John 15:12-17: “Jesus Tells
His Disciples That There Is No Greater Love Than One Lay Down His Life For His
Friends”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked at verses 1-11 of
chapter 15.
1.1.1.
Jesus told
His disciples that He is the vine and they are the branches, and that by being
a branch they are to go forth and bear fruit for Him. We will look at what “fruit” refers to
in this context.
1.1.2.
Jesus told
His disciples that the one who abides in Him will bear “much fruit” and
that apart from Him they can do nothing.
1.1.3.
Jesus gave
His disciples a warning that if they do not bear fruit that they will be taken
out as a branch and thrown into the fire and burned for fruit bearing is not an
option for a Christian.
1.2.
In our
study today, we are going to look at verses 12-17 of chapter 15.
1.2.1.
In this
study, Jesus will begin to tell His disciples to love one another in the same
manner that He has loved them, i.e. to be willing to lay down their lives for
the brethren just as He was soon to lay His life down for them.
1.2.2.
Since the
events of this story occurred prior to Jesus going to the cross and that
supreme sacrifice which defined what true love is, I wonder what was going
through the disciples minds as they heard Him speak these things to them. Certainly, after the events of the cross the
disciples began to realize what great love had led their Lord to willingly pay
the debt of their sins which each owed.
1.2.3.
I thought
that because it is hard for us to conceive how great of a sacrifice that Jesus
Christ made for each one of us upon Calvary’s cross that I would look for some
examples of people in this world who had laid their lives down for others :
1.2.3.1.On a blog web site I found a testimony about a teacher
at Virginia Tech who had laid his life down for others during that horrible
mass muder that occurred at the college a couple of weeks ago :
Out of many
tragedies come instances of heroism and sacrifice, and the carnage at Virginia
Tech had one such example, all the more poignant because of the man’s personal
history.
As Cho Seung-Hui made his way
through Norris Hall, shooting anyone he came in contact with, he came to the
classroom of Liviu Librescu, a 76 year old Holocaust survivor, who was a
lecturer in engineering and mechanics. Professor Librescu threw himself in
front of the door to the classroom, while his students escaped out the windows.
Though he was shot to death through the door he blocked, all of his students
escaped and lived because of his sacrifice.
During our Lenten meditation,
we talked about Godly love (agape/αγαπη), which
is the form of love driven by choices, not emotions. Jesus, the Son, chose to
make the sacrifice he made upon the cross. Likewise, professor Librescu chose
to make his sacrifice, stepping into harms way, giving his life that his
students might live. It was a transcendent moment, one in which the essence of
a life is summed up, weighed in the balance and passes the final test.
1.2.3.2.I found another example of someone laying their life
down for another on the blog web site of a guy named David Anderson :
On Friday, September 29, a Navy SEAL
exemplified Jesus' famous statement about love. "Greater love has no man than
this, that he should lay down his life for a friend". Petty Officer 2nd
Class Michael Monsoor was a quiet, unassuming, and fun-loving guy who wore a
mischievous grin and always had a funny comment. The members of his Special
Forces team described him as a loyal and dependable friend who drew strength
from his faith and family.
In May, his heroism under fire saved a
wounded soldier and earned him the Silver Star. Just four months later, he
would be tested again as he stood near a rooftop door in Ramadi, just west of
It has been said that courage is not the
absence of fear, but the strength to do right in the face of fear. From where
does that kind of strength come? In the case of a Navy SEAL, it has a lot to do
with discipline and training. There are only 2,300 SEALs. More than 75% of the
brave soldiers who qualify drop out during "Hell Week", the intense
five-day training in which they are allowed a total of four hours of sleep.
Michael was strong, he was disciplined, he was well trained, but it was love
that prompted him to give his life to save others. The training in
Love is the also the hallmark of the
church. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another."
1.2.3.3.A friend sent me a link to a web site this week that
was designed to encourage people to support our troops overseas in places like
1.2.4.
As I searched on the internet for examples of people
in this world who had laid their lives down for others every single source I
found mentioned the sacrifice of Jesus in the story as if Jesus’ sacrifice was
the inspiration or example that the person had followed who laid down his life
for others. And, as great as the
sacrifices that many have made for others, such as those who the men and women
in the military have made for us, there is something unique and greater about
the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made upon Calvary’s cross for each of us in the
human race. The sacrifice that Jesus
Christ made for us was a sacrifice that was made for sinful men and women who
were deserving of their punishment, people who were not desirable, lovely, or
loveable and in fact who despised and persecuted the one make the sacrifice,
people who could not repay in any substantial way that sacrifice, as Romans
5:6-8 tells us, “6 For while we were still
helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though
perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
1.2.5.
