Welcome to the Family by John F. MacArthur

Author:John F. MacArthur [MacArthur, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2018-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

A NEW COMMANDMENT

What John said in 1 John 2:8 appears to contradict the "old commandment" mentioned in verse 7: "Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining." Actually, this new commandment is the same as the old one—John is just giving it a new spin. It's not new in time, but in quality and character.

Manifest in Christ The newness of the command that "is true in Him" is truly manifest (meaning clearly shown or readily apparent) in Jesus Christ. Never before, in spite of all the clear teaching throughout the Old Testament, has there been an embodiment of that love as clearly manifest in all its perfection as in Jesus Christ. Only our Lord could show the world what perfect love is. All others fall miserably short of the standard. So the newness isn't in the command; it's in Christ.

Luke's account of an event the night before our Lord's crucifixion is an ideal example of how Jesus manifested His love. As He and His twelve disciples prepared to eat the Passover meal, "there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest" (22:24).

If any one of the dozen men bickering there in the Upper Room should have been thinking about the glory that was rightfully his, it was Jesus. Yet, John said, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end" (John 13:1). "To the end" means He loved them "to perfection." He loved them to the uttermost. He loved them with total fullness of love. That is the nature of Christ's love. At the moment when anyone else would have been totally concerned with self, Jesus, who of all those present had the most right to claim superiority, selflessly humbled Himself to meet the needs of others. Genuine love is like that.

Jesus waited until everyone was seated and supper was served. In a time when roads were dusty and people typically wore sandals, hosts were traditionally responsible for washing their guests' feet. This unpleasant task was usually performed by the lowliest slave in the household. Etiquette dictated that it be done before the meal, but for some reason no servant was available that day. Yet how could disciples destined for greatness perform such a menial and humble duty?

In an unforgettable act of humility that must have stunned the disciples, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded" (John 13:3-5).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.