It is easy for those who truly know God’s love to love others. On the other hand, it is impossible for one to love others if he has not experienced the love of God. This is why Jesus told His followers that love is the evidence of being a Jesus disciple.
Your relationship with God is on full display by your ability – or otherwise – to love others. It does not matter what your religious title is, Bishop, Pope Pastor, Archbishop. If loving others is a struggle for you, you are not a Christian, period. You have no evidence of being a Jesus disciple.
This is why, as He was preparing to return to Heaven, He gave them a new commandment. And what is that commandment? Love. He charged them to love one another as He had loved them. It is almost mathematical.
In equal proportions to how much He has loved you, go and love others. It is that simple. The hymn writer was probably had an insight into this equation. He must have had this in mind when he wrote: “those who most have been forgiven have most of love.”
A Tough Evidence Of Being A Jesus Disciple
However, that does not mean it is easy. If you doubt that, ask any faithful follower of Jesus. Loving others is tough and the only way to do it is to submit to the Pastor from heaven. Constantly. His name is the Holy Spirit. Only He can take that which belongs to Jesus and help you appropriate it, in this case, love.
Please note that we are speaking here of the Jesus-type of love. Not the mandatory family love, which is no longer mandatory anyway. And most definitely, we are not speaking of the fleeting love usually based on lust. The evidence of being a Jesus Disciple is the Jesus-type of love.
Loving with the Jesus-love is very tough. Particularly those we would consider as ‘others’ – other people groups, or different from us in some other way. And we are quite expert are ‘otherizing’ people. We are from a different social class, economic class, educational background, the other side of the track, gender, race, etc.
Or it could be religious differences. And yet, Jesus loved us even though to Him, we are the most ‘others.’ Because a sinful man is as different from Jesus as it can get. And still, He came to rescue us. That is precisely what qualifies Him to charge us to love others who are different from us.
He declares that if you love only those who love you, that is not true love. Or, to quote Jesus, it is no credit to you. “For even sinners love those who love them.” Ouch! You could still be a sinner if your loved ones are those who love you back. That is not evidence of being a Jesus disciple.
Loving Others Just As Jesus Loved Us Is Tough
Which of us can give his life for another the way Jesus did for us? And yet, this is the love that God demonstrated to us on the cross. While we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. Many of us cannot even give up our lunch for another or our comfort, or home or whatever.
And yet, we hear Jesus say we must love as He had loved us. Impossible, I hear you saying. Should we therefore give up on this evidence of being a Jesus disciple? God forbid! After all, we are followers of Jesus and from that, there is no turning back.
Impossibility can become possible with the Holy Spirit. As we stay close o Him, we start to develop and demonstrate the evidence of being a Jesus Disciple. People who meet us will know that we have met Jesus. They will see clearly that we have decided to follow Him to the end.
Only One Evidence Of Being A Jesus Disciple.
Unfortunately for us, love is the one and only evidence of being a Jesus disciple. I cannot speak for you but I know that I have often wished there was another evidence. Could Jesus not have tied the evidence to our giving? That would have been so much easier. Give your money but keep your love.
Without a doubt, you chuckle at that last part because it reminds you of most charitable organizations. They don’t care when you are in need unless they can use you for fundraising activities. Unless they can claim you in their annual do-gooder reports, you do not exist. You can have their funds as long as you do not ask for their love.
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Jesus must have known that is why He did not link discipleship to doing good. The bible says they travel land and to win one proselyte. And then, because there is no love, that disciple soon becomes twice as much a son of hell as themselves.
Going Forward
Turning back from following Jesus is not an option, as we have already established. Even with the support of the Holy Spirit, many of us still struggle to love, especially ‘others.’ What can we do? Particularly since Jesus needs us to show to others that we are His disciples? Jesus wants us to show the evidence of being His disciples in hopes it will attract others.
That we are not attracting others to Jesus is very sadly evident. What can we do not to fail our master and Savior? Our first step is to acknowledge our sin. We can no more justify slavery than the Romans can justify killing Christians for sport. We have not loved God as we ought to and we need to be sincere enough to tell God.
Next, we ask for forgiveness. And then acknowledge that in ourselves, we cannot love like Jesus. You, of course, know what follows such recognition of failure or incapability. Yes, you ask for help. Then thank God for the anticipated support. Go out and demonstrate the evidence of being a Jesus disciple. love someone, one who is not in your regular circle of love.
Maranatha!
