Love to the End
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)
Gathering with His disciples for a final Passover meal, Jesus knew that His hour had come. Jesus had lived His life in anticipation of this hour. He knew when it had not yet come (John 2:4). Up to this point, Jesus enjoyed a unique protection because His hour had not yet come (John 7:30, 8:20). Now, the hour had come. Jesus spoke of this awareness in John 12:23-27 and even said that for this purpose I came to this hour.
Indeed, His hour had come. Jesus’ public ministry was over. In close to 24 hours, Jesus would hang on the cross. This was the beginning of the end, and Jesus used these last precious hours to serve and prepare His disciples.
The cross is not specifically mentioned in John 13:1, but it casts a shadow over almost every word. We see the shadow of the cross over His hour had come. We see the shadow of the cross over loved them to the end. But we also see the shadow of the cross over depart this world. It is phrased softly, but there is an iron-hard reality underneath the soft cover. Jesus would only depart this world through the cross.
Notably, He would leave having loved His own. Surely, Jesus had loved His disciples. He led, taught, cared for, and protected them. What Jesus gave them was already more than any other teacher or leader would or could give his followers.
These disciples and all disciples were and are really His own, belonging to Jesus.
Disciples are His own because He chose them.
Disciples are His own because He gave Himself to them.
Disciples are His own because His Father gave them to Him.
Disciples are His own because He would soon purchase them.
Disciples are His own because He conquered and they yielded to Him.
Jesus had loved His own. But He hadn’t finished loving them. He would love them to the end.
To the end means to the end of Jesus’ earthly life. Though the disciples gave up on Him, Jesus never gave up on them. They stopped thinking about Jesus and only thought of themselves, but He never stopped thinking of them. He loved them to the end.
To the end means a love that will never end. Jesus will never stop loving His own. It isn’t a love that comes and goes, that is here today and gone tomorrow.
To the end means a love that reaches to the fullest extent. Some translations have “He loved them to the uttermost.” Jesus poured out the cup of His love to the bottom for us.
Do you belong to Jesus? Are you one of His own? He loves you and will love you to the end.
Click here for David’s commentary on John 13