The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
We are familiar with a “new day”, a “new start”, even a “new life”. We use those expressions all the time. Sometimes they imply a big change, sometimes not so much. When John sees in his vision (Rev 21:1-5a) a “new Jerusalem” and God says “I make all things new” – what exactly has changed? It’s still Jerusalem, so what is new about it? The voice from the throne says that God will dwell with his people and he will wipe away their tears. But that is not new. Many prophets had said as much.
In John’s gospel (Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35), Jesus says ”I give you a new commandment”. But “love one another” wasn’t a new commandment. So what was new?
However Jesus didn’t just say ”love one another”. He said ”love one another as I have loved you”. That is something new. How could we possibly love as he loved? Here is our clue. What has changed is that it is now possible for us to love as Jesus loved, to love as the Father loves.
And that is possible only because Jesus is with us, he is within us, it is him doing the loving. Because we are one with him and the Father, we can love with his love. This is how God has made all things new. God is not simply with his people as he was for the Israelites. His identification with his people is now total. “Remain in me… As the father has loved me so I love you” (Jn 15:9). Everything is new, everything is possible.