Day 5: Everyone Will Know

Up to this point, everyone knew that these guys were disciples of Jesus because it was obvious. They were with Him. They followed Him everywhere. They listened to everything He said. They had been eating and sleeping and travelling with Him for years now. But he had also just told them in verse 33 that he would soon be leaving and that they couldn’t come with him. 

So now what? When Jesus is gone, how will anyone be able to identify them as disciples of Jesus? Jesus has this covered with a “new command” (v34). “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” And then He says that this will be their calling card. This is how someone can spot his disciples from a distance. 

How then? How do they love each other the way that He loved them? This whole conversation is in the context of Jesus having just washed the disciples’ feet. He had shed some outer clothing, wrapped a towel around His waist, got some water, and, presumably, gotten on his knees to wash their nasty feet. All of them. Even Judas.

How do we emulate this? How do we express this kind of others-oriented, self-sacrificing love that Jesus displayed all the way to the cross? How do we identify ourselves with Jesus to the world? How do we know we’re “doing it right?” Well, if you find yourself serving people in inglorious ways - even those who don’t deserve it, and if it’s a bit uncomfortable, and if it’s pretty stinky and your back kinda hurts from bending so low… you’re probably on the right track.