Jesus Planted the Word of Love Deeply in His Disciples

What did Jesus Do?

I write to you…because the Word of God abides in you.
1 John 2:14

I’m not going to say it’s true for every home, but I would venture to say that in many homes, perhaps even in most homes, you will find a box (often an old shoebox) filled with old letters. They might be Dad’s/Grandpa’s letters to Mom/Grandma. Or they could be Father’s letters to his daughter, or Mother’s letters to her son. Letters, maybe some cards as well, the main thing is that they contain words of advice, words of encouragement, words of love. Words that took deep root in the heart of the one who received the letters, and which have been carefully stored and preserved by families for generations.

The Bible contains many different types of written expression. There is history, poetry, and law. Of course there are those very special sacred biographies which we call the Gospels. There are also letters. Letters lovingly written, and carefully held onto and passed down through the many generations of a family, God’s family. To the family they are words of light, words of life, words of love. Through the letters, no less than any of the other parts of Scripture, Jesus planted the Word deeply in His disciples, who were, and who are, his family.

The apostle John considered the Church his family. And, as part of the first generation of believers, John had a rather paternalistic way of looking at the Church—her members were all his “little children”—John’s beloved and cherished family. So John wrote to his children about core beliefs, formative values, that made the family what it was. Every one of the “little children”, every member of the Church, believed and knew that their sins had been forgiven “for the sake of his name.” (1 John 2:12) “For the sake of” should be understood as “on account of” or “because of” the name of Jesus. Forgiven because of his name, Jesus, which means “God saves.” More specifically than God, “Yah,” as in Yahweh, saves. John wrote to the Church whose members all knew the truth about their salvation. John’s “little children” all knew “the Father” as well as the Son. (1 John 2:13c) The Church knows the “how” of her salvation: through the forgiveness of sin. The Church knows the “by whom” of her salvation: Jesus, the Son. And the Church knows the “for whom” of her salvation: the Father.

John knew his generation was quickly passing away, that the Church would very soon have to look beyond the apostles for direction and leadership. So John also wrote to those he called “fathers,” the elders and overseers who had particular responsibility for the spiritual health, safety, and welfare of the family. (1 John 2: 13a, 14a) The faith of the fathers, was rooted in their knowledge of, and relationship with, “him who is from the beginning.” The fathers operated according to the truth about the eternal living God.

The elders were not alone, of course, in the Church. Close behind them were “young men,” and we can confidently add young women as well, to whom John was also speaking in the family. (1 John 2:13b, 14b) This young and rising generation was victorious and strong because, in Christ, it had overcome the devil (“the evil one”) by the power of the very Word of God planted and growing in them.

The cumulative effect of these verses is to assure the Church that we walk in the light and in love not only because of God’s Law (the old/new commandment mentioned in verses 7-8), not only because of our love for one another (verses 9-11), but also because of the power of what we know and believe in, the power of our Christian faith (verses 12-14). The faith of the Church is found and expressed in the Word, John’s letters included, the Word of Love which Jesus himself plants deeply in his disciples.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4