Sermon Notes on John 13:31-35

 

The true mark of a Christian.

 

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

I can still remember when Lori and I first arrived at Campus Crusade for Christ staff training in Fort Collins, Colorado. I had never been west of Minneapolis before and being in the presence of the Rocky Mountains was like being on another planet for this Michigan boy. The beauty was overwhelming. It was also exciting to be launching into a new career, a new life, and a new ministry.

 

Another one of the things I noticed not long after we arrived was that there was an unspoken dress code for Campus Crusade for Christ staff folks. It didn’t really matter where we were in Fort Collins, or on the campus of Colorado State University (where the staff training was held) I got so I could always recognize someone who was on staff with Crusade. Part of the reason I noticed this dress code was that I didn’t exactly fit in.

 

And how could you recognize a Campus Crusade for Christ staff person in the summer of 1979? Well, they had a conservative, well-groomed hair cut, khaki pants and an Izod, knit shirt. (Does anybody here remember those? With the little alligator logo?) Nobody ever said that this was the way your were supposed to dress, you were just supposed to kind of know that blue jeans and a t-shirt didn’t really cut it.

 

I wonder if there is an unspoken Lutheran dress code? Sometimes I’ve thought as much wandering through the mall…

 

How about a Christian dress code? How would you recognize a disciple of Jesus Christ in a crowd?

 

Now, if we were sitting around a table having a conversation about this I know what most of us would say. We would say that it doesn’t matter what a person looks like or how they dress. We would insist that it is their relationship with God, their commitment to Christ, their belief in his saving death on the cross and resurrection that makes the difference. In fact, I think most of us in this room would agree that it is what a person believes in their heart that sets them apart as a Christian, not their outward appearance.

 

As good as this idea sounds, there are two very large problems with it.

 

The first problem is that we don’t really believe it. Let’s be honest and humble about this. The truth is that we do evaluate people according to their looks and we do treat them differently if they look too far removed from the way we think decent people ought to look.

That summer in Colorado, if I was sitting in my car and someone with an Izod shirt and khaki pants walked up to the car, do you think I would have locked the door? Of course not. But if someone with a skin color that was different from my own, or someone with a less tame appearance were to head my way, I might even pull away AS I was locking the door.

 

The second problem with the idea that it is what we believe that sets us apart as disciples of Jesus in the eyes of the world is that it is wrong. Jesus himself tells us that this is a misconception. I think it is a rather destructive misconception.

 

Jesus makes it pretty clear in our text for today. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” In other words, people will know that we are followers of Jesus not by what we believe, but by observing the way we treat each other. If we love each other in the same way that Jesus loved us, the world around us will know that Jesus is for real and we are his disciples.

 

The love of Jesus Christ is our uniform. When we put on his love, people will know who we are.

 

-         When we are patient with each other people will know who we are.

-         When we are kind to each other people will know who we are.

-         When we don’t envy one another people will know who we are.

-         When we are not boastful or arrogant people will know who we are.

-         When we are not rude with each other people will know who we are.

-         When we do not insist on our own way with our sisters and brothers in Christ people will know who we are.

-         When we are not irritable or resentful with each other people will know who we are.

-         When we rejoice in the truth and reject rumors and speculations about each other people will know who we are.

-         When we always expect the best and assume good intentions of each other people will know who we are.

 

Here is the tragedy: Those who claim to follow Jesus have been ignoring this command for so long, the world has come to expect something much less from us. We have been treating each other just like those without Christ might treat any other person and so the world has come to expect something tragically different from us.

 

If you were to ask many who are outside of the church how they would recognize a follower of Jesus you might hear some very disturbing answers.

 

-         Christians? Oh, they are the intolerant ones.

-         They are the judgmental ones.

-         They are the hypocrites who claim to be superior, but behave just like we do.

-         They are the ones who think they are better than everyone else.

 

Contrary to popular understandings and certainly contrary to the wisdom of this world, if we are going to be disciples of Jesus, how we treat each other is not something we have a choice about. Our witness to the world is far more important than venting our immaturity at each other. The validity of the Gospel trumps our feelings and moods every time.

 

Listen to what Jesus says to us today: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Notice Jesus doesn’t say “I give you a new suggestion” or “Here’s a good option for you, when you feel like it”.

 

Here is the hard truth, when we treat each other with love, the way Jesus treats us, we are his disciples. When we do anything less we are not his disciples and we actually become part of the problem, working against the kingdom of God.

 

I am thankful that God’s grace is far greater than our shortcomings, but make no mistake about it, this is vitally important. May the Holy Spirit grab us by the shoulders and shake us the next time we are tempted to treat one of our brothers or sisters in Christ with anything less than love. The very message of the Gospel depends on it. Amen