Obedience: What’s love got to do with it? (John 14)
For several chapters now, Jesus has been driving at the point that He and the Father are one: That He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. Here’s a brief review:
5:22 “…the Father has given judgment to the Son.”
5:23 “the Father sent the Son.”
8:19 “If you knew me, you would know my Father also”
8:28 “…the Father taught me.”
8:42 “…I came from the Father.”
10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
10:38 “…the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
12:44 “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.”
Yet, Jesus is not using his proximity with the Father to gain power or influence. He’s using it to demonstrate that the love between the Son and the Father leads to the Son’s obedience.
3:25 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.”
5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
Why would John trace this theme so thoroughly? In other words, what’s Love Got to do with it?
Our love for Jesus should lead to our keeping His commandments. Our love for Jesus should lead to our response of obedience. If you don’t get that right, everything else will be off. We love because He loved us first. Our obedience should be a response to the grace and forgiveness that we have found in Jesus.
14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”
14:21 “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.”
14:23 “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word….”
15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.”
Note that the converse is also true: “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words” (14:24).
Jesus has previously mentioned that he’ll be leaving, and that likely created some stress when his disciples heard Jesus commanding that they should love and obey Him. Then at that point He reminds them that they are not alone. He will send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will come to help them love and obey. That should give them peace. We receive the same Helper, the Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus. The peace they experienced is the peace we can experience.
Are you experiencing that peace today? The peace that God has given to each and every believer through the Holy Spirit to “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (14:26).
Enjoy Walking with the Savior Today,
John