Lent - Week 4 - Monday

Welcome to Luther for the Busy Man, the week of Lytare Monday, our scripture reading

comes from the book of John chapter 15 verses 12 through 17.

This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no end than this, that someone laid down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing.

But I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my father I have made

known to you.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, then you should go and bear fruit

and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the father in my name, he

may give it to you.

These things I command you so that you will love one another.

For scripture lesson comes from the book of John chapter 15 verse 9.

As the father has loved me, so have I loved you, abide in my love.

In his feeding of the 5,000, our Lord gives us a splendid example of his manifold love

for men.

In the first place, his miracle in providing so much food is not performed only for the

benefit of his godly followers who followed him for the sake of his works and words.

It benefited also those who were concerned only about their bodily welfare, who so

sought only food, drink, and temporal honor from him.

Soon after this, Jesus set some of these people straight at Capernaum when he said, you

seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

They actually wanted to take Jesus by force and make him their king.

Here on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sends his reign and lets his sunshine

on the evil and on the good.

In the second place, we should note how Jesus in a most friendly manner bears with the

crudeness and weak faith of his disciples.

His testing question to fill up and his apparent appeal to reason and Andrew's rather childish

contribution to the matter under discussion are recorded here to bring to light the imperfection

of the apostles.

Over against all this, his own love and friendly treatment of them shines forth even more

beautifully and with greater love.

All this should stimulate our faith and act as an example for us to follow.

The members of our body and all creatures also offer us common instruction.

For all that God has created is full of love.

The one creature bears, helps, and rescues the other.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, your love for us was truly wonderful and passing knowledge.

Let this love always be a glow within us so that we accept it in true faith for our salvation

and practice it for the benefit of all our fellow men for your love's sake.

Amen.

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