João 13
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 13
Barclay - In its positive form katharos, an adjective meaning pure is commonly used in housing contracts to describe a house that is left clean and in good condition. But its most suggestive use is that katharos is used of that ceremonial cleanness which entitles a man to approach his gods. Impurity, then, is that which makes a man unfit to come before God, the soiling of life with the things which separate us from him. Katharos "originally simply meant clean as opposed to soiled or dirty. Later it came to have certain most suggestive uses. It was used of corn that has been winnowed and cleansed of all chaff. It was used of an army which had been purified of all cowardly and undisciplined soldiers until there was nothing left but first-class fighting men. It was used of something which was without any debasing admixture. So, then, a pure heart (as in 2Ti 2:22+) is a heart whose motives are absolutely pure and absolutely unmixed. In the heart of the Christian thinker there is no desire to show how clever he is, no desire to win a purely debating victory, no desire to show up the ignorance of his opponent. His only desire is to help and to illumine and to lead nearer to God. The Christian thinker is moved only by love of truth and love for men. (Galatians 5 Commentary) Katharos - 22v - clean(12), clear(3), innocent(1), pure(10). Matt. 5:8; Matt. 23:26; Matt. 27:59; Lk. 11:41; Jn. 13:10; Jn. 13:11; Jn. 15:3; Acts 18:6; Acts 20:26; Rom. 14:20; 1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:22; Tit. 1:15; Heb. 10:22; Jas. 1:27; Rev. 15:6; Rev. 19:8; Rev. 19:14; Rev. 21:18; Rev. 21:21 Dictionary of Biblical Imagery - The Washing of Christ’s Work. The ending of all physical and sacramental washings is located in the work of Christ (Jn 1:20; Acts 22:16; Heb 9:6–14; 10:1–22; 1 Jn 1:7, 9). Through his work, believers are “bathed” once and for all (Jn 13:10; 1 Cor 6:11; Heb 10:10) when the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5) and the Word of God (1 Pet 1:2–3, 22–23) gives them divine life and forgiveness. The work of the Spirit and the Word of God also includes renewing life in the process of developing increasing levels of holiness (Rom 12:1–2; 2 Cor 3:18; Eph 5:26; Tit 3:5–9). The initial washing or bathing at the time of new birth is followed by daily “root washings” (see Jn 13:8–10). As priests in the Mosaic covenant had to be bathed to procure forgiveness and continued fellowship and ministry (Ps 132:9; Heb 7:27–28), so must the believer—priest of the new covenant (1 Pet 2:9–11). The Spirit indicates points of uncleanness that need to be cleansed (2 Cor 7:10) to permit uninterrupted fellowship with the Savior and continued ministry and growth (1 Jn 1:7–9). The final statements on the sacramental and symbolic uses of washing are recorded by John in Revelation 7:14 and 22:14. Blood, a highly stain-producing substance, is used to wash the robes of tribulation saints and make them white. This blood is not that of sacrificial animals, which was washed out of priestly garments (Lev 6:27), but of the ultimate Lamb of God (1 Pet 1:19), who frees us from our sins (Rev 1:5). “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14NIV). (BORROW - see page 1110) J J Knap - The Loins Girded - Ye are Clean, But Not All John 13:10 In the warm East the foot-bath was an instituted necessity of life. Once someone had bathed and went on his way, the foot, that was not covered with a shoe like we do, but only protected with a sandal, was soon soiled again. Hence the practice to wash the feet before entering a house. This was the work of a lowly servant, but since such a one was not available in the Passover room and none of the apostle even thought of offering this service to the others, Jesus, to make them ashamed, put off His upper garment, girded Himself with the linen cloth of the slave, poured water in the basin, and washed the feet of His disciples,—He was in the midst of them like One who served. It is this double meaning that Jesus referred to in the words of our day’s text. Whoever had washed or bathed once, had no need but to wash the soiled feet, to be completely clean. He applied this to the spiritual, and wanted to say with it that whoever rested believingly in the completed work of Christ, would be completely righteous before God, because He no longer would see him as he was in himself, but as he was accounted in Christ. Completely clean or perfect in Christ,—yea, but in ourselves still stained by sin, so that we need the daily cleansing and forgiveness. It is this continuing cleansing that is represented by the washing of the feet. The Messiah took this upon Himself; He takes away from us what does not please Him, He clears us of the blemishes that disgrace us, and so He forms us for heaven where nothing shall enter that is unclean or abominable. However, let us seriously question ourselves whether He, after looking around the circle, must also say of us: “Ye are clean,… but not all!” Oh, no Judas has to be present in our midst to bring forth this word of accusation from Him. Rather, without being a traitor, he who remains in the unbelief of his heart out of the communion with Christ, must apply to himself: “Ye are clean,… but not all!” What compassion that Jesus still did keep the name of Judas hidden and that He uttered His