John 13:34 – Love Like This

As Jesus prepares His disciples for the events to come, He offers them a “new command”: to love one another as He has loved them. Not just to love—but to love like this. The kind of love Jesus refers to is personal, sacrificial, and without condition. It’s not based on what’s deserved. It’s based on who He is.

Devotional: It would’ve been easier if Jesus had stopped at “Love one another.” That’s manageable. Broad. Open to interpretation. But He didn’t stop there. He made it personal: As I have loved you, so you must love one another. That’s where it gets real. Because the way Jesus loved them—loved us—wasn’t safe or shallow. It was gritty. Costly. Close.

He didn’t just love the easy ones. He loved the impulsive Peter, the doubting Thomas, the ambitious James and John. He loved them through betrayal, through fear, through failure. And He washed their feet—yes, even Judas’s—knowing full well what was coming.

That’s the kind of love He’s calling us to. Not the kind that says, “I love you, but only if you agree with me.” Not the kind that holds grudges, that keeps score, that walks away when it’s inconvenient. But love that stays. That serves. That sacrifices.

We talk about being Christians, about following Jesus, but this—this command—is the real test. Not just what we believe, but how we love. And not just who we love, but how deeply we’re willing to love them.

This kind of love turns the world upside down. It kneels low. It gives freely. It forgives quickly. It looks for the overlooked, listens to the ignored, and includes the outsider. It moves toward people, not away from them.

So, what does your love look like today? Is it shaped by your comfort or by the cross? Because Jesus didn’t just say “love.” He said, Love like this.

Action: Choose one person you struggle to love—someone who irritates, challenges, or even hurts you. Do something today that reflects Jesus’ love for them.

Prayer: Jesus, You didn’t love from a distance. You loved with touch, with tears, with truth. You laid down Your life so I could live. Teach me to love like that. Not in words only, but in action. Not only when it’s easy, but when it’s hardest. Help me love personally, sacrificially, and unconditionally—just like You. Amen.

Thought for the Day: Love that looks like Jesus always costs something—and it’s always worth it.