Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 15,9-17

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

Today’s Gospel is imbued with a beautiful word that appears six times in this passage, LOVE!! The Greek word for “love” is agape, the highest form of love, and it is used to refer to God’s love for humans. Agape refers to a sacrificial, unconditional, and deliberate love not an emotional love; it emphasizes the intentional action of loving rather than a feeling of love.

After describing himself as the “True vine” and encouraging his disciples, the branches, to abide in him, Jesus expresses that the intimate love relationship he has with his disciples is based on the love—agape—the Father has for him, and calls his disciples to abide, remain in his love. Jesus’ disciples have experienced so far, the agape, the divine love embodied in Jesus, and now they are asked to live according to it, to enter the agape community.

Jesus says that there is only one way to abide in his love and that is keeping his commandments, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (15,10). Jesus’ teachings about love, rather than abstract concepts, were actions of justice, solidarity, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and healing. So, he calls his disciples to remain faithful to his teachings through showing divine love in the world.  Jesus’ disciples are signed with the agape love of Jesus and are called to transform hate and hostility into kindness and tenderness.

This passage contains the heart of Jesus’ teachings, his primary commandment: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (15,12). What a great commitment for Jesus’ disciples because with this commandment, Jesus reminds them of the sacrificial sense of divine love: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (15,13).  What a revolutionary and transformational way of loving!

Today, in what ways do we lay down our lives for our friends, our beloved, our neighbors?

Sisters and brothers, we live in a world of hate, hostility and wars where instead of seeking each other’s well-being, humans threaten and harm their neighbors.  Among this world, Jesus calls his disciples, us, the agape community to embody God’s love.  Let’s start with our closest neighbors, the ones we cross paths with every day, the ones we celebrate our faith with, our neighborhood...

Let us transform our world. Let us put an end to conflicts and wars. Let us be the agape community.

Amen.