Love One Another
How many of you have had an opportunity to really know someone who was of the Jewish faith? All of us are gathered here today because of the son of a Jewish carpenter. The old testament scriptures we study comprise the Torah of the Jewish people. The twelve apostles were all Jewish men. It is helpful to remember that when we look at today's Bible passages.
The first passage from Deuteronomy is called the Shema by the Jewish people. Observant Jews recite this passage daily as an act of devotion copies of it are placed in little wooden or metal holders called Mezuzahs on the doorways of their homes. A frequent reminder as they are coming n and going out that the Lord is One and that we are to love him with all our heart soul and mind. This commandment echoes what we know as the first commandment, Thou shalt love the lord you God with all your heart soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.
In the scripture reading from John, Jesus and his disciples are enjoying a Passover dinner together. The disciples have no idea that this will be their last meal with their beloved leader. Jesus acted a little strangely earlier in the evening and washed the feet of all of them ! This was a job reserved for the lowliest of the house, certainly not their beloved rabbi. They notice that he is talking softly to Judas and that Judas slips outside the room. That was no cause for concern, in the minds of the disciple, Jesus had probably sent Judas out on an errand, after all he carried the money for them all.
While Judas slips out into the night to betray Jesus, Jesus tells them that the time has come that he, the Son of Man, is glorified and not only that but that God is glorified in him. Jesus is laying out in plain words that if they have seen him they have seen the glory of God. If they have seen him, they have seen his Father. The two of them, Father and Son, are one and work in concert. Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One and here he is sitting at the table eating and drinking and washing the feet of men.
The now eleven disciples, remember Judas is out of the room, are charged with an imperative from Jesus, “a new commandment”, he says, “that you love one another just as I have loved you.” I wonder if the men were thinking that Jesus had just restated the Shema, Love the Lord and love one another. But Jesus added as curious twist when he added “just as I have loved you”.
We are also called to be disciples of Jesus. Disciples who, like the original twelve are all called to experience life together in Jesus Christ, growing together in love and reflecting that love to others as living sacrifices. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples,” Jesus told the Disciples then and tells us now, “if you have love for one another.”
Jesus tells us all in this passage from John to care for whomever crosses our path, those we naturally have a fondness for as well as those we don’t, those who think they are more important than every body else and those who think they are lower than the dirt on the ground, plus all the folks in between. It is by this loving and caring, by taking on the form of a servant as Christ did that His light shines through us to the dark world all around. Such a man was Mr. Miller. I never met the man, he lived in Idaho where some of my family comes from. My mother in law sent me this story about him that I would like to share with you today by W. E. Petersen. This story first appeared in the October 1975 Ensign Magazine
Babs Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small, delicate boy, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the small ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. Sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?"
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it.""Here 'tis. She's a dandy.""I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"
"Not zackley, but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."
"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps."I left the stand smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering. Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very professional-looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes. Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took
my hand and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided,"but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho." With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
I think it could be safely said that Mr. MIller during his lifetime was Jesus with skin on to these three young men and probably many more. Not just boys from his church, but boys from his community, to whom he reached out with a hand of mercy and grace. I myself would not be standing before you today if mercy and grace were not extended to me while I was in a period of great rebellion as a young adult. Three young women, attending Edinboro University and living in the same dormitory as I, were able to discern that I was open to the message of salvation. They met together daily for a Bible study and prayer and began praying and fasting for me. Whenever they saw me they would make overtures of friendship and sometimes invite me to come to their church prayer meeting. I could not understand why these nice, gentle girls were bothering with me. I knew they knew what kind of person I was and all the things I had a reputation for on campus. Some church people in the past had rejected me because I was too crude, loud and brassy,I offended people by the way I dressed and I cussed like a sailor. I started to swear and use foul language around these girls just to see if their concern was genuine or if I could turn them off and get them to stop bothering me with their God talk, much to my amazement, I couldn’t! These girl’s had sunk their spiritual teeth into me and I could not shake them off, nor could I shake off the increasing conviction of the Holy Spirit. The kinder and more loving they were to me, the more convicted I felt. Finally, one Saturday night, on the way to a party I decided to stop at their church meeting. At least then I could tell them that I went and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. During the meeting the Lord worked heavily on my heart and all of a sudden I “got it”, the “light bulb went on” and I realized that God was really who He said he was and that He really did love and accept me just the way I was. I was the woman at the well and I had met Jesus. My eyes were opened. Never again would I be the same. There is I am sure a special place in heaven being prepared for those three girls, the prayer warriors of Dearborn Hall, first floor and I am not the only person who came to know Christ because of the sacrifice of their love in prayer, fasting and friendship towards me, their bright green peas a free gift. This is a special Sunday for me, in five days I will be celebrating thirty six years of commitment to Christ as my Savior and my Lord as well as beginning the first assignment, at your church, of what I feel is my calling. I would not be standing here today without their commitment and God’s sanctifying grace. This is my red marble day. It is by that grace that we become transformed into the image of Jesus, our own righteousness is as filthy rags or mere red marbles,otherwise.
None of us will be remembered by our words alone, but by our kind deeds, by love in action, loving one another as Jesus first loved us through God’s grace. Hear O Israel, hear O church, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and as Jesus added, Love one another as I have loved you.
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