(Word Of The Year series)
I will be honest from the start, I don’t understand what I’m getting ready to write about. I just don’t understand it at all. I thought about it and thought about it, but I have never come to understand it. I don’t really think that we can understand it.
Let me start here.
In the book of Matthew, we find one of the longest teachings of Jesus - the Sermon on the Mount. [1] In the Sermon on the Mount, you can find Jesus’ thoughts on numerous topics. But at the end of Matthew 5, we find these words
:
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” - Matthew 5:43-44 NLT
Jesus did just that! He loved His enemies! You have heard the saying “actions speak louder than words.” Jesus’ action spoke louder than anything He ever said. Jesus didn’t just say something and not back it up or do the opposite. Jesus did what He said and that is what caused people to believe in Him. If Jesus said “love your enemies” but then spit in the face of the first enemy He saw or pushed them down or called them a name, people would have had trouble believing His words.
But Jesus let His actions speak!
In John 4, He went and sat down at a well. He was waiting there for a Samaritan woman. Jews and Samaritans we enemies of each other and this is even confirmed by the surprised response of the woman when she gets to the well and sees Jesus there.[2] This woman was also at the well at high noon. Women didn’t usually travel to the well at high noon because it was hot. They usually went in the mornings and evenings when it was cooler. So because she was going to the well alone shows that she was kind of an enemy, perhaps, within her own community due to choices that she had made in the past. But Jesus shows her love - true love - and she ran back to town and brought people back with her and this led to a town revival because Jesus showed her love.
Jesus had a group of friends - the 12 disciples. He showed them love as well. Matthew was a tax collector (tax collectors were notorious criminals) and Jesus called him to be in the group anyway.[3] Jesus called a group of fishermen - who probably had no people skills at all because they spent a lot of time on the boat fishing - and wanted them to be in the group as well.[4]
This last one got me. I had never seen or thought about this before. In John 13, we see Jesus and his disciples having dinner. Jesus gets up and “shows them the full extent of his love” [5] by taking off His robe and kneels down to wash the disciples feet. This was a job meant for the lowest servant. As Jesus made His way around the table washing the feet of His disciples - He came to one man. Who was sitting there at the table? JUDAS! He washed the feet of Judas! He looked Judas in the eyes knowing that Judas was going to betray Him and washed His feet anyway.
What kind of love is this? This is AGAPE LOVE. Agape love is “unconditional”, “unstoppable”, “gift love”, and my favorite “I love you in spite of__________”.
You see Jesus knew everything that the woman at the well had done - but He loved her in spite of it. Jesus knew all about His disciples, but loved them in spite of it. Jesus knew all about what Judas was going to do, but He loved Him in spite of it anyway. Jesus knowing all about us - everything we have done and going to do - He loves us in spite of it all. Jesus went to the cross for us all - in spite of all we have done.
There are 3 things I know:
1) I know that I don’t understand this Agape love. I don’t understand it at all. We can’t love like this. We put conditions on whom we choose to love based on what they did or didn’t do to us.
2) I know that I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve anything that Jesus did for me. None of us do! I know what I do deserve - the cross. I deserve the cross. We all deserve the cross. But because of the Agape love of Jesus. Because of the unconditional, unstoppable, and I love you in spite of love of Jesus - He took the cross for me! He took the cross for us! He looked out from the cross, through swollen bloody eyes, and not only saw the crowd there, but He also saw my face. He saw yours as well.
3) I know that I am thankful for the Agape love of Jesus. Jesus didn’t have to do anything for me. But He did.
As I said, Jesus let His actions speak. He said that He loved us and He went all the way to cross to prove it.
“Most of all, let love guide your life.” - Colossians 3:14 TLB
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[1] Matthew 5-7
[2] John 4:9
[3] Matthew 9:9
[4] Matthew 4:18-22
[5] John 13:1 – some translations use this phrasing
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