What exactly did Jesus mean when he said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” ? (Jn 15:13) 1 Perhaps it wouldn't injure anyone's good sense to conclude that he meant dying in someone else's place, since that is exactly what Jesus himself eventually did. He died in our place, but He hadn't yet done that when He spoke these words. Nevertheless, that meaning of the text seems inescapable. It would be illogical to see it otherwise, wouldn't it? So, in that case, why go any further into it? For at least two reasons.
A Troubling Standard
First, it is troubling that the standard of this Greatest Love may have been laid down in a way that the vast majority of us will never be given an opportunity to be tested by it. Circumstances that would examine my love under that condition, that is of dying in someone else's' place, are unlikely to ever develop. Let alone, for multiple people (remember He said “. . . lay down his life for his friends”). Under this setting I have little chance, in my lifetime, of ever showing this Greatest Love. Under what set of conditions would this opportunity arise? And even if it should happen that the opportunity does arise, and I respond by giving my life, I can only do it once and not on and going basis.
Someone might argue that something like a parent's willingness to trade places with a child who is dying of some terrible disease would satisfy the requirement. But it can also be argued that willingness doesn't replace the actual doing of it. 'round and "round we"d go on that one. Such arguments as that notwithstanding, and granting our original interpretation of actually dying in place of someone, is there some other possible meaning?
In the second place, the English word "life" has a number of alternate meanings. We obviously speak of life in the sense of our physical life, the life of our body, but we also think of it in terms of our “way”, or “manner” of life. And we say things like, “love life, prayer life, home life”, “bigger than life”, and so on. We write biographies tracing the course of one's life. Additionally, we use phrases like, “life of the party”, and “the investigation took on a life of its own”. We can add to those such phrases as “he was lifeless”, not meaning dead, but listless, lacking energy. What is meant by “life” must be cleared up.
The Meaning of “Life”
In English we have one word, life, which has many meanings and nuances-that is, shades of meanings. We arrive at the intended meaning by seeing or hearing how the word is used. (That is what is meant by context.) In the Greek language of our Bible there are a number of words that are translated to the single English word, life. There are at least four Greek words translated “life” in our English Bibles. Of these, three are most frequently used2. They are:
- Bios. Referring to duration, means, and manner of life. Examples of its use are in Mk 12:44 and Lk 8:14. Our English words beginning with bio find their root here, in bios.
- Zōē. Meaning to live; life in the main. Generally, physical life and existence as opposed to death and non-existence. In the New Testament it is also often taken to mean full and intensive life, as God has it. In English we get from it zoology, the study of animal life. It is used in Jn 1:4, Lk 16:25 and other verses.
- Psuche. -pronounce it sukee-- Literally, to breathe; blow. Generally used of the soul, the immaterial part of man. Psuche, in an important sense, is self-the seat of the mind and emotions; our self-will. Here is where we get our words psyche and psychology. Examples of its use are in Mt:10:28, He 4:12, Jn 15:13, and others.
Another is “helikia” found in Lk 12:25 and it means adulthood, or maturity. We are going to be most concerned with psuche, which is translated both as "soul" (as in Mt 10:28) and as "life" in our text, Jn 15:13.
Life is More than the Body
If you were following closely, you now know that "life" in Jn 15:13 is psuche. Let's see how that might aid us in our examination. Looking again our text, we can see it like this: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his psuche for his friends.” Psuche, not zōē or Bios or some other word. Now, in the word psuche, we have evidence to explore.
