A New Commandment?

This week's Maundy Thursday related Bible reflection (Exasperated) is expanded and is now the Maundy Thursday sermon at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, IL.
"A New Commandment?" text
"A New Commandment?" podcast

Exasperated

Jesus must have wondered, “How many times do I have to communicate this before they’ll get it?”

He had been preaching about love, and peace, and care, and valuing all of God’s children, and more love. 

And it seems he kept seeing hate, war, violence, indifference, exploitation, and more hate. 

He tried to show what it meant to serve each other – where no one is the ‘more important’ one – where all pay attention to all.

I wonder if when he said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” that he was making an exasperated “Don’t you get it yet?” kind of joke? 

We who claim to follow Jesus are still spreading too much hate, war, violence, indifference, exploitation, and more hate. 

Jesus must still be wondering. Will we ever get it?