The Call to Love

 

I John 3:16-24, the Second Reading appointed for the 4th Sunday in Easter in the Year of Mark, is well matched with the gospel lesson from John 10 for in both passages we hear the phrase, "to lay down one's life."  In John's gospel, the message is about the Good Shepherd laying down his life for the sheep.  In the epistle, the message is about the followers of the Good Shepherd laying down their lives for one another.  It is a classic call to obedience, a call that it will be the preacher's task to proclaim.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but seek to explore a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers, the function of the Word in the text.  These questions are best used in conjunction with other methods and fine sets of questions available to exegetes.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  There can be little doubt that the primary function of the Word here is to call us to lay down our life for others, in response to Christ's laying down his life for  us.  This is precisely what a call to obedience does: it invites us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  This particular text goes on to spell out what this means in some detail:  help a brother or sister in need, love in truth and action, obeying his commandments.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word functioning as either Law or Gospel is barely present here.  In the opening verse we hear the good news that Christ lay down his life for us, but this is simply a  reminder of what motivates our own behavior.  Also there are several verses that hint at our potential hard heartedness (vs. 17), and our self-condemnation (vs. 20), but again, they are not central to the message.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those to whom this text is addressed.  We need reminding that our call is to emulate Christ.  We need reminding that loving only in word and speech is not enough, but we need to love in deed and truth.  We are also those who experience self-condemnation and we need God's assurance.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since the Word does not function in this text primarily as Law or Gospel, we shall have to use our imaginations to come up with couplets to illuminate this text. Using some of the language in the text, here are some suggestions: condemned/forgiven; doubting/assured.

5.  Exegetical work:  I like what the 7th century monk, Bede the Venerable, says in his commentary on this text.  Stating things most succinctly he says, "Love is the great divide between the children of God and the children of the devil.  Those who have love are children of God, and those who do not are children of the devil.  Have anything else you like, but if you lack this one thing, then all the rest is of no use to you whatsoever. On the other hand, you may lack almost anything else, but if you have this one thing, you have fulfilled the law."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, Vol XI, p. 201).  In speaking of the relationship between faith and love, Clement of Alexandria says, "Christ lives in a believing mind." (Ibid., p. 202).   Raymond Brown also comments on the connection between our relationship with God and with the neighbor:  "[Abide]...communicates two important points: that the Christian's relationship with God is not just a series of encounters but a stable way of life; second, that the stability does not imply inertia but a vitality visible in the way one walks."  (George Paresenios, Paideia series, First, Second, and Third John, p. 107).  

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Lori Cornell does a fine job of picking up on the few pieces of Law and Gospel in this text, and developing a nice analysis of what is at stake. Using the words from the Lenten hymn, "My Song Is Love Unknown," she shows how these verses illustrate a "love to the loveless shown."  We are those who have the world's goods and yet fail to share them.  Miraculously, we loveless ones are the ones Christ loves.  See this fine analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!