Friday, May 23, 2008

Relationships--Vertical and Horizontal

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:15 ESV)“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”” (John 13:20 ESV)

What a startling thing it is to realize that in John 13:15, the Lord Jesus Christ is commanding His disciples to treat one another in the same way that He has treated them. They are to do for one another the same things that He has done for them!

One of the first thoughts that comes into my mind when I think about this is, "Yeah, but He is supernatural--He is God Himself. How can I be expected to do for others what He has done for me?" Then the Holy Spirit reminds me that His Spirit is in me, to do through me what I cannot do myself.

The immediate context of this command is the washing of the disciples feet. But it would be unwise to limit this command to that act alone, since that act served as a symbol of the love and care that His disciples are to have for one another.

What has the Lord Jesus Christ done for His disciples, that they should also do for one another?
  • He has loved them. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34 ESV)
  • He has forgiven them and been kind to them “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32 KJV)
  • He has sacrificially supplied their needs according to His ability. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” (1John 3:16-19 KJV)
We could spend much time expanding on this thought, but time is getting away and there is one more thought that I want to point out in this post. Not only are we to treat one another the way He has treated us, but we must realize that how we treat one another is how we are treating HIM!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”” (John 13:20 ESV)

There is no way to separate our relationship with Christ, from our relationship with His disciples. May the Lord help us to apply these truths in our relationships with each other!

2 comments:

David L. McMullen said...

Hi Pal,

Good thoughts.

Once we discussed, or I think we did, the fact that sin is the violation of the person/personage of Christ Himself. This is much the same in the thought of how One treats others. Christians making up the Church and the Body of Christ, to offend one is the offend the person/personage of Christ Himself and a violation the of the Body of Christ as much as if you spat in His very face. In fact it is a conscious effort on the part of each individual and his sole responsibility to esteem others greater them himself and to treat others as we would be and even better than we wish to be treated. To fail at any time in this area is pretty much asking for the Face of God to be turned against One.

Praying for you!

David L. McMullen

Unknown said...

I just thought I would let you know that I updated my blog on here. Hopefully I will keep it updated. lol
~Dani