Why Love Changes Everything: What Jesus Shows Us About Real Community
Adapted from: The New Standard by Ben Purvis
Have you ever felt completely lost, unsure if you were even heading in the right direction?
Ben Purvis remembers that feeling well. Fresh to Texas in 2015, he found himself leaving a hospital visit with a dying phone and no idea how to get back to his new workplace. He did what many of us would do—he just started driving, hoping to figure it out along the way.
That's often how life feels, isn't it? We know where we want to go, but we're not always sure about the path forward. The good news? Jesus doesn't just point us toward a destination. He shows us exactly what the journey looks like.
The Night Everything Changed
In John 13, we find Jesus sharing his final moments with his closest friends before his arrest. What happens next would forever change how they understood love and relationships.
Jesus, fully aware of his authority and mission, does something shocking: he gets up from the table, wraps a towel around his waist, and begins washing his friends' feet.
To understand the gravity of this moment, you need to know that first-century roads functioned as open drainage systems. Feet were the most disgusting part of anyone's body. According to ancient tradition, this task was so degrading that even students weren't required to do it for their teachers. Yet here was Jesus—their leader, their teacher—kneeling in the dirt, touching their mess.
Peter's immediate reaction says it all: "Lord, are you really going to wash my feet?" He couldn't comprehend this kind of love.
Three Questions This Story Answers
1. What does real love actually look like?
Real love moves toward people in their mess—before they clean up, before they have answers, before they deserve it. Jesus didn't wait for his friends to get it together first. He met them exactly where they were. That's the pattern throughout history: God consistently steps toward broken, confused people who are still figuring things out.
2. Why does who's in the room matter?
These weren't perfect people. Luke's account tells us that even at this table, Jesus' friends were arguing about who among them was the greatest. Within hours, Peter would deny knowing Jesus, and Judas had already set betrayal in motion. Jesus knew all of this. And he washed their feet anyway. When Jesus looks at flawed, messy people and chooses to see family, it radically changes how we should see each other.
3. Can I really follow Jesus on my own?
After washing their feet, Jesus gave them a new standard: "Love one another as I have loved you." He wasn't just teaching about humility—he was forming them into a family. Following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey. We don't gather around shared politics, backgrounds, or life stages. We gather around the One who loved us first. And when we love each other that way, something remarkable happens that the world notices.
Why This Matters Today
Here's what many of us miss: Christian community isn't a nice add-on to faith. It's central to what Jesus taught. When we truly experience how Jesus loves us—stepping toward us despite our imperfection, seeing our value despite our flaws—it fundamentally changes how we see others.
The person who's difficult to love suddenly matters. The person who votes differently than you matters. The stranger sitting across the room matters. This is why isolating ourselves doesn't work. We can't claim to follow the Jesus who said "love one another" while concluding that other people don't matter.
The Apostle John, who witnessed that foot-washing moment as a young man, apparently never got over it. Fifty years later, he wrote: "We love because he first loved us." According to early church tradition, when John was elderly and too weak to preach full sermons, he would simply repeat one phrase: "Little children, love one another." When asked why he always said the same thing, John replied: "Because it is the Lord's command, and if this alone is done, it is enough."
Your Next Step
The question today isn't whether you need community. The question is: Where is love moving you? Who might need you to take a step toward them?
If you're exploring faith or have questions, don't wait until you have everything figured out. If you already follow Jesus, consider where you might be keeping others at a distance. Who is calling you toward with the same grace you've experienced?
Real love changes everything—starting with how we see each other.
Have you ever felt completely lost, unsure if you were even heading in the right direction?
Ben Purvis remembers that feeling well. Fresh to Texas in 2015, he found himself leaving a hospital visit with a dying phone and no idea how to get back to his new workplace. He did what many of us would do—he just started driving, hoping to figure it out along the way.
That's often how life feels, isn't it? We know where we want to go, but we're not always sure about the path forward. The good news? Jesus doesn't just point us toward a destination. He shows us exactly what the journey looks like.
The Night Everything Changed
In John 13, we find Jesus sharing his final moments with his closest friends before his arrest. What happens next would forever change how they understood love and relationships.
Jesus, fully aware of his authority and mission, does something shocking: he gets up from the table, wraps a towel around his waist, and begins washing his friends' feet.
To understand the gravity of this moment, you need to know that first-century roads functioned as open drainage systems. Feet were the most disgusting part of anyone's body. According to ancient tradition, this task was so degrading that even students weren't required to do it for their teachers. Yet here was Jesus—their leader, their teacher—kneeling in the dirt, touching their mess.
Peter's immediate reaction says it all: "Lord, are you really going to wash my feet?" He couldn't comprehend this kind of love.
Three Questions This Story Answers
1. What does real love actually look like?
Real love moves toward people in their mess—before they clean up, before they have answers, before they deserve it. Jesus didn't wait for his friends to get it together first. He met them exactly where they were. That's the pattern throughout history: God consistently steps toward broken, confused people who are still figuring things out.
2. Why does who's in the room matter?
These weren't perfect people. Luke's account tells us that even at this table, Jesus' friends were arguing about who among them was the greatest. Within hours, Peter would deny knowing Jesus, and Judas had already set betrayal in motion. Jesus knew all of this. And he washed their feet anyway. When Jesus looks at flawed, messy people and chooses to see family, it radically changes how we should see each other.
3. Can I really follow Jesus on my own?
After washing their feet, Jesus gave them a new standard: "Love one another as I have loved you." He wasn't just teaching about humility—he was forming them into a family. Following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey. We don't gather around shared politics, backgrounds, or life stages. We gather around the One who loved us first. And when we love each other that way, something remarkable happens that the world notices.
Why This Matters Today
Here's what many of us miss: Christian community isn't a nice add-on to faith. It's central to what Jesus taught. When we truly experience how Jesus loves us—stepping toward us despite our imperfection, seeing our value despite our flaws—it fundamentally changes how we see others.
The person who's difficult to love suddenly matters. The person who votes differently than you matters. The stranger sitting across the room matters. This is why isolating ourselves doesn't work. We can't claim to follow the Jesus who said "love one another" while concluding that other people don't matter.
The Apostle John, who witnessed that foot-washing moment as a young man, apparently never got over it. Fifty years later, he wrote: "We love because he first loved us." According to early church tradition, when John was elderly and too weak to preach full sermons, he would simply repeat one phrase: "Little children, love one another." When asked why he always said the same thing, John replied: "Because it is the Lord's command, and if this alone is done, it is enough."
Your Next Step
The question today isn't whether you need community. The question is: Where is love moving you? Who might need you to take a step toward them?
If you're exploring faith or have questions, don't wait until you have everything figured out. If you already follow Jesus, consider where you might be keeping others at a distance. Who is calling you toward with the same grace you've experienced?
Real love changes everything—starting with how we see each other.
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