No matter how many times I have read the easter story, there is always something new there. Last night during our family Bible study, I was struck by the last words that Jesus gave as instruction to the apostles before leaving to go to the garden where he would pray and be arrested.
At the end of the supper, Jesus tells his disciples that he will only be with them a very short while and where he is going they can not follow. It is here that Peter says he will go wherever Jesus goes even to death and Jesus tells him that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows signaling the morning. He also give them this message.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus, being the son of God, knew two things. First it would be by showing love that people would see that we are true disciples of Christ and second that people don’t need more “gods” or rulers or commanders or people yelling at them or bullies or anything else they need more love. And God has love us with a perfect love that can so fill us and make us whole and accepted and full and righteous and needed. This is what Jesus knew we needed and why it is so important that we never forget this when we are in the world sharing with a hurting world that has plenty of rulers, gods, bullies and the like but is severely lacking people who genuinely are sharing love, that love that can only come from God.
