Having loved his own – John 13:1
His love was particular – loved his own – those the father had given him
First notice whom we loves: “Having loved his own… he loved them to
the end.”

“He calls his own sheep by name and they follow him.” “The good
shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:3, 15, 27).

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends” (John 15:13).

“I do not pray for these only but for all who will believe on me
through their word” (John 17:1).

“His own.” “His sheep.” “His friends.” “Believers.”

Here is something very precious and powerful and life-changing.

The love of Jesus for his own, for his sheep, for his friends, for
believers is more than the love held out to the world—the compassion
that fed the hungry and healed the sick and preached good news to the
poor.

And in this verse, John wants those of us who are “His own,” his
sheep, his friends to hear something uniquely for us.

It is not by accident that Jesus’ love for the church is compared to
the love of a husband for his wife in Ephesians 5.

There is a kind of love I can have for all women and men, but when I
have vowed in solemn covenant to forsake all others and cleave to Jean
alone and to love her and cherish her for richer for poorer, for better
for worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part, our love
becomes a slight reflection of what it means for Jesus to love his own,
his sheep, his friends, his bride.

Think of the love that takes captive and cleaves and unites and
cherishes and defends.

His love was protective – in the world

The world of the flesh, tempation, trial and testing.

Having willingly set aside the glory that was rightfully His, and in
spite of the disciples’ appalling selfishness, Jesus’ main concern
that night was to demonstrate His personal love to the twelve so that
they might be secure in it.

John 13:1 says, “having loved His own who were in the world, He
loved them to the end.”  “To the end” in the Greek text is eis
telos, meaning, literally, that He loved them to perfection. He loved
them to the uttermost. He loved them with total fullness of love.

His love was permanent – to the end – no end.

He loved us in life and he loved us in death. Having loved us in the
easiest times he loved us in the hardest times. Having loved us with
words and bread and touch he loved us with blood and pain and death.
Having loved us extensively over years he loved us intensively to the
depths. Eternally – lead them, surely goodness and mercy follow us –
glory of perfection.

We are moved to believe that someone loves us when two things
appear—they stick with us over time, and they stick with us when it is
costly.

And the word tells us, “having loved his own who were in the world, he
loved them to the end.” It went long and it went deep.

O, may God give us the power to comprehend with all the saints what is
the height and depth and length and breadth and to know the love of
Christ which passes knowledge that we might be filled with all the
fullness of God.”Having loved his own.” Those four words are a brief but
complete summary of the Savior’s conduct towards his disciples.