Good morning. In John 15, Jesus speaks about the kind of relationship he desires to have with His disciples. In v14, Jesus says the following, “14You are my friends if you do what I command.” Do you find anything strange about Jesus’ statement? Let me read it again, “14You are my friends if you do what I command.”
Well I don’t know what you think of when you hear the word, command, but I think of something being mandatory or being given an order. In other words, not optional. And yet how does Jesus preface his command in v.14? With IF.
True or False: Jesus possessed both the power and authority to express v.14 this way, “do what I command!”? True. This kind of relationship, however, did not appeal to Jesus. A relationship corrupted by force and control where a servant was bound to their master not by affection, but by obligation.
Instead, Jesus inserts IF into the conversation to show that relationships exist most powerfully when they root themselves in love and consent. And therefore, Jesus seeks not to issue an order in .v14. Rather, Jesus wants to give us a choice.
It is as though Jesus says, “All I can do is tell you what needs to happen. You have to choose whether or not it will be done.” With impending heartbreak approaching, Jesus knows better than anyone that nothing is certain when it comes to judging how human beings will respond in a given situation. Betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter, Jesus knows all too well that with human beings there is always an IF.
Consequently, I've come to see the Christian life as being held together not by following orders, but by making choices. Sadly, there exists numerous incidents in church history where brother and sisters chose to bear fruit not of the Spirit, but of this fallen world. Having been despised, ridiculed and abused in the past, some Christians chose to live on a diet of hate, bitterness, and violence.
Now before we choose between cruelty and kindness, before we decide between callousness and gentleness, before we select between being impulsive or self-controlled; let us first consider the verses that follow v.14 in John 15 when Jesus goes on to say, “15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
Now pay close attention here in v.16. Jesus says, “16You did not choose me, but I chose you.” And for what purpose did Jesus choose us does it say here? Yes. “So that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”
Hate, bitterness, violence; these are not the fruits Jesus commanded us to produce, nor do these fruits have a long shelf life. They begin to rot almost as soon as they sprout. However, the same cannot be said of the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; these are the fruits Jesus commanded us to bear, these are the fruits that last.
And while there will always be IFs with human beings, Jesus makes it clear that there are no IFs when it comes to God when he says, “and so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you.” At no point does v.16 read, “the Father might give you,” or “the Father could possibly give you,” or “the Father is considering giving you.” No, it reads, “the Father will give you.”
Everyday our culture chooses to grow more and more comfortable with the breaking of every vow, guarantee, and commitment imaginable. So much so that we almost don’t know what we are looking at in v.16, which is a promise. A promise from God.
Finally, what is this command that indicates that we are Jesus' friends? What is it that Jesus says needs to happen? Jesus tries to make it as clear as possible in v. 17 when he says, “17This is my command: Love each other.”
In this country and in our world, it seems like every other day we have reasons to fall to our knees and beg God to enforce the command to love each other. We think to ourselves that our country would be such a better place if God made love mandatory. We assume that our world would be at peace if only God would see to it that love was not optional.
If such possibilities were true, then John 15 would have no meaning. However, if there is one thread of truth that runs throughout John 15, it is that love is most real, love is most powerful, love is most victorious when LOVE IS A CHOICE.
CJE