accusation in such a way that it entered deeply into the conscience of the guilty one without putting him to shame in public. This merciful grace should encourage him who has to whisper: Jesus means me when He says, “but not all.” Let him come as an unclean one to Christ and seek the cleansing of his sins at the feet of the cross. He shall experience that the Lord shall not reject him, but shall wash him not only the feet, but also the hands and the head, above all, however, the soiled heart, and in this way make him part of Himself, part also of the salvation He has earned for unclean sinners. Statham - I never understood the full meaning of our Lord’s words in John 13:10, until I beheld the better sort of East Indian natives return home after performing their customary ablutions. The passage reads thus, “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Thus as they return to their habitations barefoot, they necessarily contract in their progress some portion of dirt on their feet; and this is universally the case, however nigh their dwellings may be to the riverside. When, therefore, they return, the first thing they do is to mount a low stool, and pour a small vessel of water to cleanse them from the soil which they may have contracted on their journey homewards; if they are of the higher class of society, a servant performs it for them, and then they are “clean every whit.” Does not this in a figure represent to us the defilement which a Christian contracts, although he may have been cleansed by faith in a crucified Saviour; and the necessity of a continual application of the precious blood of atonement, in order that the soul may be “clean every whit”? John 13:11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean." John 13:11 CLICK HERE TO READ PASSAGE IN OVER 60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS Jn 13:18,21,26 2:25 6:64-71 17:12 Mt 26:24,25 Related Passages: Matthew 26:24-25 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him (PREDICTED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT); but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” 25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself.” JESUS NOT SURPRISED BY THE BETRAYER For (gar) is a term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining? In context He explains why he had said, "you are clean, but not all."
João 13
Barclay - How did Jesus love his disciples? (1) He loved his disciples selflessly. Even in the noblest human love, there remains some element of self. We so often think—maybe unconsciously—of what we are to get. We think of the happiness we will receive, or of the loneliness we will suffer if love fails or is denied. So often we are thinking, what will this love do for me? So often at the back of things it is our happiness that we are seeking. But Jesus never thought of himself. His one desire was to give himself and all he had for those he loved. (2) Jesus loved his disciples sacrificially. There was no limit to what his love would give or to where it would go. No demand that could be made upon it was too much. If love meant the cross, Jesus was prepared to go there. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that love is meant to give us happiness. So in the end it does, but love may well bring pain and demand a cross. (3) Jesus loved his disciples understandingly. He knew his disciples through and through. We never really know people until we have lived with them. When we are meeting them only occasionally, we see them at their best. It is when we live with them that we find out their moods and their irritabilities and their weaknesses. Jesus had lived with his disciples day in and day out for many months and knew all that was to be known about them—and he still loved them. Sometimes we say that love is blind. That is not so, for the love that is blind can end in nothing but bleak and utter disillusionment. Real love is open-eyed. It loves, not what it imagines people to be, but what they are. The heart of Jesus is big enough to love us as we are. (4) Jesus loved his disciples forgivingly. Their leader was to deny him. They were all to forsake him in his hour of need. They never really understood him. They were blind and insensitive, slow to learn, and lacking in understanding. In the end, they were miserable cowards. But Jesus held nothing against them; there was no failure which he could not forgive. The love which has not learned to forgive cannot do anything else but shrivel and die. We are poor creatures, and there is a kind of fate in things which makes us hurt most of all those who love us best. For that very reason, all enduring love must be built on forgiveness, for without forgiveness it is bound to die. NETLESS LOVE “A NEW COMMAND I GIVE YOU: LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”—John 13:34 If we are true followers, we, along with those first disciples, have left our nets and followed Christ. As we have seen, as long as we cling to our prized nets, we are going nowhere with Jesus. The pilgrimage of fully devoted followers should be littered with the nets we have dropped along the way. In fact, you can tell where followers have been by the nets they’ve left behind. Following Christ is not only about keeping our eyes on Him in surrender. It is also about the nets of our attitudes and actions toward fellow followers. Scripture teaches us that