Love is A BATTLEFIELD: Part One

Consider John 15:13 where Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends.”

We weren’t friends with Jesus as we define friends. We define friends as people who have proven over time that they can be trusted with what is valuable to us. Jesus defines friends as anyone He chooses to love. It has nothing to do with whether or not we’ve proven we can be trusted. It has to do with God’s sovereign decision to befriend us apart from our faithfulness to Him.

Jesus died for us as a man dying for his friends, when actually we were his enemies (Romans 5:8). Even the 12 men closest to Him betrayed Him, denied Him, and forsook Him all in one night. The Pharisees slandered His good name. The Romans judged Him, condemned Him, stripped Him, flogged Him, mocked Him, and crucified Him. None of these were friendly actions, would you agree?

The closest think we understand to this kind of love is patriotism. We salute soldiers and others who die in the line of duty fighting for their country and freedom’s cause. But the Lord didn’t die fighting for anything. He surrendered to death for His enemies in order to make us friends of His Father once again. Without agape working through phileo we have no power to do as He did. Think about it. How could we possibly be willing to die for our enemies if we aren’t even willing to display love daily to our “friends”?

As God loves Jesus with agape, Jesus loves us with phileo. He was able to love us because He was sure of the Father’s love for Him. Calvary is the highest manifestation of agape through phileo, but let me examine here another equally startling manifestation prior to the crucifixion found in John 13.

Jesus rose from the table an took off His clothes, wrapped Himself in a towel, poured a basin of water and began washing His disciples’ feet and wiping them with the very towel around His waist (vs. 4-5). This act wasn’t done to establish the ritual it has since become in some organized religion. This was an act of phileo; Jesus demonstrating His personal love to His dearest friends. Notice there was no women present – not even His mother. He did this only for His male friends as one man serving other men.

Jesus unashamedly bared His body – getting naked – allowing His disciples to see who He was beneath the powerful preacher and miracle worker they had come to know. He talked some of the spiritual, which the disciples didn’t quite comprehend. He talked more about how He felt about them, which they clearly understood (v. 1). He told them He deeply loved each of them and had longed for the opportunity to be with them for that meal (cp. Luke 22:15-16). He promised them that He would not drink wine again until they were all reunited with Him at His Father’s table in heaven.

He reminded them how He had demonstrated His love by washing their feet and encouraged them to do the same for each other (vs. 14). He told them He didn’t view them merely as detached followers of His teachings, but as His personal friends for He had disclosed to them everything that His Father had revealed to Him (John 15:15).

He told them that in a few hours He was going to let His Father’s just and righteous wrath against sin be poured out on Him (John 16:5). He told them that He knew that they didn’t quite love Him (much less each other) the way He loved them (Luke 22:24). He told them that He knew one of them (Judas) would betray Him (vs. 21), another (Peter) deny Him (vs. 34), and all forsake Him (Mark 14:27), but that it didn’t matter for He had chosen to love them regardless and He would never stop loving them – not even after He was dead and gone (vs. 28).