Today’s reflection was written and delivered by Kathy R. Smith.
John 13: 31-35
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man[a] to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son,[b] he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
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This passage starts off with a very interesting statement, “As soon as Judas left the room…”. Jesus waited until Judas was gone to instruct the disciples on upcoming events, how they should handle themselves, and what they should know about him.
Jesus wanted them to know that he loved them, and that it was necessary to leave them for a while. He explained how he had to enter “his Glory,” which meant his coming death on the cross. He explained how God would receive Glory from his son because of the sacrifice his Son will make. He explains that they will search for him, but will not be able to find him. All of these things, Jesus said to the disciples, AFTER Judas had left to commit his betrayal.
Then, when he finished explaining to them how he would have to leave them, he ended with a powerful and challenging statement, “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” What a beautiful parting statement from the Savior to the disciples and also to us thousands of years later. “Love each other.” It was the very reason, this love, that would lead him to the cross to save and heal us all.
And again, he said none of this until “Judas left the room.” These wonderful directives that Jesus left his disciples were not heard by Judas because he had left the room. Jesus knew that Judas had made his choice, and he knew his statements would have been lost on Judas. Judas had spiritually left Jesus long before he physically left the room.
During this Easter season, let us try to follow Jesus’s call to love one another, showing compassion and understanding even when we don’t want to. And in those times we don’t want to follow this call - we ask Jesus to give us his heart so that we can show true and sincere love, not fake and counterfeit love that that we see so much of today. Don’t miss out on God’s goodness, his love, his understanding, and his kindness because you, too, have left the room.
Let us pray: Loving God, teach us to love one another even as you have loved us. May we always be present and receptive as you teach us and guide us. In Christ we pray, Amen.