"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13
When Jesus spoke these words, He was preparing His disciples for the hardship that was about to come. He would soon be arrested and tortured, and ultimately crucified. There is no doubt that Jesus was speaking of one dying for his friends. However, there was more to His words, that sadly, is not always evident in the lives of those that claim to love Jesus.
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." - John 15:12
By rightly dividing the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15), we must look at how God showed love in the Old Testament, when Jesus walked with His disciples, and in our current dispensation to fully understand what Jesus meant by "... as I have loved you" because God's character is ALWAYS consistent.
One way that Jesus has shown us how to love is through His honesty. Because God is holy, He cannot lie and in Him is found no deceit. The Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 6:18 that it is "impossible for God to lie". Peter, when teaching the Jews about the Messiah, said that Jesus "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). God gave King Solomon unmatched wisdom that is found in Proverbs. Throughout this book, God equates honesty with love and wisdom, and desires it above any form of sacrifice (12:17 and 22, 14:5, 19:22, 21:3).
Jesus was humble. In John 13, the Creator of everything (John 1:3, Col. 1:16) washed His disciples feet. Feet that were sweaty, dirty, calloused, and pungent were cleaned by hand by the Savior of all mankind!
The prophet Micah said "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (6:8). Jesus equated humility with love. In Ephesians 4:2, we are commanded "with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love". We are to be humble with God and with each other. Humility is the opposite of pride.
The shortest verse in the Bible is also one of the greatest revelations of God's character. "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Not only did Jesus cry with Mary, Martha, and the others that mourned the death of Lazarus, but He also allowed Mary to yell at Him in her grief and never once condemned her for it (John 11:32). In Romans 12:14-15, the Apostle Paul said to "bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep". According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the definition of persecution is to "subject someone to hostility". Notice the example that Jesus set: Mary yelled at him (yelling is hostile) and then He wept with her. When someone is in mourning, they are most likely not thinking rationally. They are in agony. If we see someone in pain, we are to let them lash out at us and not take offense. We are to comfort them and share in their sorrow.
Jesus made time for His disciples. Rarely in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John was He ever by Himself. Alone time is important, but the greatest love language is quality time and that was something Jesus gave during His entire ministry. God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8). He promised never to leave the Jews (Deut. 31:8). The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers, so that we are never apart from God (John 14:16, 1 Cor. 6:19). Fellowship with God and fellowship with each other is important. Paul said "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another..." (Hebrews 10:25). King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
Love is not an emotion - it is action. Jesus didn't say that He would die for His friends, He did die for His friends and all of us. True love is selflessness. We aren't to be hostile towards others that live a different lifestyle. We aren't to bicker with each other over differences of opinion. We are to show the unconditional love that Jesus showed the world. Love does not mean acceptance. Jesus did not accept our sins, but loved us enough to wash away our sins! Jesus didn't wait until we got our act together to show us His unconditional love, but rather, loved us through our sins (Rom. 5:8).