation of the risen Lord to us. Jesus loves his disciples. Why is it important? Because of Jesus’ resurrection we now experience Jesus. Jesus walks with us. We experience God in our hearts. The words of Jesus are living and powerful among us. Jesus teaches us the kingdom of God. Jesus helps us to follow him.
Do you remember Jesus’ words at conference from Mk 2:17 that, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Perhaps many of us in the past did not seem sick—physically, emotionally, or mentally. But the real trouble in our illness is not these sick elements. Rather, it is the hopeless sense of isolation or abandonment. At those times, we felt that no one was really there for us.
Look at verses 10 and 11: "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Because Jesus is alive, he gives this command to us today. If we obey Jesus’ command, then we remain in his love. Jesus’ commands are for our joy. It is for our complete joy. Can this life be joyful in spite of all the brutalities and seemingly senseless realities? This is the world where pirates kidnap people in the open seas. This is the world where soldiers hunt down people and torture and murder them. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we do not remain in a hopeless sense, nor do we choose to feel cynical about this world. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we choose to remain in Jesus’ love. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we choose to obey Jesus words, “Love each other as I have loved you.”
Second, we are Jesus’ friends if we know the Father’s business (13-15). Look at verse 13: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This is the description of Jesus himself. Jesus laid down his life for his friends. Certainly, Jesus was thinking about his death on the cross—his ultimate sacrifice for his disciples. Jesus' coming to a manger on this earth was laying down his heavenly glory. His life together with his disciples was laying down his private moments. When Jesus listened to his disciples, he laid down his rights to speak. When Jesus endured their unbelief, Jesus laid down his power to change them instantly. Jesus gave up his claims and gave his precious life for us.
Look at verse 15: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Here, Jesus teaches his disciples about the reality of growth. Jesus trusts his disciples. In the right time they would grow up and put aside their childish ways. Jesus’ disciples must grow up. We must grow up. We must know the business of our Heavenly Father. Once we were all strangers to Christ (i.e., we had no relationship with him at all). We learned to be Jesus’ servants (i.e., our relationships are defined by what we do for Jesus). Now, Jesus wants us to grow up to be his friends (i.e., this is based on his lasting relationship of love). Once we were spectators and observers of Jesus. Now, Jesus wants us to become participants of Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus wants us to know the heart and mind of our Heavenly Father for this world.
Once we were little. We asked questions like, “Who is my friend? Who is going to buy lunch for me? Who is giving his love to me?” As we grow up, we ask these questions, “To whom am I a friend? To whom can I give even a cup of water? To whom am I willing to give something, anything, everything?” Once as little ones, we looked to our parents, “What will they do for me? Why are they not doing this and that for me?” Now, have we not grown up? Are we not able to say, “What can I do for my parents? What can I do with my son and daughter?”
John F. Kennedy said, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country." This appeal may be fitting as we meditate the words of Jesus. Do not ask who your friends are. Do not demand what your supposed friends must do for you. Rather, it is worth asking, "To whom have I really been a friend? What have I done for them?" Once we only asked God for our needs. As we come to know God, we offer our little check. Once we demanded God to make our life easy. Now we are willing to be faithful to God in our situations. As we come to know the mind and heart of our Father and his business, we demand less and do our part more.
Third, we are Jesus’ friends and bear fruit that will last (16-17). Jesus said, "You did not choose me but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." Jesus teaches about humility, security, and joy. We did not choose Jesus but Jesus chose us. Therefore, we do not boast about our own decisions, merits, and sacrifices as the basis of being Jesus' disciples. Since Jesus chose us, we are secure in God who starts and complete his good work. (Php 1:6) We are here in this form because Jesus appointed us and sent us, therefore we accept our reality and work from where we are now.
