John 13:31-35 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
“Going Home: Home Is Where the Heart Is”
Easter 5 Sunday, May 12, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples on the evening when he would later be betrayed, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” And we could easily look at that command and say, “Love is nothing new.” It is not a new concept; it is not a new idea. People have been loving others really as long as people have been living. Our First Lesson today (1 Samuel 20:12-17) spoke about a loving friendship that existed centuries before Jesus spoke that new command to his disciples. So it is a least a bit surprising that Jesus would describe love this way. This morning we are taking a closer look at this command of Jesus and the context in which he speaks it. As it is a part of our “Going Home” Series, we will also note how it connects to both Jesus rising from the dead on Easter and his ascending into heaven. And ultimately, we will note that love in the deepest and truest sense is found first in Jesus and then in those that follow him. That love that his disciples show demonstrates their connection to the Savior. It illustrates that we follow in his footsteps, and it finally points to our true home in heaven. Therefore we say, “Home is where the heart is.” Our lesson sets the context for us in just the first few words, “After Judas left.” This lesson is part of a lengthy retelling by John of many of the conversations that Jesus had with his disciples on the evening when he would be betrayed, Maundy Thursday. Jesus had revealed to all of the disciples that one from among them would be his betrayer, and he had ultimately revealed that it was Judas, though not all the disciples understood what he was saying. Judas had left the room where Jesus and the disciples were gathered to celebrate the Passover in order that he might carry out his nefarious plan. And so, when our text sets the scene with “After Judas left,” it is telling us that the betrayal is coming close, that even as Jesus goes on to speak with the other disciples, the plans to capture him are reaching their conclusion. And knowing what was about to happen, Jesus explains, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.” It seems like such a contradiction, but it is not. Jesus would be glorified by allowing himself to be betrayed and arrested. He would be glorified by being put on trial and condemned. He would be glorified by being crucified and killed. Knowing what was going to happen, Jesus told his disciples, “Dear children, I am going to be with you only a little longer… Where I am going you cannot come.” This sounds like a contradiction because it doesn’t sound like glory, it sounds like defeat. Being betrayed and arrested and executed sounds like loss. But all of this is to the glory of Jesus because this is what he had determined to do. It was to his glory because it was out of love and for the sake of those he loves. It was to his glory because it was carrying out the will of his heavenly Father and ours, because it was defined by love, because it was done to take away our sins and the sins of the whole world. And finally, all these events concluded with a powerful indication of that true glory. Jesus did not stay dead. He came out of the tomb alive. He appeared to his disciples and to many others. And he blessed them and ascended to heaven to take the position of glory and power and authority that the Bible describes as the right hand of God. And yes, Jesus says in these verses that his disciples cannot go with him. They will lose sight of him for a time. Later he reminds them that even though they couldn’t go with him at that time, ultimately they would. They would follow after him. They would finish their earthly struggles and all the difficult things that seem and feel like defeat, and then they would come to be with him in glory, heavenly glory. That is what Jesus was accomplishing for them and for all who would believe in him. That is what he was accomplishing for you and for me: the forgiveness of sins and along with forgiveness, eternal life and salvation. Jesus was loving his disciples, loving a world of sinners, in the deepest and most profound way. He was sacrificing himself for them, for us. He was giving us what we needed most and could find in no other place and in no other way than by his sacrifice.