After a long, high-speed chase early one morning in March of 1991, Rodney King was dragged out of his car and severely beaten by 4 LAPD officers. His beating was a horrendous abuse of police power, and, when the videotape of the beating was made public, it caused massive unrest. Ultimately, there erupted 6 days of rioting when it was announced that the 4 officers who beat Mr. King were all acquitted of their crimes. During these eventful six days, 63 people were killed, and over 2, 300 were injured. In May of 1992, King was interviewed in a press conference, where he was quoted as saying, “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?”

The sad truth was, and is, “No, we cannot all get along.”

Isn’t that a sad testimony against modern man? We can cure diseases, land on the moon, fly all over the world, and carry powerful computers and communication devices in our pockets. Still, we have not yet developed either the ability or the willingness to live in peace with those around us. How tragic!

Jesus addressed a world that was just as violent and dangerous as our modern world, even more so, some might say! In one of his sermons, he said this of the way those who followed him might learn to live. This sermon is in John 13. Hear these words of Jesus: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Vv.34-35 Jesus was talking about how he thought his people, “my disciples,” should act, as they lived to share the saving message of the Gospel.

Jesus was only about 30 years old. Still, in his short time on earth, he had seen more than enough violence, injustice, and suffering to know that mankind had a serious problem. This problem of good relationships influenced almost everyone and contributed to the everyday misery that so many experienced. Jesus knew that people wanted peace in their relationships, but they seemed helpless to live differently. So, Jesus used this fact of humanity to teach one of his most important teachings!

Jesus simply taught, “Love one another.” This love was not an emotion or a ‘warm fuzzy’ feeling; it was a choice to live to get along with others and work at keeping the peace. This could lead to several actions: practicing forgiveness; being patient when others speak or act in certain ways; choosing to be concerned for others' well-being; and even changing one's tone of voice, particularly when there is a disagreement or difference of opinion. “Loving one another” would make every situation better and demonstrate that there is something about you that brings a positive dimension to any situation or relationship. When mentioned, there would be a perfect opportunity to mention the importance of one’s faith in Jesus, and how that faith might help one in the relationships of their life – something in which many might be interested!

Let us all follow Jesus’ teachings to “love one another” and create opportunities to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus!

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Purposes of the Church: A Communal People