Q. How does one “love like Jesus” in a world which equates His love with weakness?
A. C.S. Lewis said, “Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” We know Jesus demonstrated love for the world through His sacrificial death on a cross. We know He displayed love in His life through selflessly teaching and feeding the multitudes; powerfully casting out demons; mercifully healing the sick, blind, mute, and lame; and dramatically raising the dead. These demonstrations of love were not driven by an affectionate feeling. What we see through the biblical testimony of Jesus in the Scriptures is an unwavering desire for the loved person’s ultimate good.
The Risks of Love
Our view of others’ ultimate good is often clouded by the harsh realities of our sinful world. We want to think the best of people; but they fail us, turn on us, and betray our confidence. This hurts our pride, leading to resentment and bitterness. Then instead of thinking about what is in others’ best interests, our thoughts zero in on their offenses against us.
Like Queen Elsa in the Disney movie Frozen, we erect walls between us and those we love because of our fear of being hurt or of hurting others. Sometimes we withhold others’ ultimate good because of jealousy fueled by insecurity or because of envious covetousness. We’re a rotten bunch.
If our own sinfulness were not a sufficient obstacle to love, consider this: Love has been marginalized, misunderstood, misrepresented, mislabeled, taken advantage of,betrayed, spat upon, crowned with thorns, beaten within an inch of its life, torn to shreds, and crucified by its enemies — remember what they did to Jesus? Love isn’t safe. It isn’t easy or convenient. In fact, it may cost you everything. Love anyway.
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. . . . The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers . . . of love is Hell.
C.S. Lewis
The Opportunity of Love
Jesus knew the risks associated with loving others. Aren’t you glad He didn’t allow these risks to keep Him from sharing His love? We will never love like Jesus until our hearts and minds have been transformed by Him. He experienced the same disappointments as you and me. He endured the same interpersonal stressors as we do, yet He always responded in a way which sought others’ ultimate good.
What was the difference? Unlike us, Jesus saw the world’s brokenness through God’s eyes and looked upon its pain and desperation with God’s heart. This allowed Him to see with laser vision through the thick, ugly clouds of sin which often cause us to put the needs of our hurting world out of focus. Jesus’ unclouded vision of reality enabled Him to continue seeking the world’s ultimate good. Such love is not weakness, but strength, for it operates in light of truth and not subjective feelings.
By Cameron Edwards
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