John 13 presents an excellent portrait of what it truly means to love.

We hear it sung about all the time, see it in TV shows and movies, and read about it across social media. Each human seems to be born seeking and desiring it and we keep trying to find different ways to fulfill it. 

Jesus, after a meal with His disciples, shows that very fulfillment in a surprising way.

To Him, love is taking on the humble work of a servant and putting the benefit of others above oneself. This is the kind of life Jesus lived and it’s the very same kind of life He wants for His followers. Not to seek a life of domination, status, or self-serving but of self-denial, service, and compassion for the other. 

Imagine such a charge lived out on a wide scale.

Such a lifestyle naturally attracts and draws people in.

Why? Because we all have that itch for greater love, it runs so counter to the cultural narratives that we are presented with day in and day out. We like a good love song, but we love a true display of, well, love!

I encourage you, dear reader, to pray and consider ways you can show this to others.

Maybe that’s picking up garbage on the street or volunteering at a local homeless shelter. Maybe it’s getting involved in local politics or activism. Maybe it’s using the influence you have to bring attention to Christ.

The form varies but the opportunity is always there.

All in all, when we’re speaking of the love Christ lays down, we must realize that we’re talking about something truly powerful. I know it can be easy to see it as nothing more than idealism and little gestures but history shows us much more.

Just the other day, I was watching a video about the Plague of Cyprian which ravaged the Roman Empire in the mid 3rd century. 

The vast majority of those affected were average citizens, people of less than extravagant means, power, or influence. In those days, it wasn’t believed that such people were worth the time and, as a result, many of them were left to suffer in agony. 

That was until a fringe group of eccentrics got to them. 

These people were thought eccentric because of their beliefs. That being their belief that a 1st century Jewish preacher was God incarnate. Put this on top of their commitment to the poor, impoverished, and marginalized and you have something quite contrary to the values championed by the Empire at large.

They weren’t taken seriously for these reasons but that didn’t matter to them. They saw people who were in need and they responded accordingly.

As a result, a revolution occurred. 

Those who had, historically, received no help from the Empire were receiving medical aid and welfare. But it wasn’t coming from the Emperor, it was coming from the Christians.

To them, the very fact that these men and women were human made them worthy enough to help and to love.

And it didn’t matter that they were sick. It didn’t matter that they were contagious. They needed help. Their feet needed to be washed. 

The Church knew the example of their Rabbi well.

As the years pressed on, the Christians didn’t let up in their care for the poor and sick. And it was from them that the first hospital would be founded. This eventually led to a movement that would result in the birth of the medical field as we know it today.

The charity and mercy of the early Christians became the root of common welfare, something so common today that we don’t even think about it.

But the value of those in need wasn’t always a given. It took movements of love such as these over a long period of time to transform the public consciousness. And in the end, this display of love proved so extreme, so attractive, so lowly, that the people who saw it couldn’t ignore it.

It was the best darn “advertising” they had ever seen.

The Beatles were dead right when they sang “All You Need is Love” and there’s no better and more motivating example of it than the God of the universe taking on the clothes of a servant, getting on the dirty floor, and washing the feet of the entire human race.

All the power we need is there.

Thanks for reading and may we continue in Christ’s beautiful legacy of love together.

For now, be blessed.

Jon

Theophilus Newsletter

Video of the Day

Everyday we will include the short of the day, related to the topic of the newsletter. Today: Is footwashing about the act or the heart?

What Subscribers are Saying: