Jesus set the pattern for his followers. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He had given the new commandment. “Love one another as I have loved you.” In his agony, and out of love for the Father, he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for assurance that the cross was truly the divine will. Out of love for all who might benefit from his bestowal of loving service, he gave assurance of eternal life to the thief on the cross who turned to him for salvation.
Watch the 8:28 video or listen to the podcast episode.
A friend of mine who lives in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, sent me a prayer request on February 15, 2022, when the world was expecting Russia to attack. I had sent him a message with a prayer of hope for him and his family. This was his reply. “Jeffrey—if you will—I invite you to pray for the individuals who are at the frontier of defending justice and saving the souls and bodies of the people of the world. Pray for those who can influence life-saving decisions wherever they are at this world – in Ukraine or elsewhere. For those who serve others the best they can, for the better future and the progress of our world. For them to have bravery, strength and inspiration.”
This series of reflections on leadership and teamwork has no direct relationship to geopolitics. In this communication, I am interested in Jesus as a leader and what commands his followers to be and do.
In the New Testament Gospel According to John, chapter 15, we read Jesus’s words, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” We are to be fruitful branches, and we do that by abiding or staying in him. That way his life can flow through us. Then he says, “You are my friends if you keep my commandments.”
Flashback. What are his commandments? For starters, You shall love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Back to John 15. Said Jesus, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” And then comes a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. . . . These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
How shall we ascend to that level of love? Here are two ideas. First, form a habit of resolving in certain types of challenging situations that you would lay down your life if God said, “Your hour has come.” Before I go into a personal example, let me make clear. Being willing to lay down your life does not necessarily make you great. I aspire to greatness, but only my actions can qualify me for that.
There was a time in my life when I was doing everything possible to replace looking at a woman erotically with seeing her as a divinely created, infinitely loved daughter of God. Whenever I would find myself moving in the erotic direction, I would resolve: I will lay down my life for this sister if she is attacked and the Father says, “Go for it.”
Second, win the inner victory of replacing physical fear by spiritual courage; and then you need have no fear of the outward victory. Early this morning I was recalling my cowardly behavior on a bus in Geneva, Switzerland. I saw a pick pocket bump into the guy standing in front of me, take his wallet, and immediately pass it to his accomplice two rows back. They got off at the next stop and were gone. And I said nothing and did nothing. This morning I thought through how I would respond in that situation today. I replayed that new intention, and felt much better.
In his farewell discourse, Jesus emphasized the love of those for whom we bestow our lives. A great example is the thief on the cross who asks Jesus for salvation and receives his assurance of eternal life. In the agony of his prayer in the garden at Gethsemane, Jesus made the final loving choice for the will of the Father. The gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man / parenthood of God and siblinghood of humankind is ideally exhibited in the discourse, the garden, and the cross.
Credits.
The Agony in the Garden, 1851 Eugene Delacroix.
Titian (1490-1576), c. 1566, in the collection of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna.
Faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain. This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain in the United States.
Thank you Jeff.