unity is a primary signature of our followership. Christ intended that our pilgrimage be marked by followers who, hand in hand and arm in arm, form a massive unified movement for Him. Followers are known by their active commitment to loving, encouraging, supporting, and motivating one another on the journey. Christ said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35). In His last prayer, Christ said, “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:19–21). Like misbehaving children in the backseat of the car, the nets of our individualism and self-centered ways often create an ugly scene on the road behind Christ. The nets in our hands—those of pride, arrogance, gossip, slander, critical attitudes, bitterness, and the pursuit of personal agendas at the expense of others—make it impossible to love and walk as one. Yet the netlessness of mutual love is precisely what marks and empowers us as followers before a watching world. Is there a net in the way of your expressed love to a brother or sister? (SEE Joseph Stowell's Strength for the Journey: Day By Day With Jesus - Page 119) QUESTION - What is the new commandment? ANSWER - Jesus revealed the “new commandment” in John 13:34–35, while speaking to His disciples on the night He was betrayed by Judas. He had watched His traitorous disciple leave the dinner table to complete the evil deed. After Judas was gone, Jesus spoke to the remaining eleven: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus had taught the disciples many things during the three years they had been together, but this new commandment was the final one before He was crucified. What would it take to impact the world as He had done? It wouldn’t be their speaking abilities, their miracle-working powers, or their courage. Jesus said the world would be drawn to His message when it saw His followers continuing to love each other. In giving the new commandment, Jesus laid the foundation for the formation of a group of people unique in human history. Jesus created a group identified by one thing: love. Other groups may identify themselves by skin color, by uniform, by shared interests, by adherence to a code of behavior, by alma mater, etc. But the church is unique. For the first and only time in history, Jesus created a group whose identifying factor is love. Followers of Christ are recognized by their love for each other. The new commandment to love one another is one we all need. The disciples had not started out loving each other. They were a mismatched crew of unlikely world-changers: some friends, some relatives, some strangers. They were as rough around the edges, sinful, and selfish as anyone else. But, in the three years that they followed this new Rabbi, they had experienced the love of God as no one ever had before. They came to the realization that this was God come to earth. The love and patience with which He taught them began to change them. He modeled love for them. He demonstrated the compassion and tenderness that God has for mankind—but this was a God that looked nothing like how the Pharisees described Him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly prefaced a teaching by saying, “You have heard it said . . . but I say to you” (Matthew 5:21–38). And He taught about love in a way His hearers had never heard before: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:43–45). When Jesus presented His followers with the new commandment the night before He was crucified, it fit with everything else He had said and done. Though they didn’t understand it at the time, Jesus was telling them that He would not be with them much longer. The love He had poured into them they must now pour into each other if His message was to impact the world after He was gone. They had not been easy to love at first. In fact, there was nothing at all lovable about some of them, such as Matthew the tax collector (Matthew 9:9). But for three years Jesus had shown them that love is not dependent upon the worthiness of the one being loved. God’s love embraces flaws, weaknesses, and outright unworthiness. Jesus demonstrated this unconditional love by washing His disciples’ feet, even those of the one who would betray Him. After performing that most menial of tasks, Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14–15). He exemplified the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Living with this kind of love was the new commandment Jesus gave to everyone who wants to be His disciple (Luke 9:23). GotQuestions.org A Wonderful Explosion As I have loved you, . . . you also love one another. — John 13:34 Today's Scripture & Insight : John 13:31-35 In the book Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis recounts the joy of moving to Uganda and adopting several Ugandan girls. One day, one of her daughters asked, “Mommy, if I let Jesus come into my heart, will I explode?” At first, Katie said no. When Jesus enters our heart, it is a spiritual event. However, after she thought more about the question, Katie explained that when we decide to give our lives and hearts to Jesus “we will explode with love, with compassion, with hurt for those who are hurting, and with joy for those who rejoice.” In essence, knowing Christ results in a deep care for the people in our world. The Bible challenges us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). We can consistently display