James and Kati Kim and their two small daughters settled into their car to return home from their Thanksgiving trip to the Pacific Northwest. Soon they would be sharing the news of their trip with family and friends. All it took was one wrong turn and their car became hopelessly stuck in deep snow. With no cars and no people in sight, James and Kati knew they were in serious trouble. They rationed their food, ran the car to keep warm until the gas was gone, and even burned the car’s tires to attract attention. Finally, after several days, James made a tough decision—he would have to leave and go look for help.
“Husband and father lost!” became the headline after Kati and the girls were rescued. People across the country prayed for James’ rescue, but days later his body was discovered about a mile away from the car.
James’ love for his family led him to make the decision to risk his life in order to save the lives of his wife and daughters. This is the kind of love to which Jesus challenges the disciples in this Gospel passage, a serious, doing for others, giving-of-my-whole-self love! Jesus tells the disciples their love should be based on the love he has shown them, from the lowly task of washing their feet, to a painful and humiliating death on the cross.
In light of the depth of Jesus’ love, the command to “love as I have loved,” can seem daunting, but we must do what we can to live it out. Some show it by working toward justice; by reaching out to those in need; by running into the wilderness or a burning building to save others, reaching out beyond themselves to love in the way Jesus challenges us all to love.
- When have you experienced agapé (self-sacrificial love) or shown it for others?
Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.