Show or Tell???

Your Bible Boost

Pastor Leonard Navarre

Show or tell???

In John 13 we find Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples.  As John 13:1 says, “it was just before the Passover feast.  Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved His own who were in the world, He show them the full extent of His love.”

All seem to have a fascination with John’s writings.  For you see, it was only John, among the gospel writers who had an intimate friend in Jesus Christ.  Matthew was not among the inner four; Luke, as far as we know, never met the Lord in person; Mark was a young man at the time of the Crucifixion.  Only John knew Jesus well.  And, his writings reflect it.  His writings are full of personal kinds of remembrances you find when the author knows about someone he loves deeply.  So, it is apt, therefore, that John begins the story of the Last Supper with the words, “He now showed them the full extent of His love”.

So, may I ask you?  How did Jesus show the full extent of His love?  We probably would say, “at the cross”.  Well, yes, you would be right.  However, I believe this verse, John 13:1 is simply the beginning of the acts leading to His crucifixion that show us Jesus’ love.

It is not just His love but “the full extent” of His love.   It was as if He were saying, “now you will see it all”.  We see it here in the Upper room, in the garden, at the trial, at the questioning, at the beating and finally at the cross.  Is there any greater love than a person giving their life for another?

Look again at the first.  Not just “His love”, not just the “full extent of His love” — look at the verb.  He SHOWED them.  He did not just tell them; He introduced to them a startling new doctrine.  That of not only saying, “I love you” but SHOWING how much I love you by my actions.

Jesus, the Lord and Master, proceeds to take a basin of water and a bowl and WASH their feet.  No servant, no butler, no attendant at the meal had done so.  Not even any of the disciples.  BUT JESUS DID!  He took on the attitude of a servant.  Saw a need and responded.  Someone once said, “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.

Is there someone in your life that needs to be shown the “full extent of your love”?  Maybe it’s your husband?  Your wife? Your children? Your neighbor?  Someone at the office?

Remember, WE ARE JESUS’ FULL EXTENT OF LOVE TO THIS WORLD!

Are we just telling the world?  Or are we SHOWING the world His love?