Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The gospel reading today is from that part of John just prior to the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus is teaching his disciples in preparation for the events that are to come. He is teaching them how to read the events to come in a way that would seem impossible to us.

We want life, and we seek to hold on to our lives as though being alive is all that matters. It is no surprise that we think of eternal life as simply an extension of this life. The Gospel of John is concerned with eternal life but not in the sense of quantity. Eternal life in John and the New Testament is a qualitative transformation of life as we know it.

Simply put, eternal life is a life that has been transformed by a power that makes us free from our fear of death. Eternal life is the power to live as vulnerable beings subject to disease, physical hardship, and anxieties. These threats to our lives constantly cause us to turn inward and live out of a concern for ourselves only.

In the Gospel of John such a life is not much different than death. For life lived in fear and self-preservation cuts us off from our neighbor. Our neighbor is no longer someone who shares in the gift of life, just as we have received it. We attempt to use our neighbor, our spouse, our co-workers as a means to our goals and purposes. That means that we elevate ourselves to a position above them.

But our vulnerable and anxious lives are cut off from God. As soon as we have elevated ourselves above our neighbor, we put ourselves in the place of God. By putting ourselves in the place of God, we promote ourselves to a position we are not qualified or capable of living. We play a dangerous game called the “Peter principle.” We humans promote ourselves beyond our actual abilities in business and social affairs. We also promote ourselves beyond our competency in spiritual affairs.

We should take seriously the central focus in John when we hear the familiar words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). The incarnation of the Son is a gift to us motivated by God the Creator who desires to re-establish a new relationship which conforms more the original relationship to God and neighbor.
Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (15:9). With this statement Jesus lays the foundation stone. It is not our love of God but rather God’s love for us and our neighbor that opens a path to peace, love and joy.

Jesus wants his disciples to be prepared for his death. Jesus teaches them and us to see in his obedience to the Father a radically different way that reveals the truth of our existence and results in life eternal. And what is eternal life for Jesus but that life which is no longer determined by death and our fear of death. Jesus shows us who we are.

We are the beloved of God. This is the truth of our existence. Jesus says to his disciples that they are his friends. We should be very careful about this term, friend. This word is not like our friendships that have often a kind of quid pro quo character. The Greek word is philos. The word is translated as love, and in the Gospel of John philos and its cognates are exchangeable with agape and its cognates. Perhaps today we would translate Jesus as saying. “I have called you beloved” (vs. 15). Jesus is about to reveal the meaning of this love by his laying down his life for his beloved.

Dear congregation, the love of God in Christ Jesus calls us to a life of love. When Jesus says, “You are my friends,” we are transformed by the realization that God loves us. It is not because of anything we have done on our part, but because it is God’s nature to love even when we have ceased loving God.

Jesus is the Word come in the flesh and is there for the fleshy proclamation of God’s love. In the promise that we are the beloved of God comes the new command that we love one another. In the Gospel of John the commandments are the same as the commandment.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

This commandment is not to be confused with any kind of moralism. How could it be? We will not be judged at the end of time by our conformity or lack of conformity to the moral codes our day. We will be judged by God’s mercy and loving kindness. The standard is so high so as to judge us in our self-righteousness. The standard of God’s love is so deep that we are transformed by its power to make us more concerned about serving than being served.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:12-14)

And the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.