Sixth Sunday of Easter, cycle A

John 14:15 - 21

“If you love me you will keep my commandments” -- Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.” There are some authorities who say that Jesus only gave one commandment -- “Love one another as I have loved you”. There are others who count thirty or even more -- but some of these are strictly speaking not commandments, and many are simply restating Old Testament commandments; and we Christians have already decided that we can pick and choose among those. We eat ham, we don’t mind mixing dairy with meat, we don’t circumcise for religious reasons, we don’t stone people who blaspheme. And some of Jesus' commandments are conditional and directed to individuals, like the rich young man -- “If you would be perfect go sell all you have, give to the poor, and come follow me” -- a commandment that still motivates a few people but not everyone, obviously.

But if you think of human love, love between a parent and child, or between a husband and wife, we can talk about unconditional love, but in reality, every example of human love is in some way conditional -- that means that it’s possible for one party to do something that destroys the love. Sure, a parent of a wayward child can claim to still love the child, but isn’t the love for something which has been lost, rather than the current real situation? Unconditional love is perfect love, and we can try, but we aren’t perfect. So I think the commandments Jesus is talking about are all variations of “Love one another as I have loved you.”

I ran across many commentaries on this passage. Most of them had some reference to the self-sacrificing love of Jesus demonstrated by his willing death on the cross. And some would lead from there to the idea that we aren’t really loving like Jesus until we actually loved, not just pretended to love, those we can’t stand, those outside our circle, those who think differently and act differently. And those are all good points. But when I think about the scene where Jesus is speaking to his apostles before his death -- and while Jesus knew of his upcoming death, I don’t think his apostles actually expected this would happen -- they would be thinking not about the crucifixion but about how Jesus had loved them in the past, and how he wished them to love in the future. And while I may never be able to love everyone with the kind of love Jesus demonstrated on the cross, I can love the way he loved his disciples.

So how did Jesus love his apostles, because those are the people to whom he is speaking. By the way, we know that at the last supper the apostles were there, but an old tradition going back to the second century says that some of the women who followed Jesus were there as well, including Mary Magdalene. So in thinking about how Jesus loved his apostles, Mary Magdalene will be there, at least in my mind.

The first way he loves them is that he is patient with them. Jesus could have done it all; being God, he didn’t need human help to carry out the ministry his Father gave him. But as we can see in the gospels, he takes pains to correct their misconceptions -- over and over again. When James and John seek special recognition, he gently reminds them that that isn’t his job to decide. When they become concerned that someone “not of our band” is teaching in Jesus’ name, he tells them that whoever is with him is not against him. And so on. And we see that he makes no effort to prevent one of them from leaving him. His invitation is gentle, but for those who accept it, he shapes them, teaches them, directs them.

Second, he sees their potential and encourages it. He sends his disciples out to heal, cast out demons, and preach. They return elated. He sends Mary Magdalene to the apostles with the news that he has risen from the dead -- a woman is the first to know, a woman who is a second class citizen in her time. And when Peter and Thomas and Philip at different times recognize his true nature as Son of God, he confirms and expands what they see.

Third, he forgives them. When Peter tells him that he’s wrong to predict his suffering and death, Jesus calls Peter “Satan”, but never wavers in his friendship. When Peter denies that he knows Jesus, on the shores of the lake after the resurrection Jesus puts him in charge of the Church. When his disciples desert him in his last few tortured hours of his life, he comes to them after the Resurrection and offers them peace. When Thomas refuses to believe the disciples, he makes a special appearance to remedy that.

-- to be patient with everyone, to try to bring out the best in the people I meet, to forgive people unreservedly -- these choices are not beyond my capacity. I may not be able right now to love with pure agape love, with total self sacrificing love, but I can love as Jesus loved his disciples. So keep Jesus’ commandments and you will experience his love for you.