Loved To The End
Read John 13.
"He loved them to the end." With this phrase, John is telling us that his Gospel is entering the final act. A lot of preachers share a lot of sermons using this phrase just to refer to what happens immediately next (the washing of the disciples' feet), but I believe John means us to see all the rest of his Gospel under this heading. The foot washing, the meal, the teaching, the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion and the resurrection: all of this is Jesus' way of loving his disciples to the end.
When I think of that phrase, two images come to mind. One is of a wife sitting by the bed of her dying husband. It was late in the night (or early in the morning, depending on your perspective) and she was holding his hand. But she was tired, having held vigil for so long, so she dozed off. And I watched from across the room as he, shortly after that, took his last breath and quieted. The struggle was over. As if she knew, she woke up and realized he was gone. "But I was asleep!" she said. "How could I miss that?" As I put my arm around her, I told her I thought he was waiting for that. He loved her to the end; she did likewise. To the very end (and beyond).
But the other image that comes to mind is the story John tells immediately after this phrase. It's about Judas, who is soon (by the end of the chapter) to leave and betray Jesus into the hands of those who want to do him harm. And Jesus even loves Judas to the very end. This one is harder: to love even those who betray you to the end. It's hard to love them past them moment of betrayal. I certainly have never had anything on the level of what Jesus experienced, but there have been times when, at least from my perspective, I have felt betrayed. Betrayal is common enough today. Knowledge shared is used against you. Things you have shared with someone in confidence somehow ends up becoming public knowledge. Spouses betray one another by choosing another. Children turn their backs on the loving support of their parents. I find it difficult enough to forgive betrayal; in fact, I'm not very good at it at all. Yet, I'm told to be like Jesus, and Jesus even loved Judas to the end. He even washed Judas' feet. When he was on the cross, he was dying for Judas—and for all those who have betrayed you or me or him or anyone. That's when loving to the end gets hard for me...and, I would imagine, for you, too.
Jesus loved them to the end. This Lenten season, can we strive for any less than that?
"He loved them to the end." With this phrase, John is telling us that his Gospel is entering the final act. A lot of preachers share a lot of sermons using this phrase just to refer to what happens immediately next (the washing of the disciples' feet), but I believe John means us to see all the rest of his Gospel under this heading. The foot washing, the meal, the teaching, the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion and the resurrection: all of this is Jesus' way of loving his disciples to the end.
When I think of that phrase, two images come to mind. One is of a wife sitting by the bed of her dying husband. It was late in the night (or early in the morning, depending on your perspective) and she was holding his hand. But she was tired, having held vigil for so long, so she dozed off. And I watched from across the room as he, shortly after that, took his last breath and quieted. The struggle was over. As if she knew, she woke up and realized he was gone. "But I was asleep!" she said. "How could I miss that?" As I put my arm around her, I told her I thought he was waiting for that. He loved her to the end; she did likewise. To the very end (and beyond).
But the other image that comes to mind is the story John tells immediately after this phrase. It's about Judas, who is soon (by the end of the chapter) to leave and betray Jesus into the hands of those who want to do him harm. And Jesus even loves Judas to the very end. This one is harder: to love even those who betray you to the end. It's hard to love them past them moment of betrayal. I certainly have never had anything on the level of what Jesus experienced, but there have been times when, at least from my perspective, I have felt betrayed. Betrayal is common enough today. Knowledge shared is used against you. Things you have shared with someone in confidence somehow ends up becoming public knowledge. Spouses betray one another by choosing another. Children turn their backs on the loving support of their parents. I find it difficult enough to forgive betrayal; in fact, I'm not very good at it at all. Yet, I'm told to be like Jesus, and Jesus even loved Judas to the end. He even washed Judas' feet. When he was on the cross, he was dying for Judas—and for all those who have betrayed you or me or him or anyone. That's when loving to the end gets hard for me...and, I would imagine, for you, too.
Jesus loved them to the end. This Lenten season, can we strive for any less than that?
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