love in the real world John 13:31-35

If you are a follower of Jesus and he told to do something it's likely a good idea that you do it.
Even when it's hard or complicated if you follow him, his Words of guidance will be worth more than a listen. So if you are trying to walk with him as your teacher and Lord you take him seriously whatever he says,

...love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.

If your intention is to follow him you'll take his direction to love as guidance for your whole life. But we say this call to love only goes so far; there's got to be a limit. This is often when we meet the real narrow road of following Jesus. This direction, to love one another as he has first loved us, has no qualifiers or limitations. Period. We shake our heads and say, there's got to be an end point. We look in disbelief at this world and the pain of sin and evil that people deal with and create for others. We look honestly at the people who it's painful to love and the situations where love doesn't seem to be the answer and we start to wonder, "when do we get to stop loving?" But as Easter people living in a Good Friday world we hear him say these Words knowing that he would die the very next day. Jesus love has no limit and for his followers the same call to love without limit is right here in front of us,

Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.

The truth is loving like Jesus is not easy. Truth is the only one in the whole universe who can love like Jesus loves is Him. And still, as his followers we have this call to love others right now, to live in his kingdom right now. We might want to say sure, I will treat other people with love when they treat me with love. Sure we say we like to dwell in the kingdom of God but that'll have to wait until the world is ready and everybody else on this planet is ready to embrace Jesus and his commandment to love as he loves. But Jesus doesn't say that it's ok to wait. He doesn't say love those who love you. He doesn't say you get to have empathy and compassion later, or when the people who challenge you the most will agree to live in the kingdom too. Jesus doesn't give us an option of saying, "maybe later." He says,

Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.

The temptation, for me at least, is to shrug this direction away. But Jesus said these words knowing his betrayer Judas was on his way. The plan was made to hand him over