Oh, to be Chosen!
John 15:9-17
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Last week the gospel lesson focused on God the Father as vine-grower, Jesus as the vine, and God’s people as the branches. As branches, we bear fruit and are enfolded in God’s loving embrace. This week’s lesson is a continuation of the story of the vine and the branches. Jesus’ words to his disciples take this lesson a step further. He says, “You did not choose me but I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” He goes on to say, “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” I believe Jesus is not only speaking to his disciples, he is speaking to us, as well.
What does it mean to be chosen by Jesus? To be appointed to bear fruit? To abide in him? To be his friend? To keep what he commands? To love Jesus as he loves us? These are the questions that kept swirling around in my mind as I proceeded to write this sermon. To answer each question is enough to fill five sermons. But the one question that really stood out was, What does it mean to be chosen by Jesus? I came to the realization that all the other questions are encompassed by this one question. Jesus chooses us to be his disciples, not just as servants, but as his “friends.” And I put friends in quotes because to be a friend of Jesus bears a deep responsibility, commitment and expectation of love, friendship, and obedience.
When Jesus speaks of love, what does he mean? His definition does not fall along the lines we hear in popular culture with phrases such as:“Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.” Or, “Make love not war.” Or, “Oh for the love of God,” which sounds likes a misuse of God’s name to me. Or, “All you need his love.” No! Jesus understanding of love is about a radical willingness to die—not for your child or your spouse, but for a fellow follower of Christ. So I ask you, if we were to look around the sanctuary or think of our church friends, for whom would we die? For what reason would we die for a fellow follower of Christ? Essentially, this is the kind of love Jesus is talking about. It is to give up everything for another one of his followers. Oh, what a responsibility it is to be chosen!
We are chosen to be Jesus’ disciples and friends. What does it mean to be a friend of Jesus? When Jesus speaks of friendship, he is not talking about clicking “like” in response to the picture of someone’s Facebook post. Or, the warm and fuzzy feeling toward another person. Or, companionship and compatibility with someone with whom we are most comfortable. Jesus, in this text, defines friendship as obedient action—to God first, and to Christ. A friend is a person who loves the other so much they are willing to give up his/her life for him/her. “Do what I tell you,” Jesus says, which is altogether different from what our ears might hear in the offer of friendship today. Oh, what a commitment to be chosen as Jesus’ friends.
Furthermore, we are chosen to follow in Jesus’ way. Jesus requires obedience. He says, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” Essentially the Ten Commandments we teach at the time of first communion classes and in confirmation classes were given by God to Moses to teach his people 1) how to love God and 2) how we to love people. In the synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus gives us two commandments that sum up the totality of the law. They are 1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And, 2) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” John puts it a little differently in his gospel and I would venture to say more intimately and personally. He says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The key to this commandment is knowing how Jesus loves. And we know he loves us so much that he was willing to die on a cross for us. And then he goes on to say, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
So, if we believe that we are truly chosen to be God’s beloved children, do we live by the letter of the law? Or, do we live by the Spirit of the law? How do we live out these commandments? To live by the letter of the law means to interpret the law literally. Strict adherence to the law results in rigidity, litigiousness, punishment and retribution. We may call it justice, but what we really want is revenge. Living by the spirit of the law means understanding the purpose of the law and then doing what the authors of the law intended, not necessarily adhering to the literal wording. To do so is life-giving, transformative, flexible, grace-filled, and restorative.
Jesus lived by the spirit of the law. Throughout the four gospels Jesus challenges the religious authorities who demand strict adherence to the law. He heals on the Sabbath, allows his disciples to pick grain to eat when they are hungry on the Holy Day. He overturns the tables in the temple because the money-changers, and officials are taking advantage of the poor and cheating the faithful. Jesus doesn’t ignore the law, he understands its purpose! He breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples and commissions them to continue his work in the world.
So, last week we heard the lesson about the Ethiopian eunuch who was a God-fearer, but unable to be a Jew on account of the Law. And yet, Philip accepts him and baptizes him. If Philip lived by the letter of the law, he would not have baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Peter preaches and is interrupted as the Holy Spirit falls upon all who hear the word. Jewish believers who came with Peter are astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit is being poured out even on the Gentiles. Peter says, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Then he orders them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter even baptizes Cornelius a Roman centurion. If Peter lived by the letter of the law he would never have baptized Cornelius nor would he have baptized gentiles. Oh what an expectation is required of us to be chosen! It’s not an easy thing.
And yet, to be chosen by Jesus is to be blessed. It is the power of God’s love working through us in ways we never could have imagined such as…in those who make meals for Caring for Friends; in the Welcome Church in Philadelphia that ministers to the spiritual and physical needs of the homeless on the streets; in those who educate others in the hope of healing racial divisions; in volunteers who provide, take, and serve food for Cast Your Cares soup kitchen in Kensington; in Stephen Ministers who go beyond what is required to help those who are without family or who cannot do for themselves.
The good news of the day is that Jesus tells his disciples, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” Jesus chooses us and appoints us go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. He gives us commandments to live by so that we may love one another, as he loves us.
As God’s beloved children, we live by the spirit of the law. In so doing, we fulfill the letter of the law. Joy fills our hearts because we belong to Jesus. We rejoice because Jesus loves us and we are delighted to have Jesus’ love working through us as we go out into a world to help those in need. And when it comes down to it, to be chosen is essentially about love.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.