5-5-24 “The First and Last Command of Christ”

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“The First and Last Command of Christ”

I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: A young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. Now what should he do? His mother had an idea: “Why don’t you send her flowers, and on the card, invite her to your place for a home-cooked meal?” He thought this was a great idea and arranged a date for a week later. His mother called the day after the big date to see how things had gone. “The evening was a disaster,” he moaned. “Why? Didn’t she come over?” asked his mother. “Oh, she came over, but she refused to cook.”

What was wrong with the young man? He didn’t know how to express his love to her. If you love someone, you have to show them your love. Love is not merely an abstract word but a certain and active attitude.

Dear beloved congregation, as we gather together this morning, we’re reminded of the profound and enduring love that our Lord Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us. In the scripture we have just read from the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks to his disciples about the importance of love−love that is rooted in the love of God the Father, love that is unconditional and sacrificial, and love that binds us together as friends of Christ.

I do appreciate the description of love in the scripture 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7. I believe it is the best description of love. It says, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It’s an amazing description of what love looks like. On the other hand, it seems difficult to maintain that love. However, love can be learned naturally as we experience love from others. For example, if a baby is raised in a family that loves each other, the baby grows in love just as much as their physical body grows. We, as Christians, are born from God, who is love itself. And those who are born from God know love because we are born to receive love and to give love.

Today, I want to reflect with you on the significance of this message of love, which is Jesus’ first and last command. The passage is Jesus’ farewell massage to his disciples after he washed the feet of his disciples. He had already taught his disciples that the first and second commandment of God is “love” when a law-teacher asked him, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). And, after the last supper and washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus still emphasizes, “love God and love one another” as his last wish to his disciples. Jesus loved his disciples until the end of his life, and even more so, after his ascension to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit in order to care and love his people. The disciples who have received his love could love God and love one another. The First Letter of John says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  Jesus says, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” which means that the whole Bible speaks about the love of God and loving our neighbors. We trust in the Bible as the Word of God and trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. If we were to summarize the essence of the Bible in one word, it would be “love.”

So, we should follow his first and last command. And what is his command? Simply this: to love one another as he has loved us. As we love one another, people may know we are disciples of Jesus. Yes, we are Christians. This is not a passive love, but an active and vibrant love that calls us to action. Jesus tells us that if we keep his commands, we will remain in his love.

The greatest love Jesus has shown is to forgive our sins while we were still sinners, even when we didn’t know about him yet. Before we fully understood God’s love, God showed us his love by sending his only Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). What other love can compare to God’s love?

We wonder how we can pay it forward. Here is an example to gain a better understanding of God’s love from the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-35. Once upon a time, in a town, there was  a man who had a lot of debts to repay to an elder. The debts were much more than everything he owned, and even if he sold his wife and children, it still wouldn’t be enough to pay it back. However, one day, the elder asked him to repay the debt within a few days. He fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.” And the elder took mercy on him, canceled the debt, and let him go free.

A few days later, he met his friend who owed him a small amount of money. He asked and forced his friend to repay it. His friend begged him to be patient and give him more time, but he refused and put him into prison. Then, the elder who forgave and canceled his debt heard what happened with him and his friend. He called him and said, “I canceled your debt because you begged me, but you put your friend into prison without forgiveness or mercy. Now repay all your debts to me. Otherwise, you will be thrown into prison.”

Likewise, while we received forgiveness of our sins, what if we cannot forgive others? We recite the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, saying, “Forgive us our trespass, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The word “trespass” can be translated to “debt,” meaning, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” What if we cannot forgive our debtors? Might God not forgive our sins?

Which church is the good church? Is it the church where the pastor preaches good sermons? Is it the church with numerous members and attendees at Sunday service? It’s simple. The good church is the one that loves God and loves one another as Jesus commanded. Let us go forth from this place, empowered by the love of Christ, to love one another as he has loved us. Let us be agents of change and instruments of peace in a world that is longing for love. And let us take comfort in the promise that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus, the Father will give us. May the love of God abide in us always, and may our joy be complete as we abide in his love. Thanks be to God. Amen!