And none of these men, not even Judas, would demean himself by stooping to perform this menial task reserved for slaves.
Among them was one of such despicable character that he had already arranged to betray his Master. Luke tells us that in this very context the disciples were arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Their feet were dirty, and their host had failed to provide a slave to wash them in the customary manner before the meal. Jesus and His disciples had walked from Bethany to the room where they would celebrate the Passover. John provides us with the context of Jesus’ great command in chapter 13:1-17 of his gospel. Jesus’ words were not spoken in a vacuum, and before He initiated the commandment, He illustrated it in a most startling manner. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Hence, we must again look elsewhere for the newness of our Lord’s new commandment.īut if Christ were simply reaffirming the Old Testament norm, why did he (indeed, how could he) speak of a new command? The answer to the question lies in His words, “ as I have loved you.” When He spoke to his disciples in the upper room that night, He said: “ A new command I give you: love one another. I am the Lord your God.” Furthermore, in John 13:34, Jesus’ immediate concern is specifically for His followers’ love for one another. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. But Christ’s most stringent declarations are in perfect keeping with the spirit of Leviticus 19:34 which says: “ The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. They would point to the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and Jesus’ command to “ love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) to prove that He was broadening the Old Testament law of neighbor-love. Nevertheless, some have suggested that the newness of Jesus’ love-command resides in His redefinition of who our neighbor is and His extension of the scope of the command. Second, in the Old Testament this command entailed loving even people who were outside of the covenant community. So, when Jesus calls His command to love one another “new,” He was not even remotely suggesting that the Old Testament did not teach such a standard. For instance, in Leviticus 19:18, the Lord says: “ Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus knew this passage, quoted it frequently, and considered it to be an absolutely essential declaration of the Old Testament Scriptures (Matthew 22:36-40). First, the love-command is clearly set forth in the Old Testament.
Two observations will help us in that regard. But what did Jesus mean? How could this command be called new? Was He suggesting that the Old Testament saints had not been commanded to love? Was he establishing a new standard of behavior for New Testament believers? What are we to make of our Savior’s monumental directive?Īs we consider this commandment, it will be useful to understand what Jesus did not mean. He will momentarily inaugurate the new memorial meal, the Lord’s Supper, a new sacrament for the new covenant, but not before speaking this great word, this new commandment.
Christ had just partaken of the last Passover feast, that old covenant shadow and sacrament, the significance of which was about to be transcended by His work on the cross. On the night that our Lord was betrayed, just after celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples and just before instituting the Lord’s Supper, He turned to His friends and said: “ A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV).
0 kommentar(er)