this loving response because of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. The apostle Paul described it this way, “Having believed [in Christ,] you were sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13). Dear Jesus, help me to experience Your love more deeply so that I can share it with others. Empower me through Your Holy Spirit so that I can glorify You. Love given reflects love received. David Jeremiah -UNCONDITIONAL LOVE JOHN 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Francis of Assisi was terrified of leprosy. And one day, in the narrow path that he was traveling, he saw a leper! Instinctively his heart shrank back, recoiling from the contamination of that loathsome disease. But then he rallied and, ashamed of himself, ran and cast his arms about the sufferer’s neck and kissed him and passed on. How many of us recoil from those who are different? When we meet someone who looks different, belongs to a different class, believes in a different religion, clashes with our personality, or is on a different intellectual level, we automatically withdraw. Rather than looking at these differences as an opportunity to show love, we allow the differences to separate us. When you come in contact with those who are different, how do you respond? Do you reach out with arms of love or do you shrink back? Determine today, with God’s help, to love others unconditionally, accepting their differences. If this seems especially difficult, remember that God loves you unconditionally! There are no restrictions on His love. (Borrow Sanctuary page 294) Matthew Henry on John 13:35 - All true Christians are brethren one to another. As all good ministers, so all good Christians, are brethren one to another, who stand in a near relation and owe a mutual love. Towards God they must be saints, consecrated to his honor and sanctified by his grace, bearing his image and aiming at his glory. And in both these, as saints to God and as brethren to one another, they must be faithful. Faithfulness runs through every character and relation of the Christian life, and is the crown and glory of them all. Faith, hope, and love, are the three principal graces in the Christian life, and proper matter for prayer and thanksgiving. The more we fix our hopes on the reward in the other world, the more free shall we be in doing good with our earthly treasure. It was treasured up for them; no enemy could deprive them of it. The gospel is the word of truth, and we may safely venture our souls upon it. And all who hear the word of the gospel ought to bring forth the fruit of the gospel obey it, and have their principles and lives formed according to it. Worldly love arises, either from views of interest or from likeness in manners; carnal love, from the appetite for pleasure. To these, something corrupt, selfish, and base always cleaves. But Christian love arises from the Holy Spirit, and is full of holiness. Blooming for Jesus A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 Today's Scripture & Insight : John 13:31–35 I wasn’t truthful about the tulips. A gift from my younger daughter, the packaged bulbs traveled home with her to the US from Amsterdam after she visited there. So I made a show of accepting the bulbs with great excitement, as excited as I was to reunite with her. But tulips are my least favorite flower. Many bloom early and fade fast. The July weather, meantime, made it too hot to plant them. Finally, however, in late September, I planted “my daughter’s” bulbs—thinking of her and thus planting them with love. With each turn of the rocky soil, my concern for the bulbs grew. Giving their plant bed a final pat, I offered the bulbs a blessing, “sleep well,” hoping to see blooming tulips in the spring. Whom is God asking you to love, even if that person isn’t your “favorite”? What can you do to show that person more of the love of Christ? Dear Jesus, prune my heart so I can learn to love others in Christ. Overwhelming Concern A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. — John 13:34 Today's Scripture : John 13:31-35 A while ago, I wrote an article about my wife, Marlene, and her struggles with vertigo. When the article appeared, I was unprepared for the tidal wave of response from readers offering encouragement, help, suggestions and, mostly, concern for her well-being. These messages came from all over the world, from people in all walks of life. Expressions of loving concern for my wife poured in to the point where we could not even begin to answer them all. It was overwhelming in the best kind of way to see the body of Christ respond to Marlene’s struggle. We were, and remain, deeply grateful. At its core, this is how the body is supposed to work. Loving concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ becomes the evidence that we have experienced His love. While addressing the disciples at the Last Supper, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples” (John 13:34-35). Bearing people’s heavy burdens, Shouldering their pain and grief, Shows the love of Christ to others, Bringing them His sure relief. —Anon. The height of our love for God is indicated by the depth of our love for one another. —Morley Brother to Brother A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 33:1–11 My brother and I, less than a year apart in age, were quite “competitive” growing up (translation: