A Fresh Look at the New Commandment

As Yeshua taught His disciples, He gave them instructions and directions as to how they should live. He brought light and understanding to Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Old Testament. However, there is only one time when it is recorded that He was giving them a brand new commandment. The Apostle John records it for us.  “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). A new commandment to love? Aren't we instructed to love God with all of our hearts five times in Deuteronomy and again in Joshua (Deut. 6:5, 10:12, 11:13, 13:3, 30:6 & Josh. 22:5). Matthew records this as the primary, all encompassing command and adds Lev. 19:18, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD" as the second part of the commandment. Isn't it pretty clear that God has commanded us to love Him and others? This command is indeed different. It might be that we have overlooked the addition of a few words. It may also be that this new commandment has a greater impact on loving God than we ever realized.

The simple phrase, "as I have loved you" is what makes this a new commandment. After three years of following Messiah, the disciples had seen first hand what it was to really love. There was contact with the woman with the issue of blood (Matt. 9:20), the ten lepers (Luke 17:12), the demon-possessed  man in the tombs at Gerasenes (Mark 5:15). All people to be avoided. All people who were unclean. All people who needed God's love. And let us not forget that woman at the well in Samaria. The list goes on and on. Messiah went to, and demonstrated love and compassion to, the most unlikely folks you could meet. God's love on display wrapped in human flesh. The command had always been there; the flesh and blood, living illustration, had not. Now if we ever have a question what it means to love our neighbor or one another, all we have to do is look to the Gospel records and see how Messiah loved. We now know how to love one another.

I believe there is more here than we might first recognize. It goes with the command to love God which encompasses loving my neighbor. There is some amazing truth in 1 John 4:20, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" John suggests that to comprehend how to love God I must first love my brother. It is easy to say we love the invisible, physically intangible God because it costs us nothing. The way I know how to love and to sacrifice for God is to, well, practice on humans. We actually learn how to be loving toward God by being loving toward one another first. Maybe we have had the "Loving God" thing a little backwards. To truly show our love for God we must demonstrate that love to His creation, meaning our brothers and sisters who share this planet. 

Many of us have felt the warmth and tenderness that comes from our spouse or a close friend. We may likewise have had a similar experience from the Spirit of God. We understand that warmth and love in Him we cannot see by sharing that experience with those we can see. The ones we call our "loved ones". It really is vital to develop loving relationships with people in order to understand the love we share with the Lord. I know we need to keep God first and to love Him with all of our hearts but maybe the expression of that love for Him is wrapped up in the compassion and tenderness we show to "the least of these". 

This new commandment that Jesus spoke of is one that has remarkable ramifications. It is tied to the example He lived out for us. To love one another is actually to know how to love God. Learning to love Him is woven into my love for people. For those irritating, demanding, flesh and blood beings that surround me. For if I do not learn to love them, I do not learn to love God either. I may say I do; however, the reality of life around me will expose what I really know of loving God. 

Something to consider next time the overwhelmed Hassidic mom is in front of you at Walmart and wants to argue the price over every other toddler outfit in her cart. Ahh, so this is how I love God.