Acts 14:21-27; Ap 21:1-5; Jn 13:31-35
In 1336 BC Alexander the great began his conquest of
the world. It was his dream to conquer India, the land of legends.
With his army he marched towards India and reached the city of
Multan. Alexander saw that the city was well fortified. He was
not ready to give up. He led the assault against the city of
Multan. He climbed the fortress and ascended on the top of the city
walls. Below he saw a large army aiming their poisoned arrows at him. He did
not wait. He jumped into their midst. Two of his soldiers followed him.
The great leader of war led from the front and his soldiers followed him.
History presents a few examples of such heroic men who led from the front
and others followed him. We do not see any leader other than Jesus
admonishing his followers to imitate him. Jesus told his apostles, “love
one another as I have loved you.”
God has been preparing his chosen race to accept
the new order. Moses was taken to mount Sinai and given
10 commandments. These admonitions were new to the Israelites. They were
different from the practice of the world where they came from. And for
them the commandments gave a revolutionary concept. God continued to
refine them through the teaching of the prophets. And that process reached its
culmination in Jesus. Jesus repealed the old laws and commandments
and replaced them with new ones. The basis of the new law was his
own life. The greatest commandment ever given is “Love one another as I
have loved you.” The love that Jesus showed was different from the one
that they had experienced. His love was sacrificial. Love becomes meaningful
only when its demands for sacrifice are accepted.
Edwards VIII ascended the throne of the British Empire
after the death of his father. But his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, a
divorced American Socialite, led to a constitutional crisis in British Empire.
Religious, legal, political and moral objections were raised.
Mrs Simpson was perceived to be an unsuitable consort to him. But king
Edward was not ready to give up his love for the throne. The conservative
leaders and people were unwilling for any compromise. Edward abdicated his
throne for the realization of his love.
Jesus’ love for the humanity is characterized by great
sacrifices. He left his immortal and radiant form and assumed mortal body and
came down to earth. On earth he experienced rejection and persecution. He
accepted even crucifixion to show his love for his people. And Jesus told
his disciples “love one another as I have loved you.”
When Jesus tells us “love one another as I have loved
you” our love too should be ready to accept sacrifices for the sake of our
love. We should be able to sacrifice our ego. We should be able to
sacrifice our comforts. We should be willing to sacrifice our likes
and dislikes. We should be able to sacrifice our choices. Mother Theresa accepted
the hardships of Calcutta to bring consolation to the orphans of
Calcutta. Gandhiji gave up the comforts of life for the liberation of
millions of Indians. We can also follow such examples and do little
sacrifices in our daily life in order to realize the glimpses of God’s love in
our life.
Secondly, Jesus’ love is full of understanding. He
knew his disciples through and through. He knew that the disciples would
flee at the moment of his trial. He knew that they would disperse
after his death. But he understood the circumstances which made them react
in such a manner. The understanding that was seen in the early Christian
communities made them unique. Tertullian, a great Christian writer
and leader from North Africa in the second century, gave an account of a mass
turning to Christ. What prompted them to do it was the life of the
early Christian communities. Unlike their hate-dominated clubs and
societies they saw the emergence of a strikingly different community with
unusual love and understanding. This experience attracted them to accept
Christian life.
Thirdly, Jesus’ love is forgiving. He told Peter that he
would deny him three times before the cock crew. But Jesus was ready to forgive
Peter. When the people brought the woman caught in adultery to be
stoned, she felt secure before the forgiving eyes of Jesus. She felt
reassured of God’s love and forgiveness. Even on the cross Jesus promised
paradise to the repentant thief and prayed for those who crucified him. Never
has there been a concrete realization of such a forgiving love. When Jesus gave
the new commandment of love to his disciples, He expects the same
forgiving love from each one of us.
Satish