John 15:12-17 - A Devotion

John 15:12-17
"12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever * * you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 "This I command you, that you love one another."

This verse's theme is Jesus' command to His disciples to love one another. He states it in verse 12 and repeats it in verse 17.

We notice the kind of love of which He spoke. This kind of love does not look at a person's status, even if their status seems lower than us. The love Jesus spoke of is qualitatively greater than normal human love. It is a kind of love that would die for a friend. This "friend" comes from the Greek word philos, which means someone so close they are or could be considered family. All Jesus' disciples then are family and worthy for whom to die.

Jesus gave this great depth of love as well as a commission. He is the one who chose you and called you "philos" friend. Jesus is the one who appointed you to go. He is the one who established your connection to the vine by which spiritual fruit could grow. He gives them the ability to grow their fruit because they are part of His family. They can ask anything of the Father and can grow more like Him. Jesus does all these. He requires only one thing - love of God and each other. 

This passage sheds light that the greatest of all the commandments is loving God and loving neighbors. We cannot hide from that. Jesus didn't hide from it, but gave His life so it could occur. He is the one who chose to love us, to establish us as part of His family, and to give us power to have fruit.

Have you forgotten the depth of Jesus' love for you? Have you forgotten that Jesus chose you? Have you been running the race in your own strength. Go back to Jesus and He will remind you of His love for you and His power to make you strong. He will remind you that you are family and renew your place in His family. Let Jesus be the one who gives you strength, encourages you, loves you, and grows your fruit.

Bondservant and Slave

In reading Titus, Paul’s opening statement caught my attention. In the New American Standard version of Titus 1:1, Paul calls himself a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. The Amplified Bible also shows Paul calling himself a bondservant of God. All other translations of the Bible show that Paul called himself a slave or servant of God. Why are there differences in the translations between the first two and all the others? Why did Paul call himself a servant/slave of God? What did it mean in Bible times to be a servant or slave of someone else? How does this relate to anything having to do with us in the 21^st century?

In researching, I have come across a theory as to why the New American Standard and Amplified Bibles read “bond-servant” and all others read servant or slave. It is a unique theory. The thought is that the term slave or servant has a negative connotation since different people groups around the world in the 17^th-19^th centuries enslaved people based on their race. The editors of these two translations were trying to be more politically correct. In addition, they could not imagine why Paul would call himself a slave; the word has such negative connotations. I must admit, if this was the reasoning of the editors of the NASB and AMP versions of the Bible, I can understand their desire to use a word without negative connotations. However, I must note that the Greek word, doulos, that is translated as bondservant here and in Romans and Philippians is the same word translated as slave and servant elsewhere in the New Testament. So, it seems that the word servant or slave is the more correct word to use in Paul’s introductions. Doulos, according to Greek Lexicon, means one who is in a servile position.

Another consideration we must understand is the feeling toward slaves in the biblical times. In the Old Testament, slaves (in Hebrew it is ebed) were people from conquered nations or people who could not pay their debt and sold themselves into slavery/servanthood to pay the debt. If the person was of Hebrew descent, his or her length of servility lasted only until the jubilee year, year 7, at which point all Jewish slaves were given their freedom, their property, and their possessions again. (See Exodus 21 and Leviticus 25:39-43.) You will also notice that the Hebrew slave was not to be treated like a slave from another nation, but as a hired man. He was to be given rights and the master was to treat him with respect. This was not the case for non-Jews. In the New Testament, to be a servant or slave was looked down upon and neither the Romans nor Greeks would ever call themselves a servant or slave or allow themselves to be taken as one. Here we must remember that Paul was a Roman citizen as well as a Hebrew. He was raised in the Greek city of Tarsus and, at the time of his ministry, was a Christian. Each of these distinctions brings its own element to Paul calling himself a servant of God.

