As we continue our study of 2 John, we pick up at verse 5. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John writes:
“And now dear Lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.” (2 John 5)
At the Last Supper, though they did not know what was happening, Jesus was preparing His disciples for the upcoming events that would change everything for mankind through His death, burial and resurrection. . He taught them many glorious things as we see in the gospels. Some by tell, some by show..
In John 13: 4-17, we see where He washed their feet to set an example of oneness. As He washed their feet it was to show that no one is superior to another. That each of us are worthy of love, honor, and respect, and should treat each other accordingly. In John 13:34-35, we hear Jesus saying, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
The new command Jesus spoke of was not to “love one another”. The Lord gave that command to Moses hundreds of years before, as we see in Leviticus 19:18. He said, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am Lord.” Jesus had quoted this as we see in Matthew 22:37-39, when He was asked about which was the greatest commandment in the Law: He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (first given in Dt.6:5) He said, “This is the first and greatest commandment .And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” This is what John was speaking of when he said, “I am not writing you a new command.”
The new command Jesus spoke of was to “Love one another as I have loved you.” The old Law was all about our external actions. Our work. Doing things we are required to do. This can get to be tiring, and meaningless – just a matter of going through the motions. The new Law of Christ is about the flow of love from within. “Because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”(Romans 5:5) This love flows out from us through grace, and mercy, and unconditional love. We love because we choose to. This is how He loves us. This is how He asks us to love one another.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance, God’s Beloveds. You are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by Him, and in Him.
Poppa B.