Dear to the Lord – John 13:31-35

A text – John 13:31-35

31 When he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A reflection:

This scene takes place at the last supper. Judas is the man who “had gone out” in verse 31. Instead of turning to his disciples and commenting on (or even answering potential questions about) Judas, Jesus turns his attention to the Father and the glory they have shared and will share.

Then Jesus addresses his disciples. I always love it when Jesus calls his disciples “Little children.” I don’t know what expression he used in Aramaic or Hebrew, but this “little children” phrase is a term of endearment in modern Greek. People say it among their good friends out for an evening: “Little children, where shall we go for dinner?” Kids will say to their parents, “Little children, when are we leaving for Grandma’s?” All people in our group become pethia (kids) or pethaiki (little kids) or pethaikimou (my little kids). It is a term of closeness, not belittlement or condescension. Jesus loves these disciples and wants to reassure them, as if to say that things are about to change in a big way, and they’ll feel different, but his love and cherishing of them will always remain.

We are each dear to the Lord, and Jesus says we are to be dear to one another, too. We are each beloved of the Lord. It is hard to remember that when we have just been the butt of a joke, when injustice had been visited on us, when what we did not want to happen has come about. We feel betrayed and abandoned. But – WE ARE NOT. We are beloved of the Lord, and our fellow disciples are, too. Show love to others, Jesus says, and they will know that you are followers of Christ. The key is showing love. Just as by serving others (like Jesus washing feet) people will know that you are a follower of Christ.

Now and then it is good to be reminded of Jesus’s instructions to serve and to love one another. When we do, we are living out, embodying our faith in the One we follow.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for all the ways you served your disciples and the poorest of the poor, the blind, the lame, and the hopeless. Help us to remember that not everyone will love and serve, but that we should because we follow you. Amen.