The Greatest Love

The Greatest Love

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 15:13–14

Christ uses friendly and kind words in this passage to convince his disciples of the importance of the command he was giving to them. He reminds them of his own example of how he loved them and of all that he had done for them. It would take a great and powerful love for someone to give another person in need one hundred dollars, one thousand dollars, or even to pay off that person’s entire debt. But think how amazing it would be for a king to give a poor beggar an entire city—even his own kingdom, land, and people. The entire world would hold this up as an unprecedented act of love. But that would be trivial compared to Christ giving his body and life for you. This is certainly the highest expression of love a person can show to another on this earth. People can love and serve others with their money, their property, and even their lives. But everyone would rather give up their money and property, their land and people, than die for someone else. Even if someone did that, it still would be nothing compared to God sending his Son from heaven. It would be nothing compared to God’s Son taking your place, willingly shedding his blood and dying for you, even though you were his enemy and were condemned. This love is greater and higher than heaven and earth and anything else you could name.

What will you do for Christ in return? Even if you gave your life for your neighbor, what is that compared to his life? But Christ doesn’t even ask that much of you, except in emergencies, of course, when you should risk your life to save others. Christ simply asks you to show love to your neighbor in a tangible way.