The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
Some Bible scholars spend an entire career, indeed, and entire lifetime studying one author or one book. As I read today’s verse, I find myself thinking it might take a lifetime to unpack all that is here. In truth, that is my experience with this verse. Am I beginning to understand it and fathom its depths? I somehow doubt it.
When I was young, I think I was in my 20’s, I highlighted the very last part in my Bible, the part about Jesus revealing himself to me. To me, these many years later, that looks like the lesser part. Now it is almost mind blowing to think that we are loved by Jesus and even the Father. How long can you meditate on that? There is also a recognition of us loving Christ. We love him, he loves us and the Father loves us too. For me, these days, I find those are the most powerful concepts. Revelation comes in the love relationship. So, now we know to seek the Father and Son; to love them with all our hearts, minds and souls and revelation is simply a by-product of that relationship.
This verse isn’t done with us though. “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” Unpack that! “My commandments,” Jesus says. Of what commandments does he speak? So first, we must have those commandments, meaning we need to know Jesus’ words, recognize his commandments and understand what he asks of us. That is a truckload by itself and yet, it doesn’t include Jesus’ entire statement for he said that we must also keep those commandments. Those who have the commandments and keep them, or do them, that is the one who loves Jesus. Wow! So, saying I love Jesus probably doesn’t completely satisfy him. It is when I do what he has said that he knows I love him. Of course, we all know the ultimate commandment, the one commandment, that we love one another just as he has loved us, but how did he love us? That begs us to go deeper and ask more questions.
Do you see what I mean about this verse? There are several major concepts here. Taken by themselves they are huge, but they also prompt many more questions requiring more study and introspection. Here is what I wish to leave you with though. John heard Jesus speak these words, words which promised the love of the Father and the love of the son. These words, he took to heart. He believed and became the apostle known to the world as the Apostle of Love. He gained power and revelation like no other because he put love first. He understood which part of Jesus’ statement was of the first importance and humbly put his focus there.
Pull this verse apart for yourselves and leave a comment as to what it means to you.