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[See also: Two Abstract Rules]
[21] Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." [22] Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" [23] Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:21-23 NIV)
In John 14:21-23, Jesus indirectly makes use of logical equivalence when He states that only those who obey Him actually love Him. But what is the context of Jesus' words?
The context is necessarily obedience to the Covenant as amended by Jesus.
(i) Israel are to be a never ending kingdom of priests under the terms of the Covenant:
“Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, 6 but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5-6 (Tanakh))
(ii) the Most High states that the Covenant will not be scrapped. Israel will continue as a nation [within the terms of the Covenant]:
Thus said the LORD,
Who established the sun for light by day,
The laws of moon and stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea into roaring waves,
Whose name is LORD of Hosts:
36 If these laws should ever be annulled by Me
—declares the LORD—
Only then would the offspring of Israel cease
To be a nation before Me for all time. (Jeremiah 31:35-36 (Tanakh))
(iii) Jesus confirmed that He did not come to annul the Covenant; indeed, He warned against corrupting it!
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19 NIV)
(iv) Jesus' appearance on Earth would be the fulfilment of Old Testament prophesies:
And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath,
Least among the clans of Judah,
From you one shall come forth
To rule Israel for Me—
One whose origin is from of old,
From ancient times. (Micah 5:1 (Tanakh))
Mic. 5:1 T, above, reveals that Jesus' function was to rule Israel for His Father. Not as a five-minute wonder, but as a ruler of an everlasting Kingdom.
David10C reminds us that Jesus' Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom:
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.)(Psalm 145:13 ESV)
For example, concerning the place of His birth, Micah8C says that this will take place in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:1 T). And the wise men told this to Herod:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" (Matthew 2:1-6 ESV)
However, Jesus' appearance would necessarily lead to amendments to the Mosaic Contract: for example, animal sacrifice, which directed people's attention to the coming of the Messiah, would be replaced by the 'Bread and Wine' following His sacrifice.
(v) the Lord indicates that Gentiles are to become integrated into the Covenant:
“As for the foreigners
Who attach themselves to the LORD,
To minister to Him,
And to love the name of the LORD,
To be His servants—
All who keep the sabbath and do not profane it,
And who hold fast to My covenant—
7 I will bring them to My sacred mount
And let them rejoice in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
Shall be welcome on My altar;
For My House shall be called
A house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:6-7 (Tanakh))
(vi) despite Jewish wrongdoing having reached a peak with their rejection of Jesus, Jesus had left the door open for their eventual return:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Luke 13:34-35 NIV)
(vii) the Lord promises that some of those Gentiles who join God’s people (Isaiah 56:6-7 (Tanakh)) and help rebuild David's fallen Tent will be taken as Levitical Priests:
The time has come to gather all the nations and tongues; they shall come and behold My glory. 19 I will set a sign among them, and send from them survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud—that draw the bow—to Tubal, Javan, and the distant coasts, that have never heard My fame nor beheld My glory. They shall declare My glory among these nations. 20 And out of all the nations, said the LORD, they shall bring all your brothers on horses, in chariots and drays, on mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem My holy mountain as an offering to the LORD—just as the Israelites bring an offering in a pure vessel to the House of the LORD. 21 And from them likewise I will take some to belevitical priests, said the LORD. (Isaiah 66:18b-21 (Tanakh))
So, to John 14:21-23:
[21] Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." [22] Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" [23] Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:21-23 NIV)
If 'x' is some person, then we can say:
‡ Logical equivalence.
We can therefore say:
Or, to put it another way, Those who do not obey God do not love God.†
[† Homework assignment: Discuss the implications for the new-covenant church which has annulled the Covenant and done away with obedience to the Law.]
Hence, the first great commandment can be rewritten thus:
Jesus replied: " 'Obey the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV)
Making use of logical equivalence removes any misunderstanding - which might arise from the term 'love' - from this first great commandment.
Potentiation if and only if there is complete unity
Note:
[Analysis:Genesis 11:1-9.]
[Assignment:Discuss the implications regarding the 'Last Days'.]
Version: 26-Feb-2024