3-21-14 Loving Unconditionally and Faithfully

31When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him,^c God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13:31-38)

Thoughts: For Jesus, the glorification of God was equivalent with his Passion and crucifixion.  One of his last commands was to love each other as He loves- giving His life for them.  His love was selfless, sacrificial, unconditional.  Leviticus had the old command to love neighbor as self.  But Jesus gives us a command to go beyond love of self- to sacrificial- selfless love.
      Peter has good intentions that he would follow Christ anywhere, but really he was fickle.  When confronted with his own possible arrest he would claim that he did not know Jesus.  Too many times, we have good intentions to be faithful, but we do not follow through.  Our hopes are that our love for God will be unconditional and faithful as His love toward us is unconditional and faithful.  

Prayer: Lord, may my love for you never fail.  May I not put conditions or my own safety as a part of love for you.