John 15:12-17 * May 17, 2009 * Easter 6 * Pastor Leyrer

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one would kill him.” Perhaps you recall the when and the why behind that statement. In the event it’s a bit hazy, let’s review.

Cain and Abel were two of the children of Adam and Eve. Their sad story is recorded for us in Genesis chapter four. In the chapter before it (Genesis 3) we learn how sin entered the world and changed man’s relationship with God. In Genesis chapter four we see how quickly sin took root in the hearts of men and changed their relationship with each other. That’s where the two brothers come in.

In a fit of jealousy/sibling rivalry Cain killed his brother Abel and became the first murderer. Then, when confronted by God, Cain chose denial over confession. He inferred that he had no knowledge of Abel’s whereabouts and uttered the infamous question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

You may remember that when the Lord pronounced judgment on Cain he expressed the fear that someone would do to him what he had just done to Abel. God told him that would not happen, and then to assure him of this: “the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one would kill him.”

The original wording of that statement in the Hebrew language can be understood a couple of different ways, but the impression I grew up with (maybe you, too – and which very well may be true) was that from that moment on Cain bore some distinctive and distinguished physical mark that set him apart from everyone else and served as notice to everyone he came into contact with that this man had been dealt with by God.

This is all interesting, but perhaps by now you’re wondering why our sermon text for today is being introduced by recalling an Old Testament Bible story. Here’s the connection: in the Word before us Jesus tells us that we as His disciples are to bear a mark just as distinctive and distinguished as the one borne by Cain.

The mark of the Christian, Jesus says, is love. So this morning we’d like to examine what Jesus has to tell us about

THE CHRISTIAN’S DISTINGUISHING MARK

1. Love as a command

2. Love as a reflection

3. Love as a witness

¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Jesus addressed these words to His disciples on Maundy Thursday night. Actually, He’s repeating something He said earlier in the evening. After providing a striking object lesson in love, care and selflessness by washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus declared: “A new command I give you, love one another.”

The almost identical words of our text were spoken later in the evening, probably while they were making their way to the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane was there, where Jesus would spend time in prayer. After that He would be captured, condemned and, the next day, crucified.

Both the timing and the repetition are significant. Jesus has only a few short hours to spend with His disciples. He needs to make them count. When you know you have only a few hours left, you don’t spend time peripheral issues; you talk about the things that matter most. So He speaks on the important subject of Christian love.

This is something He had taught them implicitly throughout His ministry. But now He becomes very explicit on the subject. And we’ll note that He talks not in terms of suggestions or helpful hints or even strong encouragement, but uses a much stronger word. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

At first – and as we apply these words to ourselves – it may seem strange for Jesus to command us to love each other; kind of along the lines of somebody commanding a person who hates vegetables to not only eat their broccoli but to also enjoy it. And, truth be told, this is a strange command if we consider “love” only according to its common, worldly definition as strictly an emotion or a warm fuzzy feeling...

However, when we understand that the Bible defines love primarily as an action rather than an emotion, what Jesus says makes perfect sense.

The classic section on Christian love, as many of us know, is 1 Corinthians 13. There we read these familiar words (and note that they are action words rather than feeling words): ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The point of Christ’s command to us, then, is that we are to practice the activity of love toward each other on a regular, ongoing basis. Sometimes this is a lot of work, because you know what? Not everybody is loveable (including ourselves at times, right?). In fact, the Lord seems to make sure that there will always be some hard-to-love people dotting the landscape of our lives.

And it must be said that a fuller understanding of God’s Word on this subject shows us that Jesus is not telling us to not hold people accountable for their actions or to not bring things to their attention that should be brought to their attention, because that, too, is love. But what Jesus is emphasizing for us here is that acting in a loving way toward others is not dependent upon how others act toward us. We are simply to be loving because He asks us to be. In doing so we reflect His love. “Love each other as I have loved you.”

“… As I have loved you.” Jesus, of course, is the embodiment of the love we as His followers are to reflect before a watching world. And we know the depth of His love for us: ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. That is precisely what Jesus did. Actually Jesus is being a bit modest here. He laid down His life not just for His friends, but for the whole world. Quite literally we can say that Jesus loved us to death.

As a result, we who have been forgiven much through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as our substitute and sacrifice can and will love much. The same selfless kind of love shown to us we are now to show others. Certainly our stubborn sinfulness and our chronic self-centeredness render us imperfect in carrying this out. Chances are most of us can think more of our failures in this area than our accomplishments. For that we have a loving and forgiving God. Nevertheless this is the pure desire that resides within the heart of all who follow Jesus as Lord and Master.

It is this kind of statement by our Lord that moved Martin Luther to comment that Christians are to be nothing less than “little Christs” to their neighbors. In the same way the Apostle Paul urges and encourages us in his letters to be imitators of Christ...

Because Christian love is not only a reflection of Christ, it is also a powerful witness for Christ. Toward the end of this section Jesus says: ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Here we are reminded that it is God alone who brings people to faith. But we are also reminded that God in His grace wants us to be of use to Him by bearing fruit – that is, showing love to others. And while it is true that only God can make believers, it is also true that Christianity can be made attractive – or unattractive – by what others see in Christians.

It is with this in mind that an unknown poet penned the following verses:

There is but one successful plan by which to win a fellow man;

Have you a neighbor old or new? Just let that man see Christ in you.

The Church that hopes to win the lost must pay the one unchanging cost;

She must compel the world to see in her the Christ of Calvary.

Another example. About the year 200 a Christian by the name of Tertullian wrote down his observations on how Christians were viewed by the rest of the non-Christian world. Keep in mind that this was a time when Christianity as a faith was outlawed and it was literally life-threatening to be a follower of Jesus Christ. This is part of what he wrote:

“But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. ‘See,’ they say, ‘how they love one another,’ for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred; ‘see how they are ready to die for one another,’ for they themselves will rather put to death.”

All of which leads us to some intensely personal questions we must be asking ourselves on the subject of Christian love and our lives. Such as:

Does my language, demeanor, spirit and attitude reflect Christ to others?

Am I consistent? Or am I different at home than I am at work or at play or at church. And if I am inconsistent, am I repentant?

Can the people I come into contact with know that I am a Christian without me having to tell them? Or to flip it around: If I was charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?

Am I wearing the distinguishing mark of Christian love, or am I blending in with the crowd. Without being super-spiritual or overly pious, am I different than those for whom God means nothing?

Then, for our final consideration, this question (which the words of Jesus will hopefully prompt each of us to ask): How can I become more loving and more Christ-like?

While the other questions we can only answer for ourselves, this one Jesus answers for us. Earlier in John chapter 15 and just before He spoke the words of our text, Jesus declared: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

As we remain in Christ by strengthening our spiritual lives through Word and Sacrament, through serious study, and through meditation on the cross, we allow Christ, who lives in us, to shine forth. The result: We become increasingly more loving, more Christ-like, and more effective in our unspoken witness. And for the grateful Christian, there is no greater desire.

We started out this morning with the story of Cain, and we’ll end with him as well. He had a distinguishing mark. What exactly it was, we don’t know. We as Christians also have a distinguishing mark. But Jesus lets us know exactly what it is to be.

So may what ancient Tertullian said of the 2^nd Century Christians also be said of us, both as individuals and as a Christian congregation – that we practice love. A love that is not contrived or perfunctory or staged, but a love that is genuine, connected to Jesus Christ and quietly noticeable.

“This is my command: Love each other” says our Lord. Out of love for Jesus Christ, may it be – and may God help it to be – that others see Jesus in us. Amen.