Written by: Brian Crawford
Scripture Focus: John 13:33-36
What are you known for?
Take a moment to reflect on this question. Imagine the people you encounter daily—your family, coworkers, the barista at the coffee shop, the person behind you in traffic. How would they describe you? Would their first thought be love?
Now, take a step back and ask yourself another question: What is the Church known for today? What about your local church? If someone outside the faith were to describe us, would they point to love as our defining characteristic?
In John 13:34-35, Jesus speaks directly to what should define His followers:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus is clear: love is not just an ideal—it’s the defining mark of His disciples. Without it, we lose our authenticity, our relevance, and ultimately, our witness.
What Are We Known For?
Let’s be honest: answering this question can be uncomfortable.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, addressed this very issue with sobering clarity:
“There was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed… But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.”
Dr. King’s words resonate as much today as they did in 1963. If the Church is not known for its love, what are we known for? Is it our politics, our traditions, or our silence and indifference in the face of injustice?
Jesus’ words in John 13 call us to a higher standard. We are to love in a way that is so extraordinary, so countercultural, that the watching world cannot help but say, “They must be with Jesus.”
What Kind of Love?
The love Jesus calls us to is not abstract or undefined. It is rooted in His own example:
“Love one another, just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
This is what sets Christian love apart. It’s not conditional (“I love you until…”), transactional (“I love you because of what you can do for me…”), or purely emotional (“I love you when I feel like it…”).
No, Jesus calls us to love in a way that reflects His humility, inclusiveness, and sacrifice. Let’s break that down further:
Love Through Humble Service
Earlier in John 13, Jesus demonstrates this love by washing the feet of His disciples:
“He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet.” (John 13:4-5)
This task, reserved for the lowliest of servants, was taken on by the King of the Universe. Why? Because true love humbles itself to serve others.
It’s easy to love from a position of comfort or power, but Christlike love often requires us to get down in the dirt. It’s love that shows up in the least glamorous moments, when no one is watching, and no one is applauding.
Are you willing to serve others from a place of humility? Are you open to loving people even when it means stepping into lowly or inconvenient roles?
Love Without Selectiveness
Jesus’ love is not selective. He washed the feet of Peter, who would deny Him, and Judas, who would betray Him. Both men would fail Him in unimaginable ways, yet He loved and served them without hesitation.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)
This kind of love is rare. It’s easy to love those who love us back, but what about those who hurt us, disagree with us, or stand against us? Jesus’ love challenges us to go beyond what is comfortable and love those who seem the most unlovable.
Are there people or even groups of people in your life you struggle to love—across cultural, ethnic, racial, or even political lines. How might Jesus be calling you to extend grace and kindness to them?
Love Through Sacrifice
Finally, Jesus’ love is sacrificial. In John 13:36-38, He prepares His disciples for the ultimate act of love: laying down His life for them.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
This kind of love requires self-denial. It asks us to put others before ourselves, even when it costs us something—our comfort, our time, our resources, or even our lives.
In a culture that often prioritizes self-exaltation, sacrificial love is radically countercultural. It stands in stark contrast to the message of “You deserve…” or “Protect your rights above all else.”
What opportunities do you have to deny yourself for the sake of loving others more fully? How can you sacrificially leverage your time, talent, treasure, and tenacity to love like Jesus?
The Source of This Love
If this kind of love feels impossible, it’s because it is—on our own.
The good news is that Jesus doesn’t ask us to muster this love from within ourselves. He is both the source and the motivation for our love.
Because He humbled Himself and came down from the heavens for us, we can serve others.
Because He loved us without selectiveness despite our betrayal and denial, we can love the difficult people in our lives.
Because He sacrificed Himself for us, we can lay down our lives for others.
And because He has given us His Spirit, we have the power to love in ways that reflect Him.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
A Call to Action
So, what are you known for?
Is your life marked by the extraordinary, countercultural love of Jesus? Is your church known for its love, or are other things taking center stage?
This week, let’s commit to living out the kind of love that Jesus calls us to—a love that humbles itself, extends grace freely, and sacrifices for the good of others. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to shape us into people who reflect Christ’s love so fully that the world takes notice and begins to acknowledge “those people follow Jesus”.
When we love like Jesus, we show the world who He is and who we follow.
Amen.
