Laying Down Our Lives

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. -Jn. 10:17

Love is an important theme of John's gospel (and John's other writings, too, for that matter). For God so loved the world... The Father loves the Son... Love one another as I have loved you... Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

In the midst of developing the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus makes a statement about His relationship to the Father. He says the Father loves Him. Elsewhere, Jesus says that He loves the Father (14:31). Furthermore, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment to love each other. So, what is love? Love is affectionate deeds for the benefit of others. It's both internal and external. It's both heartfelt and action-oriented. And, in the context of this parable, the quintessential example of love is Jesus laying down His life for the sheep. The beauty of laying down His life was that He didn't have to. He chose to. The Father loved that Jesus chose to lay down his life.

Likewise, the Father loves it when we choose to lay down our lives—when we love others more than we love ourselves—deliberately and perpetually. We need heartfelt, action-oriented love, for there is nothing greater.