The joy of obedience

May 5, 2021

14:1 – 15:17 Being in Jesus, just as Jesus is in the Father

Read John 15:11-12

So it is by obedience to Jesus that we remain in his love (15:10). That may well be hard and costly – it certainly was for Jesus who “humbled himself and became obedient to death” (Phil.2:8). Likewise, Christians are called to take up the cross daily and to follow him (Luke 9:21-23). But this does not mean that discipleship will be grim and dour. Rather, the reason why Jesus told them this is so that “my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (11).

This is the first time in John’s gospel that Jesus has spoken of joy, though the thought that the disciples will find blessing by laying down their lives for others is not new (12:25-26; 13:14-17). His resurrection will become the basis of a deep and complete joy for them (16:20-24) – in fact, what Jesus wants for us is that we will have the full measure of his own joy within us (17:13). Whatever the cost of discipleship, the resurrection means that we can “greatly rejoice... filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Pet.1:3-9).

Such joy is part of the fruit which the Holy Spirit produces in us, along with love (Gal.5:22), and this fruit results from the branches remaining in the vine. Having told the disciples that the way to remain (meno) in his love is by keeping his commands, Jesus then summed up obedience to his commands in one single and supreme command – the new commandment to love each other just as he has loved us (12; 13:34; cf. Matt.22:37-40; Rom.13:8-10; Gal.5:14). The same specific connection between loving one another, obedience and remaining in Jesus is made in 1 John 3:23-24 (live/lives are the word meno). The more completely we love one another, then the more completely we know his joy in our lives.