BISHOP BUDDE: the commission, the castle and the coat hanger
John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
COMMISSIONED AND RECOMMISSIONED
re·com·mis·sion·ed: A new instruction, command, or role given to a person or a group.
If there is one commission we need to read over and over again, it is this one in John 13. The context of this commission emphasizes the urgency of this command. Even though the small group of disciples were completely oblivious to what was about to happen, the words were not lost in the ignorance of the moment.
It is the night of the betrayal. Few moments in the life of Christ could have been as significant to Him as this. It is His last night before the crucifixion. These are His last intimate moments with His disciples. The next time they meet will be in secret. He will be pierced and bruised, but resurrected.
Before eating their meal together Jesus imparts one final lesson to His followers. A lesson that will become the trademark of those who confess Him as their teacher. Jesus takes a towel, a basin, and bows down to the position of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. He will remind them later behind closed doors that this is how the Father sent Him, and that they are dispatched to do the same. The consecration of their Lord was to serve in love, so they are obligated to do the same.
Jesus then sombrely speaks to His friends. The silences between His words must have been tangible. The disciples must have felt that this was no ordinary gathering. The heavens were ready to declare the glory of the Lord and they felt it. Jesus then predicts His impending betrayal, subtly asking Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples still don’t understand the fullness of the moment and Peter, always speaking before thinking, foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his Christ three times in the next few hours.
There is a silence. Then comes the climax of all that Jesus taught. This is His final sermon. The pinnacle of His journey on earth. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Imagine being there.
Jesus is probably still on His knees after washing your feet. The gravity in His voice, the importance of the message, and the emotions of those around you as you listen to His words are overwhelming. It’s not the first time you heard this. Earlier in His ministry, Jesus made it explicitly clear that love for others was a cornerstone of obedience to God (Matthew 22:36–40). You know that when Jesus instructs to love it is not being stated as if it’s the first time it’s being mentioned. But by the tone of His voice, you can hear there is a “newness” in this command. It is reemphasized as a matter of life and death—not only for the future existence of the Church but for the salvation of humanity. Together with the others, you feel deeply touched and recommissioned.
By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Oh Lord, if we are honest, we must confess that we have failed. Miserably!
ENTER BISHOP BUDDE
The controversy around Bishop Mariann Budde’s prophetic message to President Donald Trump last week at the National Cathedral’s inaugural prayer service revealed how far we have moved, as a Church, from the final plea of Christ. Let me be clear – not her plea to mercy, but the response of those who took offense. “Love one another” has changed into “judge one another” and heaven weeps. It exposed a loveless intolerance amongst believers towards those who think and believe differently.
And let’s be honest, we were all guilty. We became a loveless group of Christ-followers who were more concerned about being right, than being kind. In our pursuit of truth, we lost the essence of the Gospel.
In giving the new commandment, Jesus laid the foundation for the formation of a group of people unique in human history. Jesus created a group identified by one thing: LOVE. Other groups may identify themselves by race, face or place; by religion, by nationality, by gender, by culture, by adherence to a code of behaviour, etc. But the Church is unique. Christians will be known and recognised by GRACE. For the first and only time in history, Jesus created a group whose identifying factor is LOVE. Followers of Christ are recognized by their love for each other.
Heartbreakingly so, love has lost its mandate. Churches now become fractured due to dogmatic differences and the heart of Christ is nullified when we place our truths above His love.
Imagine again Jesus on His knees. “Love one another,” He pleads. As my Father has sent me, I send you. Please love one another.”
And yet, the spirit of division knows no end. The relentless pursuit for polarisation within theological discussions knows no end.
THE CASTLE
“But isn’t truth more important than love?” you may ask. Only if you allow love to determine your truth! It will be of little value to hold on to a principled truth and deny the source of truth, who embodied love.
During the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2023, Joel Gregory, Pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, delivered a message titled “The Castle and the Wall” in a desperate attempt to keep the denomination from fracturing[1].
Gregory told of a nobleman who had a castle that was continually being ravaged by scavengers. So, he ordered a wall to be built around the castle to protect it. The workers asked where the stones for the wall should be gained, and the king declared: “What does that matter? Just build the wall!”
Months later, the king visited his castle and found a large and imposing wall around the site of his castle. He was deeply satisfied and equally impressed. His castle was secured at last. It was only when he entered through the gates that he found that his castle was gone. The workmen had gutted the castle for the stones needed to build the wall.
Gregory’s point was to avoid defending the castle (the truth) in such a way that the castle (the truth) itself is destroyed. Yes, our truth debates and theological discussions might produce a “winner”, but a wall might be built at the expense of the castle.
Those who promote love first, might not be opposed to a “wall of theology”; but not at the expense of the castle itself. Sadly, this is what many believe has happened to numerous churches, organizations, and denominations, through a combination of fear, pride, and misplaced missional energy.
“I recommission you to love one another before you start attacking one another, and in doing so destroying the very theology I hold most precious.” This is what Christ would be declaring from the heavens.
If only we would listen.
THE COAT HANGER
Something John talks a lot about in his Gospel, especially at the end, is love. The Greek words for “love” appear 56 times in John 1-21.
For some of us, this might seem less important than some of Jesus’ other teachings, but we cannot escape the reality that Christ doesn’t just call us to himself—he calls us into community. When we try to do the Christian life alone or when we disregard how we treat those around us, we neglect one of the central teachings of our Lord and Saviour.
We shouldn’t shrug it off: We should be terrified. Our love for God is directly displayed in our love for all people. If we don’t show genuine, biblical love for one another, we completely nullify our witness.
And yet, loving God and loving our neighbours are not only a fundamental component of what we believe, it is the “coat-hanger” on which all other theologies, truths, and prophesies hang.[2]
I am reminded again that according to scripture:
- Loving God is the greatest commandment: Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
- Loving our neighbour, the greatest commission: Mark 12:31 The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
- Loving one another, our greatest witness: John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
- Loving our enemy, our strongest weapon: Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
- Loving unconditionally (agape love), the greatest virtue: 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
- And being loved, our greatest reward: John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.
The statements by Bishop Budde as she addressed the commander-in-chief of the biggest Christian nation in the world opened a barn door for love to shine in, but sadly we started cursing the darkness (and one another) instead of simply lighting a candle.
Lord have mercy
[1] SBC 23: The Castle and the Wall | Church & Culture (churchandculture.org)
[2] Matthew 22:40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.