May 18, 2025: The New Commandment

Fifth Sunday of Easter

New Testament Reading  Acts 11: 1-18
The Gospel:     John 13: 31-35

Have you ever seen the COEXIST bumper stickers?  They have a crescent moon for "C" which represents Islam, a peace sign for "O," the Hindu Om symbol for "E," the Star of David for "X," a pentacle for the dot of "I," a yin-yang symbol for "S," and a Christian cross for "T". In other words, this bumper sticker advocates for coexistence of religious or belief systems.

Similarly there is a Practice TOLERANCE bumper sticker that expands this a bit further:

• T - The Christian Cross
• O - The peace symbol
• L - Native American peace pipe
• E - Peacemonger's original equality 'e.' A male and female symbol are attached to the e to represent equality between the sexes
• R - Kokopelli, a Hopi fertility god dances and plays his flute beneath the arch of the 'r'
• A - The Jewish Star of David 
• N - Made to look like a door, with a 9 point Baha'i star on the front. The Baha'i faith teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people.
• C- The crescent moon and star associated with both Islam and the Greek moon goddess Diana
• E - The second 'e' is formed into Einstein's famous equation E=mc2

These bumper stickers are often in a rainbow, which adds the further idea of tolerating all in the LGBTQIA+ community as well. So the Tolerance bumper sticker advocates for tolerance of all religions and belief systems, native peoples, genders and gender identities, sexual preferences and science with a focus on peace.

I imagine we could keep going: adding that we should coexist or tolerate different ethnicities, nationalities, races, physical and neurological abilities, political beliefs and systems, etc.

And WE SHOULD coexist with different belief systems and all peoples no matter who they are, where and how they live, and what they can or cannot do. But coexist implies a separateness and tolerance sounds condescending: like someone is just barely putting up with people who are different from them. I have always struggled with both of those bumper stickers because the bar seems too low. And yet, I also understand that the world would be a better place if everyone could at least coexist and tolerate those who are different from them.

But Jesus asks us to do more than that. The new commandment that he gave the disciples and us is to “Love one another” not to “coexist” or to “tolerate” but to love one another. 

Looked at in context, this invitation might appear exclusive to a very small group. This scripture takes place on the night of the last supper where Jesus is having a private dinner with his disciples, therefore, Jesus is telling his disciples to love one another.  By the way, he says this after Judas, his betrayer, has already left. 

So this “Love one another commandment” could sometimes be interpreted as love your fellow disciples, love your fellow Christians of this particular denomination, or, if you expand it: love only those born in the same country as you or those who look like you etc. In other words, the command to love could be seen as only for those in your inner circle, whatever that may be, as the disciples were for Jesus.

Sadly, some Christians follow that model with a narrow definition of who is allowed in or who is “saved” and who is out. Some even want our country to follow that exclusionary model. 

But it is so clear from the way that Jesus lived his life, that that is not what he meant. Jesus showed love to people who were disabled, healing them. He showed love to prostitutes and sinners, forgiving them. He showed love to taxpayers who skimmed off the top, forgiving them and changing their ways. He showed that we should accept foreigners and that we should help all in need in the story of the Good Samaritan. He showed the inclusion and potential of women with Mary and Martha and many other women. Jesus’ life was all about expansive, inclusive love as is shown by the fact that he had to multiply five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5000 people who came to hear his message. 

Jesus telling the disciples to love one another may have been the starting point though. The disciples did need to love and support one another in order to continue Jesus’ ministry when he was gone.  It is sometimes a challenge to do that even in close groups and families: think of sibling rivalry. In a small group there is often someone jockeying to be the leader, to have the most power, and thus pushing others into subsidiary roles. Jesus knows all of this could and likely will happen so he tells them to “love one another” as a new commandment. It is a place for them to start. It will support them eventually, with a bit more pushing from Jesus, to get out of the boat and start preaching and teaching after Jesus is gone.

And that is what Peter is doing when he is in Joppa in our Acts scripture today. He has had a strange vision where forbidden foods were offered in what felt like a trick but the Heavenly voice said, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” As the vision ends, three Gentiles appear. Cornelius, who had been told by an angel to send men to bring Peter, had sent them. Peter knew from the vision that he was to do something but then the Holy Spirit confirmed it. As he says, “The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us.” 

“Not to make a distinction between them and us” is key. Jews did not eat or hang out with Gentiles yet the Holy Spirit is showing Peter how to broaden his view of the commandment “love one another”. He says, in a longer version of this story in Chapter 10:28, “God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.” Now as he sat with the Gentiles, sharing a meal and teaching them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, likely in tongues of fire similar to the disciples' experience of Pentecost. This was truly a confirmation that Peter was doing the right thing by expanding his idea of community. When he was later questioned by the Jews for his actions among the Gentiles, he responds saying, “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”

We could ask ourselves the same question when we find ourselves judging or excluding others in thought or deed. Who are we to hinder God?

Through Moses God gave us the first ten commandments: You shall have no other Gods but me, you shall not make and worship idols, you shall not use the name of God as a curse word, take a day of rest and keep it Holy, honor your parents, don’t murder, steal or cheat on your partner, don’t lie, and don’t covet what is not yours.

These are still great commandments for today but they were not enough. With the exception of honoring the sabbath and your parents, they were all “thou shalt not” messages. God sent Jesus to tell us what we should do as we hear in the new commandment to “love one another” and also in Matthew 22: 37-40 “'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And finally in Matthew 5: 43-45 we learn “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” 

“Love one another” - this inclusive commandement could not be more clear backed up with the evidence of Jesus’ life and teaching. But how do we do it? How do we love people who are so different from us, who think differently and act differently? 

We remember first that God loves them too, just as Peter learns of the Gentiles. We remember that we can love people even when we do not always agree with them or like their actions. But maybe, by loving them, we can grow to understand them better and even that dislike could change. Or maybe by the action of loving one another, we can learn to listen better, make connections and compromise more to make this a more loving world for all. 

Loving one another means leading with love in showing kindness even and especially when it is hard. Leading with love means helping when people are in need no matter who they are. 

Maybe we need a new bumper sticker that combines Jesus’ commandment with the Nike motto: Love One Another, no exceptions: Just do it!

Amen.

Pastor Michelle Fountain

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