we fought!). Dad understood. He had brothers. Mom? Not so much. Our story could have fit in the book of Genesis, which might well be subtitled A Brief History of Sibling Rivalry. Cain and Abel (Gen. 4); Isaac and Ishmael (21:8–10); Joseph and everyone not named Benjamin (ch. 37). But for brother-to-brother animosity, it’s hard to beat Jacob and Esau. Esau’s twin brother had cheated him twice, so he wanted to kill Jacob (27:41). Decades later Jacob and Esau would reconcile (ch. 33). But the rivalry continued on in their descendants, who became the nations of Edom and Israel. When the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Edom met them with threats and an army (Num. 20:14–21). Much later, as Jerusalem’s citizens fled invading forces, Edom slaughtered the refugees (Obad. 1:10–14). Happily for us, the Bible contains not just the sad account of our brokenness but the story of God’s redemption as well. Jesus changed everything, telling His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). Then He showed us what that means by dying for us. Lord, we invite You to transform our relationships with Your healing love. Sibling rivalry is natural. God’s love is supernatural. Blooming for Jesus A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 Today's Scripture & Insight : John 13:31–35 I wasn’t truthful about the tulips. A gift from my younger daughter, the packaged bulbs traveled home with her to the US from Amsterdam after she visited there. So I made a show of accepting the bulbs with great excitement, as excited as I was to reunite with her. But tulips are my least favorite flower. Many bloom early and fade fast. The July weather, meantime, made it too hot to plant them. Finally, however, in late September, I planted “my daughter’s” bulbs—thinking of her and thus planting them with love. With each turn of the rocky soil, my concern for the bulbs grew. Giving their plant bed a final pat, I offered the bulbs a blessing, “sleep well,” hoping to see blooming tulips in the spring. Whom is God asking you to love, even if that person isn’t your “favorite”? What can you do to show that person more of the love of Christ? Dear Jesus, prune my heart so I can learn to love others in Christ. Learning How To Love A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. — John 13:34 Today's Scripture : 1 Corinthians 13 Tracy Morrow, who goes by the name of Ice-T, delights in his role as a controversial rap singer whose lyrics are blasphemous and obscene. Yet, inspired by a truce between two violent gangs in Los Angeles, the Crips and the Bloods, he wrote a surprisingly sentimental song, “Gotta Lotta Love.” Orphaned when young, and brought up by relatives who considered him a burden, Ice-T never experienced loving care. “I first found the word love in a gang,” he told an interviewer. “I learned how to love in a gang, not in a family atmosphere.” No matter how little or how warped the love we may have known in childhood, it is never too late for any of us to learn how to love. In God’s sovereignty we may catch a glimpse of love through some individual or a support group (even a gang!). But to learn the full meaning and reality of true love, we need to look at Calvary’s cross. “By this we know love, because [Jesus] laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). The death of Jesus, in all of its sacrificial unselfishness, discloses the heights and depths of love. Unfailing is Christ’s matchless love, So kind, so pure, so true; And those who come to know that love Show love in all they do. —DJD We know how to love when we know how Christ loved us. Knowing and Loving I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. 2 Samuel 9:7 Today's Scripture & Insight : 2 Samuel 9:1–10 In the powerful article “Does My Son Know You?” sportswriter Jonathan Tjarks wrote of his battle with terminal cancer and his desire for others to care well for his wife and young son. The thirty-four-year-old wrote the piece just six months prior to his death. Tjarks, a believer in Jesus whose father had died when he was a young adult, shared Scriptures that speak of care for widows and orphans (Exodus 22:22; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27). And in words directed to his friends, he wrote, “When I see you in heaven, there’s only one thing I’m going to ask—Were you good to my son and my wife? . . . Does my son know you?” King David wondered if there was “anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom [he could] show kindness for [his dear friend] Jonathan’s sake” (2 Samuel 9:1). A son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, who was “lame in both feet” (v. 3) due to an accident (see 2Sa 4:4), was brought to the king. David said to him, “I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table” (2Sa 9:7). David showed loving care for Mephibosheth, and it’s likely that in time the king truly got to know him (see 2Sa 19:24–30). How can you know others more deeply? What will it look like for you to love them the way God loves you? Heavenly Father, help me to honor You by striving to truly know and love others. Love One Another Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. — 1 John 4:7 Today's Scripture : 1 John 4:7-12 Brandon Moody was attending his uncle D. L. Moody’s church on Easter morning. The final scene in the impressive pageant was a depiction of Jesus’ ascension into