Out of the turbulence of the 1960s came a song most of us know by heart: What the World Needs Now Is Love. Like most things from that decade, the Burt Bacharach song has enjoyed a retro resurgence.
I found myself intrigued by its simple proclamation, and set out to discover, man-on-the-street-style, what the world needs now—that is, besides love, sweet love. A sampling of answers? Alternative fuels. Better customer service. A break. And with a nod to Christopher Walken, more cow bell.
Scripture Text
Jesus Himself dealt with this question at a precise point during His ministry—and no, it wasn’t more cow bell He longed for. As you read the verses below, be sure to note a couple of things:
* Who was Jesus with?
* What intensity did He attach to the command He gave?
* What would result from this command?
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love… He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Later in this same scene, Jesus said:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Think about It
These verses conjure up a few questions.
First, why was this a new command? Loving “one another” seems so intrinsic to following Jesus. Why would this command be new?
For one thing, never before had there been a community of Christ followers. And here was a foundational command to this new community: love one another. Already Jesus had taught His followers to love their enemies and their neighbors. Here He added a new group to that list: fellow followers.
Second, what does this love look like? It’s easy to dismiss Jesus’ command to love as He loved, since it’s unlikely we’ll be asked to die on a cross. It must be hyperbole, we rationalize. But there’s one small detail to notice: Jesus hadn’t yet gone to the cross. What He had just done was wash His disciples’ feet. We can do that—sacrificially serve and love each other. John is the only gospel writer to record the feet-washing. And his step-by-step description is the modern equivalent of Super SloMo. God wanted us to see the detail.
Jesus was nothing short of emphatic: He asserted that we must do this and guaranteed an enticing result: this love will produce a response from the outside world. Our most effective outreach tool may be sacrificial interaction between the students already entrusted to our care.
Apply It
Well, what does the world need now?
The answer is simple: Believer love. The world needs Christ followers loving each other in a manner worthy of the One they’re following. This doesn’t mean that students have to be best friends and hang out at Starbucks en masse. It does mean that they should look for ways to put others’ interests ahead of their own. That’s the essence of the love Jesus requires.
How can we do this? A few ideas: create opportunities for students to lay down their personal preferences, to serve one another, to be generous toward each other. Start within your student ministry. Then work your way out to love other believers in your schools and communities.
Believer love. It’s what the world needs now.
