So committed was Jesus to living a creative, rather than 'conventional' or 'counter' life, that he was willing to do the unthinkable in expressing his love for… his disciples… he was willing to stoop, and wash their feet.

All of this served to set the stage for one of the most potent messages of the entire ministerial record of Jesus. After he gains the attention of those at the Last Supper, Jesus tells them that he has a "new"… commandment to give them.

Listen to his words, "I give you a 'new' commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another" (John 13:34).

What we lose in the English translation of this we pick up in the Greek. This "new" command Jesus is giving is not new in "time" - even the O.T. saints were told the importance of love… this "new" command was something that was kainos, that is, new in the sense of being 'unused' or in the sense of something 'not previously present'… it was something 'unknown' …strange, or remarkable.'

In other words, Jesus was calling forth a kind or quality of love that the world had never before seen.

He was calling his disciples to go deeper than anything they had ever before practiced or perhaps even imagined.

What Jesus had in mind was something so new that his disciples wouldn't be able to grasp it until it was over. What Jesus had in mind was a journey that, rather than avoiding pain or darkness, headed straight for it… and by taking this route, the journey of Jesus enabled him to go right "through" it.

For his disciples, initially, it would be a different story. Except for John, they would run away from the pain, away from the darkness. Their view of love and love's call to action was much different than this "new" idea into which Jesus was calling them. So new was this love that it only could be described as "remarkable."

It is interesting to me to see the centrality that love plays in the journey of Jesus. I guess I best see this by tracking the way it is employed as John writes his account of Jesus' ministry.

For the first 12 chapters of his book, John records the word "love" twelve times… but from John chapter 13 through the end of the book it will be employed some forty-four times!

You see, the closer we get to the cross and then beyond the cross and back into the lives of the disciples, the new qualities of a love that goes far beyond words will be used over and over again.

We best understand this and the centrality of the role of love in light of what Jesus says next: In John 13:35 he tells them that "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

First he invokes a new and fresh and unused love in order to make a remarkable realization take place before the eyes of their heart.

Then he cements his point by tying this type of remarkable love to the way all followers will walk in this world.

Both of these messages are points that we cannot miss. As followers, 21 centuries later, we are still to take our place in the story. Every generation is to know its role in a story that continues to be relevant to the world… and that role, above all else, is to love.

As we mention today in our daily audio lesson, the practice of presence, returning to God is a return to love; and a return to love is a return to our true selves.

Perhaps this principle is why we see love beginning to appear more frequently the closer Jesus gets to the cross and the once-for-all sacrifice that will reunite humanity back to the Father.

For Jesus, as with us, it is a return to the Father… and therefore, a return to love.

Just think what could happen in our day if those who profess an allegiance to the story of Jesus could be caught up in a new commandment just as Jesus instructed the earliest believers to do.

Imagine what a love that was "new in kind, remarkable, new in the sense of being unused or in the sense of something not previously present" were unleashed upon humanity today? Think of the impact. Think the societal wrongs that could be righted; the ills that could become cured.

For John, the power of this story moving forward will be a return to the Presence of God: A return to a face-to-face relationship with God and that will be the subject of our next webcast.

This webcast is the 21st program in a series on "The Gospel of John." Listeners are encourage to read along in the Gospel as a way to delve deeper into this study. Programs will be released every two weeks. The "Presence Today" show premiered a year ago and quickly became the leading broadcast of the fulfilled prophecy world. Shows are archived, so viewers can watch them anytime. See full story and instructions.

Viewers with slower modems may also download the program to their computer, rather than view the program online. This will help prevent the audio/video from spooling, if you watch it "offline." Either way, viewers need the RealOne Player, a free browser plug-in. Click here to learn how to get the latest player. Click the "Real Media" button below to view our Jan. 5th program.

The Gospel of John, Pt 21, Jan 5, 2005