Concerning
He died for the ungodly; not only helpless creatures, and therefore likely to
perish, but guilty sinful creatures, and therefore deserving to perish; not
only mean and worthless, but vile and obnoxious, unworthy of such favour with
the holy God. Being ungodly, they had need of one to die for them, to satisfy
for guilt, and to bring in a righteousness. This he illustrates (v. 7, 8) as an
unparalleled instance of love; herein God’s thoughts and ways were above ours.
Compare Jn. 15:13, 14, Greater love has no man. (1.) One would hardly die
for a righteous man, that is, an innocent man, one that is unjustly
condemned; every body will pity such a one, but few will put such a value upon
his life as either to hazard, or much less to deposit, their own in his stead.
(2.) It may be, one might perhaps be persuaded to die for a good man,
that is, a useful man, who is more than barely a righteous man. Many that are
good themselves yet do but little good to others; but those that are useful
commonly get themselves well beloved, and meet with some that in a case of
necessity would venture to be their antipsychoi—would
engage life for life, would be their bail, body for body. Paul was, in this
sense, a very good man, one that was very useful, and he met with some that for
his life laid down their own necks, ch. 16:4. And yet observe how he qualifies
this: it is but some that would do so, and it is a daring act if they do it, it
must be some bold venturing soul; and, after all, it is but a peradventure.
(3.) But Christ died for sinners (v. 8), neither righteous nor good; not
only such as were useless, but such as were guilty and obnoxious; not only such
as there would be no loss of should they perish, but such whose destruction
would greatly redound to the glory of God’s justice, being malefactors and
criminals that ought to die. Some think he alludes to a common distinction the
Jews had of their people into ndyqym—righteous,
hsdym—merciful (compare Isa. 17:1), and rssym—wicked. Now herein God commended his love,
not only proved or evidenced his love (he might have done that at a cheaper
rate), but magnified it and made it illustrious. This circumstance did greatly
magnify and advance his love, not only put it past dispute, but rendered it the
object of the greatest wonder and admiration: "Now my creatures shall see
that I love them, I will give them such an instance of it as shall be without
parallel.’’ Commendeth his love, as merchants commend their goods when
they would put them off. This commending of his love was in order to the
shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. He evinces his
love in the most winning, affecting, endearing way imaginable.
1.2.6.
Knowing
that He is soon to leave this earth via the cross, Jesus in His preparing of
His disciples for the work they were being called to after His death and
resurrection repeats to them yet again in our study that His disciples are to
learn to love one another with that same great love that He had and would soon
demonstrate to the them.
2.
VS
15:12 - “‘This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than
this that one lay down his life for his friends’. ” - Jesus tells His disciples that it is His
commandment that they love one another just as He has loved them, and that no
man has greater love than that he lay down his life for his friends
2.1.
Jesus repeats His Commandment to them which He
emphasized on several occasions, “love one another,” however this time
He tells them to love one another, “just as I have loved you.” I think that this phrasing emphasizes that
the disciples’ love for each other should be of the same intensity and
constancy as His love to each of them.
Jesus loved each of His disciples fervently and without ceasing. When Jesus goes to the cross and raises from
the dead His disciples will begin to understand just how much He has loved
them.
2.2.
Jesus then proceeds to tell His disciples that no one
has a greater love than one who lays down his own life for his friends. Jesus does not say in this that His life was
given only for those whom God considers the “friends of Jesus.” Rather, Jesus is emphasizing the greatness of
the love in a person that is willing to lay down his life for another. The fact of the matter is that Jesus died for
all people so that as we saw in John 3:16 that, “whosoever believes in Him
may not perish but have everlasting life.”
2.3.
We saw already that Paul wrote in
2.4.
Jesus does allude in verse 13 that He considered His
disciples to be His friends! Abraham
alone in the Old Testament is called “the friend of God,” however Paul
tells us in
2.5.
Jesus tells us in these verses that He would have each
of us Christians to have the same degree and type of agape love towards each
other that He had for us. To the extent
that Christ has loved me, I should also love my brothers and my sisters in
Christ. This is Christ’s commandment to
me!
2.6.
There are a number of verses in the New Testament that
seek to impress upon us the fact that our motivation for the things we do in
this life ought to be stirred by a consideration of who Christ is and what He really
did for us in coming to earth to die a horrible and shameful death upon the
cross of Calvary, including :
2.6.1.
