“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (v. 9)
Wow! This has got to be one of the most shocking verses in the Bible. One of those things you wouldn’t believe if it weren’t right there in front of you. But Jesus said it and he cannot lie: he loves his disciples as the Father loves him.
I can’t begin to understand or imagine the depth of that love. But I know it’s not a surface, fickle love — the kind that can be tossed aside when I sin or stumble or wander off. The Father’s love for the Son is constant, eternal, unchanging, immovable, unshakable. It’s the kind of love God can have for fallen men ONLY when they’re hidden in Christ, clothed in his righteousness, cleansed by his blood. We’re invited into this vine and we’re mere branches, grafted in: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” I believe it.
Lord, may I ever abide in your love.