heaven. The actor who was playing Jesus was being hoisted by stagehands through an opening in the ceiling. But when he was halfway up, they lost their grip and down came the actor—thankfully uninjured. With amazing presence of mind, the actor said to the shocked congregation, “And one more thing. Love one another.” Love was so important to Jesus that He told His disciples shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another . . . . By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). John, known as the disciple whom Jesus loved (and the man who recorded these words of Jesus), wrote much about love in his first letter. Several times in chapter 4, the apostle urged his fellow believers to “love one another” (1 John 4:7,11-12). Lord, when I learn that someone is hurting, Help me know what to do and to say; Speak to my heart and give me compassion, Let Your great love flow through me today. —K. De Haan A little love can make a big difference. The Favorite As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 37:2–4, 17–24 My husband’s brother lives about 1,200 miles away in the mountains of Colorado. Despite the distance, Gerrits has always been a beloved family member because of his great sense of humor and kind heart. As long as I can remember, however, his siblings have good-naturedly joked about his favored status in their mother’s eyes. Several years ago, they even presented him with a T-shirt sporting the words, “I’m Mom’s Favorite.” While we all enjoyed the silliness of our siblings, true favoritism is no joking matter. In Genesis 37, we read about Jacob who gave his son Joseph an ornate coat—an indication to his other children that Joseph was special (v. 3). Without a hint of subtlety, the coat’s message shouted: “Joseph is my favorite son.” Displaying favoritism can be crippling in a family. Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, had favored him over her son Esau, leading to conflict between the two brothers (25:28). The dysfunction was perpetuated when Jacob favored his wife Rachel (Joseph’s mother) over his wife Leah, creating discord and heartache (29:30–31). No doubt this pattern was the unhealthy basis for Joseph’s brothers to despise their younger brother, even plotting his murder (37:18). When have you struggled with showing favoritism? How is God helping you to treat everyone equally? Loving God, as I interact with others help me to avoid showing unhealthy preferences. Help me to see others as You do and to treat everyone fairly and without favoritism. 'I Don't Even Like Her' A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, . . . love one another. — John 13:34 Today's Scripture : John 13:31-35 When Missy started her new job in the factory, she was determined to let her light shine for the Lord. But as soon as she met Louise, her work partner, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Brassy, defensive, and crude, Louise ridiculed everything Missy did. When Missy tried to befriend her and tell her about Jesus, she was rejected. Louise said, “I tried that. It didn’t work.” Missy asked God for help. She opened her Bible to John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.” So Missy kept trying to show love. But all she met was hardness. After a particularly rough day at work, Missy opened her Bible and cried out to God. Again, her eyes fell on John 13:34. “But I don’t even like her!” Missy complained. One day Louise sat beside Missy at break and said, “You’re the only person who cares.” Then she poured out a story of heartache and trouble. Missy put her arms around her and they became friends. Louise attended church with Missy and, after a struggle, opened her heart to Jesus. Lord, may some weary souls find rest Because Your people take them in, And may they see that Your great love Can free them from their guilt and sin. —DJD The people we like the least may need our love the most. John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 CLICK HERE TO READ PASSAGE IN OVER 60 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS Jn 17:21 Ge 13:7,8 Ac 4:32-35 5:12-14 1Jn 2:5,10 3:10-14 4:20,21 Related Passages: 1 John 2:7-11+ Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (THIS LAST VERSE IS A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF JUDAS WHO WOULD FIND OUT WHERE HE WAS GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY -- IN DARKNESS!) 1 John 4:20-21+ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER THE BADGE OF BELIEVERS By this - By what? In this passage the answer precedes (Jn 13:34) and follows. Francis Schaeffer writes "In the midst of the world, in the midst of our present culture, Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon His authority He gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians....we cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.....unless true Christians show observable love to each other, Christ says the world cannot be expected to listen, even when we give proper answers" (Borrow The Mark of a Christian) All men will know (ginosko) that you are My disciples - They will know by experience, by personally interacting with disciples and by watching them interact with one another. See how they love one another! -- Tertullian if you have love (agapao) for one another - Brotherly love is not only an "advertisement" but John notes it is a marker of a genuine disciple. Bob