What's New in that New Commandment from Jesus

Easter celebration this year. Photo: Paul Kelley

"I give you a new commandment," Jesus says to his disciples in John 13.31-35, "that you love one another as I have loved you." Fr. Roger Allen, Rector of St. James Episcopal Church, Marietta, posed an interesting question. What's "new" about that commandment, since it's bedrock Hebrew scripture?

Fr. Roger took the unusual step of reading the verses of Leviticus 19 that lead up to the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. In this context, we appreciated how Leviticus recasts the ten commandments as different aspects of loving our neighbors, including the way we're commanded to share our bounty with the poor, to protect the vulnerable, to be honest and fair in our dealings with others, and why? "Because I am the Lord your God."

The newness of the commandment when Jesus says it, is in the context of incarnation: God placing himself on the line, and we, doing the same, as God's body on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Fr. Roger drew on the wonderful reading that we heard from Acts in which Peter hears the angel say, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." Motivated by the vision, Peter drew Gentile men into the movement. Peter's adversaries fall silent, then praise God for sharing the same holy spirit with the Gentiles as with them. Fr. Roger pointed out that it was not argument or rhetoric but a story of relationship that affected Peter's adversaries.

With a quick survey of the gospels, Fr. Roger broadened the idea of love beyond that nice feeling we usually associate with the word to include a dozen other Gospel passages about healing, providing, forgiving -- including (I recall) feeding 5000, the Good Samaritan, the father who forgave his Prodigal Son.

"Love," he quoted Ursula Leguin, “doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” Fr. Roger drew the connection to our rite of communion through bread and wine.

Fr. Roger asked us how we think the Church is doing with this "new" commandment. He repeated a witticism, that Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven, but all he got was the church. Fr. Roger asked us to compare our church today to what was described in ancient history. The early church truly was distinctive, known for the care taken of its members by its members, and the courage and endurance they showed under persecution -- without rancor.

Fr. Roger took another unusual step into current events. The shooting in Buffalo had captured everyone's attention that morning. Fr. Roger put that in the context of the clash of worldviews we have today, that anger and hatred we see in the shooter's adoption of the "replacement" conspiracy.

Fr. Roger held out the hope that we can make a difference by doing what Jesus commands. He also led us in prayer for our enemies: not just for justice to befall them, but for them to be led to rightness.