John 3:16

Grace, Mercy and Peace be unto you from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

       I found this sign in the Youth Room and it instantly reminded me of Rollen Stewart, the Rainbow Man. Do you remember him? He was the guy in the rainbow-colored wig who would show up at major sporting events in the 70s an 80s, holding up a sign that read “John 3:16.” He assumed that everybody would understand content of his sign. In fact, many people do have that verse memorized. If you are one of those, I invite you to recite it with me: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” Maybe that is your favorite Bible verse, as it is for so many. Mine happens to be the next verse 17: “For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved by Him.”

       It reminded me also of a Bible study I once conducted during Lent that each week we would look at chapter 3, verse 16 passages from various biblical books. That became the basis of our Thursday morning Lenten devotions here at Good Samaritan. And I particularly wanted to save John 3:16 for this day, the final Thursday in the season of Lent, the day we refer to in the church year calendar as Maundy (M-A-U-N-D-Y) Thursday.

       Have you ever heard that before, Maundy Thursday? Or wondered where in the world that title came from? I remember, as a child, thinking it was Monday Thursday, but that didn’t make any sense. Pastor Don shared this information yesterday. The word “Maundy” is a derivation of the Latin word ‘mandatum’ which means commandment. From that we get our words such as ‘mandate’ and mandatory.’ But what does that have to do with this Thursday in Holy Week?

       We may be familiar with the events of that holy Thursday as recorded in the Gospel of John. After last Sunday’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem for the celebration of the festival of Passover on what we now call ‘Palm Sunday,’ on this evening, Jesus gathered with his disciples for a meal. But first Jesus took the time to wash the feet of his disciples. Today we are spending a lot of time washing our hands to cancel the spread of the coronavirus. But, at the time of Jesus, the dirtiest parts of their bodies were their feet, soiled from the dust and mud of their travels in only sandals. The household servants would wash the feet of entering visitors. But it is Jesus who takes the role of the one doing the washing in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah’s anticipation of the Suffering Servant.

       Then Jesus shares his Last Supper with the disciples in words and actions strangely similar to the Passover Seder, but equally strangely different. It is during this meal that Jesus announces that one of them would be handing him over to the Jewish authorities that very night.

       Leaving the Upper Room, Jesus teaches his disciples as they make their way to the Garden known by the Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There Jesus’ prediction would come true in the kiss of Judas. But before all that unfolds, Jesus shares this teaching from 13:31-35 – “When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

       A new commandment (mandatum) to love one another. A mere few hours before his death, the new commandment, the 11^th commandment if you will, is revealed: love one another. It must have sounded similar to the greatest commandment of the Hebrew faith, the great Shema from Deuteronomy 6 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.” In fact, when Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment, he responds with these words, and then adds “and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That is what was new about this commandment in the eyes of Jesus; not only to love God, but to love one another as well.

       It emphasized what Jesus had been doing all night long: washing the feet of the disciples, sharing bread even with the one who would turn him in, praying in earnest with blood, sweat and tears for the disciples, for us and for the world. It was the love he demonstrated throughout his ministry and the love that would lead to his death upon a cross. This is the answer Jesus lives and gives to all the world’s problems and disappointments, to the reality of war and the spread of disease, to betrayal and to doubt – love God and love one another. But if such agape love is a divine characteristic, then how can we be expected to even come close to following suit? (SIGN) John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” The gift of love, agape love, is ours to savor and ours to share.

       Please listen to and sing along with this popular hymn with words by Charles Wesley.

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

1     Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heav'n, to earth come down!

   Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.

   Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;

   visit us with thy salvation, enter ev'ry trembling heart.

2  Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all thy life receive;

   suddenly return, and never, nevermore thy temples leave.

   Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above,

   pray, and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love.

3  Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be;

   let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee!

   Changed from glory into glory, till in heav'n we take our place,

   till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise!

       That song makes me think of two other songs I remember. Back in 1965 Jackie DeShannon sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” How true and even more applicable is that wish, hope, desire and prayer today. Love can drive out all fear, worry, confusion, and conquer sin and death with new life and eternal joy.

Teaching such love to children was a joy of my years of Vacation Bible School. One song the children loved to sing was based on the first epistle of John, chapter 4: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. (Sounds a lot like John 3:16!) In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.”

The apostle continues in verse 19, with words to a song which I will now teach you. “We love, because God first loved us.”

That’s all we need to know. That’s all we need right now. That’s everything we are empowered to do. That’s everything God, in the person of the beloved Son, Jesus, has done for us. Have a blessed Maundy Thursday.

AMEN.