John 15:12-14 – Genuine love is sacrificial

Relationship is one major theme that runs through the whole of John 15. Verses 1-11 emphasized the relationship between the vine and the branches, that is, Christ and the believers. Verses 12-14, the focus is on relationship between the branches, that is, a believer with other believers. In verses 15-17, Christ want us to know that we believers are not His servants, but His friends. Verses 18-27, Christ will deal with His relationship with the world.

The three verses we are reflecting on today suggest a subtle hint that between believers, there can also be mistrust. We know that mistrust of each other in the world is a common phenomenon, but for Christians this could not happen. And this is a major misconception. The reality is that we have come across Christians who had not spoken to each other for years. It is a fact that among believers, there are those who feel very lonely because other believers would avoid them like a plague. Like it or not, we need to find acceptance, approval and appreciation. There are those who would give anything for a good friend because friendship is important. John 15:12–14 show us how to have long lasting and deepened friendship.  

Verses 12-13 show us two principles to promote friendship. They are: sacrifice and love. Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.” Here the Lord reminds us again of the commandment to love one another that He had given in John 13:34. Christ’s emphasis is that we should love each other as He had loved us. His kind of love is sacrificial. He loves us so much that He laid His life down to save us. He exemplified this at the cross. In truth, He even tried to love Judas Iscariot back to the fold, although the latter had stoutly rejected His love. Here He is calling on us to display His kind of love, a sacrificial love that would make us willing to lay down one’s life for a friend.  One clear evidence that we are the friend of the Lord would be our obedience to His commandment to love. 

We need to cultivate unity, trust and obedience in the Lord and seek to see the best in our friends. We must also eliminate rivalry, suspicion and self-centeredness. As we do all these more and more, we will find it easy to accept, and appreciate others. Let us love as Christ has loved.