Matthew 20:28, “28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””
2.6.2.
1 Peter 1:15-22, “15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves
also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You
shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges
according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of
your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable
things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your
forefathers, 19 but with precious
blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He
was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these
last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from
the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your
souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the
heart.”
2.7.
We Christians ought to have the same great love that
Christ had for us and be willing to lay down our lives by living and preaching
the gospel to all of the unsaved people God brings into our lives. We ought to be willing to lay down our lives
for the sacrifice and service of the saints because of the way in which Christ
has laid down His life for us.
3.
VS
15:14 - “‘You are My friends, if you do what I command you’.”
- Jesus tells His disciples that they
are His friends if they do what He has commanded them
3.1.
Jesus tells His disciples that friendship with Him (and
with God) is attainable but only to those who are willing to give their will to
God to do His will. This does not mean
that a disciple must be perfect in order to be a friend of God, rather it just
means that he must be willing to let Christ have full control over his
life.
3.2.
There will always be times in a disciple’s life when
he takes back control of his life, however there is no option for one of Jesus’
disciples, for all of them must yield up his/her life to Jesus.
3.3.
As was mentioned, we Christians, those who have
yielded our will to Christ as Lord and Savior, ought to keep it firmly in mind
that in God’s view we are considered not only His servants, but much more, His
personal friends. This happens at our
new birth, and our status as a “friend of God” never changes from that
point on.
4.
VS
15:15 - “‘No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what
his master is doing; but I have called
you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known
to you’.” - Jesus told
His disciples that He no longer calls them slaves because slaves do not know
what their master is doing, but rather He calls them friends because all of the
things He has heard from the Father He has made known to them
4.1.
Jesus emphasizes to His disciples the fact that He no
longer considers them His disciples. And
the reason that they can be sure that this is true is because He promised that
He revealed to them every word which He had heard from the Father to them.
4.2.
God, who calls us Christians His friends, has revealed
to us everything that is helpful or needful in our life through His word. We need to apprehend what He has made
available to us, which is all that we need in order to live abundant fruitful
lives for Him. We ought to be in His
word daily so that we can know the precious promises made to us.
5.
VS
15:16 - “‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you
should go and bear fruit, and that
your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He
may give to you’.” - Jesus tells
His disciples that they did not choose Him but rather He chose them, and chose
them that they might go forth and bear fruit n His Name
5.1.
Jesus begins to tell His disciples of His choice and
appointment of them for His service, a service that involves His plan for the
evangelization of the world. He tells
His disciples in this verse that He has chosen and appointed them to go and
bear fruit. This calling and appointment
that the Lord has for our lives is that of being an ambassador for Christ,
representing Him, and doing His bidding in all that we do in life.
5.2.
Further, Jesus tells His disciples that it is His
desire that the fruit that they bear should not be transitory and disappear,
but rather that the fruit ‘should remain’ on and continue to give glory
to God. Not only does Jesus desire that
the disciples go and win souls to Him, He desires that the ones who are won to
Him should be discipled and then go and bear fruit themselves.
5.3.
What good does it do to bear fruit to the Lord that
does not remain? There is a lot of
ministry for the Lord today that “does not remain.” This fact definitely deserves some
consideration by us in the church because the Lord desires us as Christians to
produce fruit for Him that remains. In
1993 in Helena, MT we had Franklin Graham come and do an evangelistic crusade
in the city, with most churches participated in that event, and if memory
serves me right about 1,300 people during that week made commitments to Christ
for salvation. However, in a couple of
months I couldn’t account for a single soul in any church because of that
crusade. There was fruit but it didn’t
remain. This is typical of evangelistic
events that are held in our country in this day. The percentage of those who continue on in
their faith is very low. But, the Lord
says that it is His desire that we bear fruit that would ‘remain.’
5.4.
Interestingly, Jesus tell His disciples next that the
means by which that fruit should be born and remain shall be “prayer.” He tells them they may ask the Father to do
any great or small thing in His name, and that the Father will grant their
request to them. If Jesus connects “prayer”
with bearing fruit that will remain that is probably the place that we need to
begin in order to see fruit that remains.
We need to pray for the fruit that God can produce through us that would
‘remain.’
5.5.
This verse is predicated by what Jesus said earlier in
this chapter that if His disciples continued to abide in Him and His word that
whatever they asked would be granted to them, for thus they would be asking
according to God’s will.
