John 15:12-17 This is My commandment, that you love one another

John 15:12-17 Jesus commands His disciples to love each other, and then explains exactly what divine love is. It is the greatest form of love. C.S. Lewis wrote a book on four different types of love. Each has its place. But the greatest form of love is the agape love which is epitomized by what Jesus is about to do - to die for His friends. This sometimes happens in combat, in the armed forces, and sometimes in other situations of extreme duress. I think that some small amount of this type of love was portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the movie Gran Torino.

          Of course, laying down one's life can take many forms besides dying. It can be exhibited in sacrificial living. For example, Mother Teresa cared for the poor in Calcutta, daily tending to their needs, binding up their sores, bringing them food and comfort, in the name of Christ. Most mothers exhibit similar sacrificial love in daily care for their children, laying down their own desires and needs in order to care for their children.

          Another aspect of love is friendship. Jesus here implies that He had previously called His disciples slaves, perhaps doulos, or love-slaves, but now He calls them philon, friends, those He is fond of. We could speculate on the difference between doulos and philon, but fortunately Jesus was very specific about what He meant. There are two aspects in which they are His friends. First, they do what He commands, which means in this case to love each other just as He has loved them. Second, He has revealed to them everything the Father has told Him, so they are not slaves, but participants in God's grand plan. A slave would only be told what he is to do, and not what the overall plan is and how he fits into it. He is now telling them everything. And then Jesus goes on in a Calvinistic statement about choice. They did not choose Him, but He chose them, and for a specific purpose, that they should bear permanent fruit.

          Verse 16 repeats the promise from verse 7 about answers to prayer. Therefore, we can infer that this is another viewpoint on the same core truth. Their love for each other, their obedience to His commandments, can only flow from a relationship in which God's life is flowing through them, which will be exhibited in this case by brotherly love for each other. Outsiders, unbelievers, cannot see what is in peoples' hearts, and may quibble about theology. But as Jesus stated earlier (John 13:35) all men can recognize love, and they will recognize the outflow of God's love in the lives of Jesus' disciples.  And then Jesus repeats His command, as verse 17 repeats verse 12, bookends to this thought.