The fact that Jesus chose us does not mean that there is nothing we choose on our own. The wisdom in life is to know the difference between what we choose and what we cannot choose. We have not chosen many foundational aspects of life (e.g., our birthday, our genetic compositions, and our parents). The larger reality in this world is mostly beyond our control. No one can choose life paths for others. Our past and future are not really under our control in that we can neither go back nor go forward precisely as we wish. Therefore, serious struggles with past life events for which we cannot go back is not fruitful. We do not know about our future, either.
Read verse 16 again. Jesus said, "You did not choose me but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." Jesus chose us. Why? Jesus wants us to go. Go where? Go to heaven? No, go to this world where God puts us. Jesus wants us to bear fruit in this life. Jesus wants us to do what we can. Jesus expects us to do what is within our control. God has given us the gift of time. Some live a very short life (perhaps only 2 or 3 years), some live much longer. With this gift of time, we all choose to live and grow up. What do we do with this life? Our life fruit demonstrates who we are. We start from who we are and where we are.
Look at verse 17: "This is my command: Love each other." Jesus again reminded his disciples to “Love each other." Jesus does not demand us to love the whole world. Jesus' command is to love each other. Jesus commands us to love those whom we know. Delivering message to the Toledo UBF leaders who have known me for years is challenging. One refreshing work I do is to read 10-15 articles related to each week’s message. So allow me to share one thing I learn from this weekly routine. John M. Gottman, a prominent psychologist, studied about more than 3,000 couples over the years. These are some of his important findings about loving each other:
(1) Most couples fight about nothing. This is what he said, “One fight we studied was about a remote control. The couple was watching television, and the man said, “O.K., let me see what’s on”, and he started channel surfing. At one point the woman said, “Wait, leave it on that program, it’s kind of interesting.” He replied, “OK, but first let me see what else is on.” She kept objecting until he finally said, “Fine, here!” and handed her the remote. She bristled and said, “The way you said ‘fine’, that kind of hurt my feelings.” He shot back with, “You’ve always got to have it your way.” Isn’t this representative of the way that many fight for nothing?;
(2) Trivial moments provide opportunities for profound connection. Again this is what John Gottman says, “For example, if you’re giving your little kid a bath and he splashes and you’re impatient, you miss an opportunity to play with him. But if you splash back and you clean up later, you have some fun together and you both get really wet, laugh, and have a beautiful moment. It’s ephemeral—small and even trivial—yet it builds trust and connection. For couples who divorce or who live together unhappily, such small moments of connection are rare.”;
(3) Men need to learn how to embrace their wives’ anger. He continues, “The good news is that embracing your wife’s anger just a little bit can go a long way toward unleashing feelings of appreciation and affection...I consider contempt to be the worst; it destroys relationships because it communicates disgust. Our research also shows that people in contemptuous relationships are more likely to suffer from infectious illness—flue, colds, and so on—than other people. Contempt attacks the immune system; fondness and admiration are the antidotes.”
We just considered the ways people treat “each other”. While people fight for nothing, Jesus gives everything for us. God speaks to us through seemingly trivial, routine and even little moments in our lives. God works through the people who love Christ and engage in the labor of love on our behalf. Thus, we are connected to the Almighty God and find our entrance to the kingdom of God. These “small moments” become glorious points in our lives. How rarely we embrace others’ anger, disappointment, and despair. However, Christ plants his grace, comfort, and hope.
on this Easter Sunday we are reminded of Jesus’ resurrection. He is alive as Lord of lords and King of kings. He is coming to us as our Friend. Because Jesus is our Friend and he is everything to us, we now have reason to dare to be friends to others. We do not promise others more than what we can deliver, but we approach others differently. Our friendship may never perfectly meet the needs of those around us. But because Jesus says, “Love each other as I have loved you”, we do our part. Many of us who are here show their love for others in secret. Nobody knows what we do for others in Jesus’ name. Yet, this is the fruit that will last. In this Easter time, we affirm our special relationship with Jesus as his friends. This Easter we are committed to love each other as Jesus loves us.
April 12, 2009; Dr. Paul Hong; Toledo UBF
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