5.6.
So, as we Christians go and bear fruit to God, we must
be cautious to bear the kind of fruit that will “remain.” We must be focused and persistent in our
ministries so that we are sure to hit the mark that God desires. We must be committed not only to witness for
Jesus, but to try to make every effort to get those we witness to into God’s
kingdom. Then, once they are in the
kingdom, we have a further responsibility to see that each one is discipled
into maturity so that they in turn may bear fruit for God and our ministry
actual multiply in its fruitfulness.
What kind of a parent gives birth to children and then abandons
them. We Christians need to build
friendships with those we share with so that through the bridge of friendship
we can get them into the church so that they can be discipled and this be the
kind of fruit that remains.
5.7.
All of us Christians have an appointment by God to go into
this world and bear fruit. God is
sovereign, and this is His plan for each of us.
We have not been placed here on earth to pursue worldly or selfish
ambitions, rather we have a calling, namely to go and bear as much fruit unto
God as He chooses to produce in our life.
Each of us as Christians must commit ourselves to fulfilling the Great
Commission, for this must be our single-minded goal in our life. There is no other purpose for our life after
we have received Christ but to go and bear fruit to the glory of God.
5.8.
How much of your life have you wasted by pursuits that
weren’t part of God’s plan and calling for your life? We Christians need to get serious and focused
and get about God’s business, as His appointed ambassadors!
6.
VS
15:17 - “‘This I command you, that you love one another’.”
- Jesus repeats His command to His
disciples to love one another
6.1.
Jesus knows the legalistically bent hearts of men, and
He knows that His disciples must continually be reminded that above all else in
life, they must continually love one another with God’s agape love. Fruit-bearing apart from agape love is not
fruit bearing, it is a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal as Paul said in 1
Cor. 13.
6.2.
There are a number of passages in the New Testament
that repeat this same theme that we as Christians are to walk in love and love
others in the same way that the Lord loved us, including :
6.2.1.
Ephesians 5:2, “2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave
Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
6.2.2.
1 John 4:7-11, “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is
love. 9 By this the
love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into
the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.”
6.2.3.
1 John 3:16, “16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
6.2.4.
1 John 4:9-10, “9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God
has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through
Him. 10 In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.”
6.3.
Encylopedia Of 7700 Illustrations has the following
entry the deals with what a great sacrifice it was that Jesus Christ made for
us on
There has never been found a better illustration of
sacrificial love than that in Charles Dicken’s Tale of Two Cities, where
Sidney Carton dies for Charles Darney.
The young Frenchman has been condemned to die by the
guillotine. Sidney Carton is a dissipated English lawyer who has wasted great
gifts and quenched high possibilities in riotous living.
When he learns the plight of his friend, he determines
to save him by laying down his own life—not for the love he has for the man,
but for the sake of the man’s wife and child. To that end Carton gains
admission to the dungeon the night before the execution, changes garments with
the condemned man, and the next day is led out and put to death as Charles
Darney. Before he went to the dungeon he had entered the courtyard and remained
there for a few minutes alone, looking up at the light in the window of the
daughter’s room. He was led by the light of love, but it led straight to a
dungeon and thence to the guillotine.
As we see him ascending the steps to the place of
death, his hands bound behind his back, taking his last look at the world,
these words of our Saviour come to mind: “Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
6.4.
We Christians must always ask ourselves if our actions
really are matching up with the standard of Christ’s agape love for us. Are we loving as Jesus loves us? If the answer is negative, then we must
repent for our lives are not bearing fruit for Christ if that be the case.
7.
CONCLUSIONS:
7.1.
Hazel Hartwell Simon wrote the following poem about
the difference in doing the things that we do out of love ( Do you do what you
do in serving the Lord because you love Him? )
:
Love Makes Obedience
Love makes obedience a thing of joy!
To do the will of one we like to please
Is never hardship, though it tax our strength;
Each privilege of service love will seize!
Love makes us loyal, glad to do or go,
And eager to defend a name or cause;
Love takes the drudgery from common work,
And asks no rich reward or great applause.
Love gives us satisfaction in our task,
And wealth in learning lessons of the heart;
Love sheds a light of glory on our toil
And makes us humbly glad to have a part.
Love makes us choose to do the will of God,
To run His errands and proclaim His truth;
It gives our hearts an eager, lilting song;
Our feet are shod with tireless wings of youth!
7.2.
Are you
truly loving others with the same love that the Lord has loved you? Are you truly laying your life down for the
brethren as you should do?