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July 27, 2024
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The teachings of Jesus were a radical shift in the Jewish mind, especially in the area of love. He had already addressed loving our enemies, and now He turns His focus on those who are close to us.
The casual reading of John 15:13 would seem to imply we should be willing to physically die for our friends – take a bullet for them, fall on a grenade for them, etc. If this was the intent of Jesus’ words, then from a practical standpoint, it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime. It seems unusual that Jesus would require us to do something that we would most likely never have to do.
If we look a little closer at the verse, however, we notice the word life is not the Greek word bios, which defines our physical life. It is the word psyche, which is the primary word used for soul. We know from our fathers of faith, primarily Kenneth E. Hagin, that the soul is made up of the mind, the will, and our emotions. The only part of our soul that fits what Jesus asks us in John 15:13 is our will.
What Jesus is asking us to do is to give up our will, our choices, our desires, and what we want to do for the benefit of our friends. Our free will is the greatest gift that the Lord gave us, and it follows that the greatest act of love would be to give away our greatest gift.
When our friend calls us on Tuesday to ask for help, but we have other plans, the greatest act of love is to yield our will for the benefit of our friend and help them. When a friend calls and asks for financial support, but we have set that money aside for a new toy, the greatest act of love is to yield our will for our friend and assist them. It is only when we must yield our will that this amazing love is manifested.
This gives new insight into what Jesus said about Himself in John 10:
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
As before, we immediately think Jesus is talking about dying on the cross for us with His physical body. However, in the same way that life in John 15:13 was the Greek word psyche, so it is in John 10:11. Jesus was not saying that the good shepherd physically dies for the sheep; He is saying the good shepherd gives up what He wants to do for the benefit of the sheep.
Jesus giving up what He wanted to do for our benefit was so much bigger than His death on the cross. He left glory in heaven to come to the earth – no doubt He would have preferred heaven. He had to live with limitations on the earth – being tired, slowly traveling from one place to another, being in only one place at a time. No doubt, He prefers being the unlimited God He is.
Jesus had to go to the cross, but what sane person prefers that over alternatives? But the ultimate gift of Jesus’ will for our benefit – the one thing He anguished over everything else was to be separated from the Father for the first time in eternity while on the cross.
This is what He dealt with in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:38-39 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Jesus’ sorrow was not the shame or physical pain He would endure on the cross – many martyrs since then have bravely gone to their deaths. Jesus knew that for the first time, He would not know the beautiful presence of the Father for three days. This caused great heaviness upon Jesus.
I am so thankful He dealt with this conflict in prayer until He was able to utter the most important words in the plan of redemption – “…nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will.” These words allowed Jesus to go to the cross, to suffer its shame, to be separated from the Father as He was forsaken, to physically die and spend three days in the region of the damned, but to arise gloriously on the third day in complete victory.
Yielding His will to the will of the Father is the greatest act of love humanity has ever witnessed. It is the same love Jesus is now requiring of us. I choose to yield my will for the benefit of those around me with the same love Jesus expressed to us.
Dr. Chip Beaulieu and his lovely wife, Chris, pastor Word of Truth Church in Dayton, Tennessee. Chip was born again as a teenager and traveled with his pastor to many locations in the US and around the world. In 2010, Chip and Chris started a weekly Bible study. In 2013, it was time to grow the weekly Bible study into a full local church. Their commission from the Lord is to teach faith and raise up strong individuals and families for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
