Love One Another

Talk about love
how it makes life complete
You can talk all you want
make it sound nice and sweet,
But the words have an empty ring,
and they don't really mean a thing,
Without Him love is not to be found;
not to be found.

Originally written by Ralph Carmichael for the 1969 Christian musical “Tell it like it is”, “Love is surrender” became a popular hit when it was recorded by The Carpenters… with a slight word change. Instead of the line “Without Him love is not to be found”—a clear reference to God in its original musical context, The Carpenters sang “Without love you are not to be found”—“Without love you are not to be found”. It was a small change, but a momentous one. Suddenly, the focus of the song shifted from God, the giver of love, to us, the finders of love. And that small, but significant shift, is something that we tend to do automatically when we read the very familiar words of today’s Gospel reading:

13:34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

Whenever we come across these words, almost invariably, it is the words “love one another” that we emphasise; and there’s no doubt that they are important words, but they would be almost meaningless without the other part of that new instruction, “as I have loved you”—“as I have loved you”.

This reading is part of the Gospel of John’s very extensive farewell discourses given by Jesus at the “last supper”. Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, predicted his betrayal and begun to talk about “going away” and the “glorification of the ‘Son of man’” and of God in that human one: “love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Almost immediately, Peter promises to lay down his life for Jesus and Jesus predicts Peter’s denial. Then Jesus spends a long time assuring the disciples of God’s presence, God’s peace and God’s leading into the future even when he is not there.

13:34 … love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Love one another—just as I have loved you. The love of which Jesus speaks is not an airy-fairy, insipid, feel-good, emotional experience. It is grounded in his very person, in his very being, in his life, death and resurrection, and the promises of God fulfilled in that journey. The love of which Jesus speaks is not one that does everything that others think should be done or left done—Peter didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet at all; nor is it a love that conforms to the slightest whim—it wasn’t because Peter changed his mind, that Jesus washed Peter’s feet. The love of which Jesus speaks is firmly grounded in the presence and purpose of God. This love is not a giving up, or a giving in, but a giving for the sake of God’s world. It speaks of purpose and direction, of hope and of reason to live, to be, to exist.

The title of that pop song “Love is surrender” was always a problem. When surrender means giving up all responsibility and forfeiting all commitment, love is not to be found. When surrender means waving a “white flag” because we simply don’t have the energy to fight anymore, love is not to be found. When surrender means a “giving for” (a rendering towards) the presence and purpose of God, then the love of God has been discovered and we have been enfolded within it. “For love is surrender to [God’s] will.”

The type of loving to which Jesus calls the disciples, to which Jesus calls us, is the type of love embodied in his very person. It is an acceptance of the presence and purpose of God in the life of the world; and it is only because of God’s love, that we are enabled to love one another, as God as loved us.

Sing about love
and the strength it can give
You can sing how you're ready
to face life and live,
But you know as the days go by
that no matter how hard you try,
Without God love is not to be found;
not to be found.

God has given us, rendered towards us, the very gift and promise of new life in Christ. The only response that is required of us is our honouring of that gift as we pray that God will work through us to make that promise known and real throughout the whole of God’s creation.

13:34 … love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."