He was loved by all—those were the words used to describe Don Guiseppe Berardelli of Casnigo, Italy. Don was a beloved man who rode around town on an old motorbike and always led with the greeting: “peace and good.” He worked tirelessly on behalf of the good of others. But in the last years of his life, he had health problems that worsened when he was infected by the coronavirus; in response, his community purchased a respirator for him. But when his condition grew grave, he refused the breathing apparatus, choosing instead to make it available for a younger patient who needed it. Hearing of his refusal surprised no one, for it was simply in his character for a man who was loved and admired for loving others.
Loved for loving; this is the message the apostle John keeps sounding throughout his gospel. Being loved and loving others are like a chapel bell that tolls night and day, regardless of weather. And in John 15, they reach somewhat of a zenith, for Jesus lays bare that it’s not being loved by all but loving all that’s the greatest love: “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v. 13).
Human examples of sacrificial love always inspire us. Yet they pale in comparison to God’s great love. But don’t miss the challenge that brings, for Jesus commands: “Love each other as I have loved you” (v. 12). Yes, love all.
By John Blase
REFLECT & PRAY
Loved by all and loving all. Do you get those mixed up sometimes? Why or why not? What might laying down your life for a friend look like today?
Loving God, please help me to love as You love me.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Hours before He went to the cross, Jesus gave us a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). The command to love others isn’t new. In the Mosaic law, God’s people were to “love [their] neighbour as [themselves]” (Leviticus 19:18), which Christ reiterated was the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39). However, Jesus introduced a new standard of love, which He emphasized in John 15:12: “Love each other as I have loved you.” The standard is no longer how much we love ourselves but how much Jesus loved us. Christ laid down His life for us (v. 13). He raised the bar from our self-love to His sacrificial love. John would later write, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16).
K. T. Sim
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