Paul’s calling himself a servant of God brought to realization to the readers and hearers of his letters an awareness of how Paul looked at himself in comparison to God. As a man who was born into the Hebrew nation, Paul recognized Yahweh God as greater than himself. As a Levitical priest, trained in the Jewish Law and Prophets, he recognized his “called-out-ness” by God to lead His chosen people. As a man raised in the Jewish Diaspora of Tarsus, a Greek port city, Paul acknowledged the necessity to retain his identity as a Jew. As a Christian called by Jesus Christ through his Damascus road experience (Acts 9:3-18), Paul acknowledged his own smallness in comparison to Jesus’ greatness. Paul recognized his unworthiness as a persecutor of Christians to be saved from his sinful life and called to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. These were the realities Paul faced and acknowledged to be true about himself. They were what brought him to the realization that he was worthy of nothing more than to be a servant of the true God who actually gave him freedom. This reality confronts many of us during our lifetimes and how we react to this reality shows who and whose we are. Paul’s servanthood encompassed his teachings about Jesus and his life in total – actions, attitudes, and speech. His was a conscious choice to recognize his inferiority compared to God and Jesus and to act upon his acknowledgement of their supremacy. Paul chose to be a servant of God. He chose not to be a servant of sin and Satan, but to turn around and give up his life to go where God led him, speak what the Spirit brought to his mouth, endure trials and persecutions, and live with nothing to call his own. Paul chose complete submission to the will of God for his life in the world where God led him.

That brings us to the question of what a bondservant is. A bondservant according to the dictionary is someone who serves without wages. That sounds like abject poverty and leaving oneself open to the possibility of abuse. The answer to that statement is that a bondservant can and often was abused. We must understand the distinction between a bondservant and a servant. A bondservant was unlike a slave who was worked doggedly night and day and had no rights. According to the Bible encyclopedia at http://bibleencyclopedia.com/slave.htm, Hebrew slaves had rights like freedom, justice, elevation, and good treatment. To understand this better, we can read Paul’s writings to slave masters about their responsibilities to slaves and servants and to servants and slaves as to their responsibilities to the master. In Ephesians 6:5-9, Paul wrote,

Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. [NASB]

The word “slave” here is the word doulos. Slaves have the responsibility to be obedient with sincerity. Act to please Christ and not the people who watch, for by acting to please Christ, they show the attitude and heart of Christ in their service. Not only will the slave show Christ to his or her master, but he or she will receive a reward in heaven. Masters are also to enact their rights as master of slaves/servants just as the servant/slave is told. Both the master and the servant will be rewarded in heaven. Paul went even further in Galatians 3:28 when he stated, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In relation to each other, Jesus broke down the distinctions humans put in place. In essence, no one is better than anyone else is because we are all one, the same, in our acceptance and following of Jesus Christ.

This, then, makes Paul’s opening statement in his letters even more remarkable (also Peter, James, Timothy, and Jude). For a man who taught that all are one in Christ, he purposely called himself and put himself in the position as a servant of God. This is what the Amplified and New American Standard Bibles translated doulos in these instances as bondservant. Paul understood that in relation to other humans, we are all the same when we become believers in Jesus Christ. We serve others in love (John 13:34-35). Additionally and more importantly, Paul recognized his relationship to God as being unworthy of God’s love, salvation, and being counted as one of Jesus’ apostles. In recognition of his relationship with God, Paul described his relationship as being a bondservant; he intentionally, voluntarily, and with all understanding made himself a servant of God for life and all eternity. His response to what God the Father and Jesus Christ did for him and meant to him was to bow in humility and life to them. He made himself a bondservant. It was of Paul’s choosing to give up his life – actions, words, and attitude. God was his master and he recognized this and made it known publicly.

We now come full circle with our final question: How does this relate to anything having to do with us in the 21^st century? First, let us remember who God is. God is the creator of the entire universe, including humankind. Our relationship to Him from the beginning is Creator to created. As the Provider of all needs, our relationship to God should still recognize our dependence on Him and our smallness and unworthiness to be taken care of. As the One who loved us so much He could not stand by and see us fall permanently to our own failures (sin), God provided the only means of salvation to cleanse us entirely and eternally, a Savior through His Son, Jesus the Christ. Our relationship to Him acknowledges our unworthiness and thankfulness. Even 2000 years after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus to heaven, God continues to offer this means of salvation. Our relationship to Him is still unworthiness and gratefulness. Hence, the essence of being bondservant is as relevant now as it was when Paul called himself a servant of God in the first century AD. Consider this, too, God called Abraham His servant in Genesis 26:24.

Servanthood is relevant even today in the 21^st century. God is still real. Jesus is still relevant and alive. A relationship with Him is still available. Our response to His love and our unworthiness still provokes a response of absolute devotion and humility in the face of who God is and what He has done for us. It all comes down to us: will we accept God’s love gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus? When we do, not only do we receive forgiveness and eternal life with the triune God, we also recognize His supremacy and out unworthiness. We are returned to a right relationship to God and humankind. We are bondservants to God and servants with other believers in this world living out Jesus’ attitude, words, and actions of love. We are no longer servants of sin and Satan. What prevents you from accepting God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation for eternal life with Him?

