The mark of Resurrection

John 13:31-35

The Mark of Resurrection.

In the upper room, just hours before His arrest, Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment. Not new because no one had ever spoken of love before—but new because of who was giving it, how it was to be lived, and what it would now mean for those who followed Him.

“A new commandment I give to you,” He said, “that you love one another, just as I have loved you. By this all people will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

This would be their mark. Not the mark of the law. Not the mark of religious ritual. Not even the mark of belief alone. But love—the kind of love He had shown them.

It was the mark of resurrection. The living proof that Christ was alive in them.

And yet, if we’re honest, this mark can get blurry. We lose sight of what His love really looks like. We confuse it with niceness, or duty, or sentimentality. We can start to sound like Jesus, and even act like we’re doing His will—without actually loving each other like He loved us.

So to help us reflect—and maybe to help us repent—let me tell you a parable.

The Parable of the Father and His Three Sons.

There was a father who had three sons. And this father gave them everything they needed to live well. He taught them how to live off the land—how to grow food, how to hunt, cook, keep a home, and show hospitality.

When they were tired, he gave them rest. When they were hungry, he fed them the best meals. When it was time to do their chores, he joined them—making them feel like work was something they got to do with their father rather than for their father. And when they were afraid, he stirred them to courage. After their labor, he helped them clean up and taught them how to rest well.

But something happened—something that happens to many men when war breaks out. The father was called to serve his country.

With great sorrow, the boys gathered around the front door to see him off. The father embraced each of them and said,

“My sons, I do not know how long I will be away, but while I am gone, I ask that you love each other the way I have loved you. If you do this, my absence will be more bearable and my love for you will be felt.”

Tears filled their eyes. The Knots in their throats made it so that they could hardly speak. They hugged him one last time. And then—he was gone.

Months passed, and their father’s absence weighed heavy in the house.

One day, as the eldest son was in his father’s room, he saw his father’s old clothes and decided to try them on, for he was a mature boy now, and to his surprise, his father’s clothes fit quite well.

He liked the way the clothes felt. He liked how it made him feel important, in charge, strong like his Father. He pretended to be like his father to offer his brothers some comfort. His brothers were amazed at how he looked like their father in his clothes, he even sounded like their father, but when it came to acting like his Father, he fell short. He ordered them to do their chores, and he used his brother’s love for their father to serve his own interests, saying, If you had any love for our Father, you would do what you are told.

Eventually, the youngest son had had enough. He stood up and protested to the eldest,

“Just because you look like our father and sound like him doesn’t mean you act like him. You bark out orders and demand we do the chores, but you don’t do any of them yourself. Our father made us feel like we were working with him, not for him. You don’t  love like Father, you’re selfish and controlling.”

Before he could finish, the middle son interrupted…

“What does it matter? Father is gone. He’s probably not coming back. Besides, if He really loved us, he wouldn’t have left us. He left us to fend for ourselves. I’m not listening to either of you. I’m going to do what I think is best and look after myself.”

At that, the boys began arguing and fighting each other.

And if they had just stopped for a moment, they might have heard the sound of the car door shutting. They might have heard boots creak on the front porch.

But they were too loud, too caught up in their arguing, to hear that their father had just come home.

The Father reached for the door. But hearing their arguing, he stopped to listen.

Before things took a violent turn, the father flung the door open and stood in the entryway of the house.

The boys froze. Their faces looked like something between horror and relief. It took them a moment, but they shortly realized their father was home, and tears began to fill their eyes.

Without saying a word, the father walked over to them and hugged them. He wiped their tears, sat them down, fixed them a meal, tidied up the house, cleaned their feet, and made a fire.

Still, not a word had been spoken. The boys wondered how much of their arguing their father might have heard before he came through the door. They sat before the fire in shame and guilt.

Then the Father broke the silence.

“My sons, my love for you has been burning in my heart ever since I left. The hope that you would love each other as I have loved you has kept you with me while I was away.

I see now that in my absence, you forgot the love I showed you when we were together. You have not loved one another as I have asked.”

Turning to the eldest, he said, “Had you loved your brothers the way I loved you, they might have seen me in you and found comfort instead of frustration in my absence.”

To the youngest, he said, “Had you loved your brothers like I loved you, you would have reminded them of my words instead of reprimanding them with yours, which would have helped them not forget what my love looks like.”

And to the middle son, he said, “Had you loved your brothers as I have loved you, you would have believed, instead of doubted—even in my absence—that my love never left you, but remained with you and within you all along.”

“My sons, whether I am present with you or absent from you, you are to love each other as I have loved you.”

May this parable help us see where we stand—and whether the love of Christ, the Mark of Resurrection, truly marks us.

Watch the full Sermon HERE. Listen to Sermon HERE.

Peace Be With You,

Pastor Bruce