As He Loved Us: Living as Spiritual Family
There are few moments in Scripture as intimate and powerful as the one we find in John 13. Jesus, fully aware that the cross was just hours away, gathered with His disciples—not to give a blueprint for ministry success—but to show them, by example, what the essential of love really looks like.
He got up from the table. He laid aside His garments. He picked up a towel. And He began to wash their feet.
This wasn’t just a beautiful act of humility. It was a living portrait of love—the kind of love Jesus would command us to walk in just moments later:
“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
Love Is Our Family Crest
This command wasn’t new in concept—God had been calling His people to love their neighbor since Leviticus 19. But Jesus raises the bar. He removes the ambiguity. No longer is it just “love your neighbor” in theory—it’s now “love like I have loved you.”
That kind of love isn’t a mood or a nice idea. It’s the family crest of the Kingdom of God. It’s the visible marker that we belong to Jesus.
Jesus says it plainly:
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:35)
If we miss this, we miss the whole point.
The Four Marks of Jesus-Modeled Love
When we say we want to love like Jesus, we have to ask: what does that love actually look like?
Scripture gives us a clear answer:
1. His Love Is Sacrificial
Jesus didn’t just tell us He loved us—He bled for us.
From washing feet to enduring the cross, His love cost Him something. Philippians 2 says He “emptied Himself” and took on the posture of a servant. Real love, Jesus-style love, always puts others' good ahead of our comfort, reputation, or convenience.
"Real love carries a cross, not just warm feelings."
Where in your life are you being invited to choose people over self-preservation?
2. His Love Is Unconditional
John 13:1 tells us Jesus “loved them to the end”—completely, to the uttermost.
He loved Peter despite his denial. He loved Thomas despite his doubt. He loved the disciples through their failures. Jesus’ love isn’t earned, and it doesn’t evaporate when we mess up.
We live in a culture where love is often conditional—based on benefit, performance, or mood. But covenant love stays. It’s the kind of love that says, “I’m not leaving.”
"Love doesn’t walk out. It works it out."
Who in your life needs to experience that kind of steady, Christlike love from you?
3. His Love Is Servant-Hearted
Jesus, the King of Kings, picked up a towel and washed dirty feet.
In a world where influence is often measured by platforms and followers, Jesus shows us that greatness looks like serving in quiet, unseen ways. Servant-hearted love doesn’t chase titles—it looks for towels.
“Love doesn’t demand a throne. It kneels to serve.”
Where can you serve someone this week—not for applause, but because they matter?
4. His Love Is Truthful and Transforming
Love without truth is sentimentality. Truth without love is harshness. But Jesus held both grace and truth in perfect tension.
He lovingly confronted sin, called people higher, and didn’t shy away from the hard conversations. Why? Because truth sets people free.
“Love speaks what’s hard so others can live free.”
Who in your life needs truth spoken gently, clearly, and with care?
So, What Now?
Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us how we put all of this into practice:
“Let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
This kind of love doesn’t happen in isolation. It grows in the soil of community. It gets tested, refined, and proven when we keep showing up.
So ask yourself:
Where is God inviting me to lay down comfort for someone else?
Who needs steady love from me, even after failure or offense?
Where can I quietly serve and represent Jesus?
Who needs truth spoken in love—and am I willing to walk with them through it?
Let’s commit to being a people marked by this kind of love.
Not for recognition.
Not to check a box.
But so the world would see Jesus in us.
Because He said it Himself—this is how the world will know we are His.
As He loved us, so we love one another.