Servant to Friend

John 13:14-17 14 "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” [NASB]. 

Notice first off, Jesus calls Himself by two titles, Lord and Teacher. He signifies Himself by the titles the disciples call Him. The title of Lord means the disciples recognized Him as One who has power and is the owner of something or someone. In this instance, they recognized Jesus as the Son of God and the owner of themselves as servants to His command and as owner of the created world. The title of Teacher signifies the disciples acknowledged His proficiency in Hebrew Law and the Prophets and put themselves as His to teach in the ways of the Father, from the past as Creator and Provider to the near future as Savior. By calling Himself the Lord and Teacher, titles the disciples also used, they said they learned from Jesus and obeyed Jesus. The disciples were Jesus’ students and servants.

            Many teachers and preachers have taught this passage about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. This passage has been used as a passage to remind us that we are to serve each other. Yet, something more is there than just that. Jesus stated explicitly, “For I gave you an example… (vs. 15).” Nowhere else in the New Testament did Jesus tell them He was giving them an example. He showed them what to do but never told them explicitly, “This is how you are to be: servants.”

            Let us consider a few things Jesus said about servants. From John 12:26, just a day or two before Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me [NASB].” Jesus reminded the disciples that service to Him means following Him. Jesus added a positive, a promise if you will, that where He is His servant will be. The servants/disciples will be in the kingdom of God with Him. Another passage to consider about servants is Mark 10:42-45,

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But, it is not this way among you, but whomever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” [NASB]

Jesus told the disciples the way to be first for Jesus and the Father was to serve others, “be slave of all.” He offered Himself as an example by telling them that He, too, did not come to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28 [NASB]). Though not explicitly stating the word “example,” Jesus implied servanthood in this passage.

          Jesus set before the disciples in what manner they were to consider themselves and how they were to conduct their lives. The disciples were to be servants. Because Jesus was calling Himself the Son of God and breaking the Sabbath rule by working/healing on that day, the Jews wanted to kill Him. Jesus confronted the Jews and explained for all to hear, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner (John 5:19 [NASB]). Jesus explained that He could only do what He has seen the Father do. Since Jesus is the example to His disciples then and down through the ages, then He is our example today. We can only do what we have seen Him and the Father do.

          So what is Jesus trying to say to us? Since He was a servant to them by washing their feet and plainly told the disciples that He was an example to them and since He said that if we want to be considered first and enter His kingdom, we must be servants and slaves to all, including to Jesus. That is really what this passage is about. Our actions toward others may appear as if we are being servants to them; however, we are serving Christ by serving others. It is a new attitude that is to be considered. Because we serve Christ, we will be like Him, as He showed us in His life and death. When we are servants of Christ, we realize and take upon ourselves the mind of Christ; we humble ourselves. See Philippians 2:3-8,

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [NASB]

          Jesus humbled Himself and became human because of the Father’s love for us, the love the triune God has for us. His humbling of Himself, His servant life, and His sacrificial death, bring us to reverential awe for Him. As we stand before God, we are speechless and can only bow in love and servitude to Him. Jesus told them, as He had just a little time left with them, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another (John 13:34 [NASB]). Jesus left them with a final commandment that goes along with the greatest commandment (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27 [NASB]). How would the disciples be known to be Jesus disciples? They were to love everyone. Jesus, in John 14:15, reminded them of this commandment when He said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments [NASB].

            Jesus has given His disciples for the last 2000 years an example. We are to be servants. We are to have an attitude of humility because He is God – Creator, Provider, and Savior. Jesus did not come down in human form because we are loveable. We are each darkened with sin. He came down because of His love for who we were created to be – His friends. Jesus spoke of this to His disciples in John 15:15, "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you [NASB]. Because Jesus came to earth in human form, taught and loved us up to and through His death, we see true servanthood. It is not being subservient and submissive to the person to whom we serve, though that can happen. It is being submissive and servant to our Father and Savior because of their great love for us. Because if this great love for us and our surrendering/yielding our lives to Him, Jesus can say we are not just servants, but we are His friends.

We are to serve because we reverence and love God. We are to serve because Jesus gave us the example, His great love enacted through His life and death. We are to serve because it is the commandment He gave to His disciples. Mostly, we are to serve, because He calls us His friend. We must decide for ourselves whether we will serve Jesus. This service requires following His example, surrendering our whole selves to His purpose, that all may know (as John said in John 20:31). Will you love God with your life?