Love One Another

Objective
Students will compare everyday kinds of love with Jesus’ sacrificial love, then identify someone who needs to experience His love and make a plan to share it.

Warm Up
Tell the students to make their hands into the shape of a heart if what you say is true about them:

• I love tacos.
• I love my grandma.
• I love living in the United States.
• I love my friends.
• I love pizza.
• I love my dog.
• I love playing Minecraft.
• I love this youth group.
• I love listening to music.
• I love football.
• I love ice cream.

We say we love many different things—food, hobbies, people. But those aren’t all the same kind of love.

Transition
We mostly experience love that’s about us and our preferences, but there’s a different kind of love, a higher, more powerful love that comes from God the Father through Jesus.

We’re going to watch a clip of when Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper. They’re all together for one last time before Jesus is arrested and crucified. Let’s listen to the kind of love He talked about with them after having been with them for three years.

The Clip
Play the clip “Love One Another” from Season 5, Episode 4 of The Chosen.

Discuss:

• What does Jesus tell His disciples He’s about to do?
  (Leave them and go somewhere they can’t go.)
• With Him gone, what new commandment does He give them?
  (Love one another as He has loved them.)
• How was the love Jesus described different from what the disciples already had for one another?
• What did Peter say that helped you know the disciples didn’t quite understand what Jesus asked of them?

Bible Study
Read John 13:21-35

• What did Jesus say would happen?
• What does it say about Jesus’ love that no one knew who would betray Him?
• How was Jesus about to glorify God the Father?
  (By dying for the sins of the world and rising again.)
• Why does it matter that this command comes right after Judas betrayed Him?
  (Because Jesus loved all of them equally—even the one who turned on Him.)

Read John 13:1-20
Earlier that evening, Jesus gave His disciples a shocking act of love.

• What did Jesus do to serve His disciples? (He washed their feet.)

In their culture, washing feet was the servant’s job. Roads were filthy, sandals exposed everything. It was usually the lowest servant of the house who got the job of washing the guests’ feet before a meal. Jesus humbled Himself and took the lowest role to show them what love looks like in action.

Read John 13:12-15

• Does this mean we’re supposed to wash everyone’s feet?
  (No, but it does mean we serve and love even when it’s uncomfortable.)

Jesus finished with: “By this people will know you are MY disciples if you love one another.”

His love is shocking, selfless, and sacrificial. It points people to Him because it can only come from Him.

Read 1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us. His love led Him to the cross. That’s way beyond love for food, hobbies, or friends. It’s giving ourselves so others can know Him.

Wrap Up
Jesus’ love is sacrificial and selfless. He doesn’t need us– He wants relationship with us, and He serves us because we need Him. Loving like Jesus means giving up comfort to show His love to others.

Break into Small Groups or groups of 3-4 and talk through:

• What do you feel knowing Jesus loved Judas, even as he betrayed Him?
• What other ways did Jesus show sacrificial love?
• Who do you know whose life could be changed if they understood that kind of love?
• What practical things can you do this week to love someone the way Jesus does?