Love One Another

In the reading for Wednesday in Holy Week, Jesus tells his disciples, "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."

Jesus commands his disciples to follow his example of love. But Jesus example was that he loved not just the lovely, but the unlovable. He loved Samaritans, lepers and other outcasts. In so doing, he broke down barriers between people. Clean and unclean, sinner and saint, were categories that seemed to mean nothing to Jesus. Jesus saw everyone as a child of God, then he challenged his followers to do the same. Here's an earlier sermon on Jesus' commandment to love one another.