Jesus said in Luke 6:32, "If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! (GNT)
As we continue to meditate on the questions that Jesus asked, we find these questions are relevant and life-giving even today. Most of us in general tend to love those who love us, and oftentimes our love is reciprocal or conditional. Usually we like to relate with those who relate well with us. We invite to our parties those who invite us for theirs, and give gifts to those who shower us with presents. However, in Jesus’ words as found in Luke 6:32, He is elucidating the fact that if we only love those who love us, there is no blessing in such a love or in other words it is a fruitless love. This kind of love is commonly practiced among everyone. However, the kind of love that the Lord calls us to exhibit, is the exceptional agape love, that can even embrace and love our enemies.
God’s love versus man’s love
The new commandment that Jesus gave us in John 13:34, "I'm giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you. (GW)
While the old commandment just stated that we love one another, the new commandment that Jesus taught was that we love each other just the way He loved us. This was a commandment that Jesus gave, which means that to obey is not optional, but rather an obligation for those who are His children.
The way Jesus loved His disciples
Let us look at the manner in which Jesus chose, related and loved His disciples. Peter for instance was a fisherman, who was by nature impetuous. When Jesus first met Peter, he must have been rugged, smelly, coarse in speech, but Jesus loved, and accepted him just the same. It was such a man that Jesus chose, and invited to leave his nets, follow Him, to become a fisher of men.
Then there was Simon the Zealot, who was also one of the twelve. History has it, that the Zealots were a Jewish sect that were associated with violent uprisings, and expected the coming Messiah to overthrow Rome using force. Here was a disciple of Jesus who was probably bent on a violent revolution against the Roman rule.
Jesus also chose Matthew, a tax-collector who was probably wealthy, and more refined. Having worked for the Roman Government, he would probably have had more allegiance towards them.
When Jesus chose his twelve disciples, he did so with much prayer. Realizing how these twelve came from varied backgrounds, with different personalities, there would have most certainly have been strong differences of opinion among them too. We read of times when they even quarreled, and argued as to who would be the greatest among them. However, Jesus loved all of them equally, and showed no partiality whatsoever. Since Jesus demonstrated this kind of exemplary love to His disciples, He could boldly command them to love one another, just as He had loved them.
Jesus portrayed the same unconditional love to Judas Iscariot
Jesus, the Son of God left all His glory in the heavens and came down to live on this earth. From the thousands of people who lived during His time He chose twelve men to be His disciples. He invested His time in them, showed His wonders, revealed who He was and expounded His teachings. After having received all of this from Jesus, one of them turned out to be a betrayer.
If we were to be associated with such a person like Judas Iscariot, we would have called him a double-crosser or deceiver. But, look at the way Jesus addressed Judas Iscariot.
We read in Matthew 26:50, Jesus said to him, "Friend, why are you here?" Then some men surged forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. (ISV)
We also read in Matthew 26:49, Judas went straight to Jesus and said, "Peace be with you, Teacher," and kissed him. (GNB)
Judas Iscariot had plotted to have Jesus betrayed. He came towards Jesus to kiss Him, so that the conspirators could identify Jesus. Jesus knowing this, still looked on him with love, and addressed him as ‘Friend.’ A kiss we all know is the outward display of deep affection. When Judas kissed Jesus it was a pretentious act to cover up his evil intent. Jesus loved Judas till the very end, but eventually it was Judas who had a woeful end. This is the amazing love that Jesus demonstrated to Judas Iscariot.
Sadly, those of us who claim to be His children have gone far away from demonstrating this kind of love. Today people get even with those who have offended them through messages on their WhatsApp status and other social media. If we have the heart to get square with those who have hurt us, we must be cautioned that such an attitude does not proceed from the heart of the Lord. If we have done anything to slander or defame someone who has been unkind to us, let us seek the Lord’s forgiveness. May we ask the Lord to give us a heart just like His that can even accept those who have acted treacherously against us.
Jesus even washed Judas’ feet
We read in John 13:5, Then he poured some water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. (GNB)
We also read in John 13:11, (Jesus already knew who was going to betray him; that is why he said, "All of you, except one, are clean.") (GNB)
In this incident recorded in John 13, Jesus began to wash every one of His disciples’ feet. One of those included the feet of Judas Iscariot, whom Jesus knew was plotting to betray Him for money. John 13:11 clearly indicated the truth that Jesus had foreknowledge of all that Judas was scheming and of everything that he would do against Jesus. In spite of that revelation, Jesus still chose to love him unconditionally.
May we truly yearn to have the kind of love that Jesus had, and decide to put this into practice in our day to day lives. As I counsel many couples, often in a relationship when there is conflict, invariably one spouse always takes the initiative to reconcile, irrespective of which of them had initiated the disagreement. All of us are called to be humble, and willing to take the first step towards reconciliation. It is only when we truly exhibit that divine love that Jesus had, can we be called genuine followers of Jesus Christ. We are worthy to be called Christians, only when we exemplify the characteristics of Christ in every area of our lives.
We remind ourselves again from Luke 6:32 "If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! (GNT)
The love that Jesus demonstrated for us
When Jesus was crucified on the cross, these were His very first words as He hung there in deepest agony.
Here are His words in Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." They divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. (GNB)
The death on the cross was one of the most barbaric forms of punishment dealt with in those days. When someone was hung to the cross they would gasp for breath, and struggle to breathe. In those most agonizing moments, Jesus pleaded with God the Father that He would forgive all those who were responsible for His death. Jesus did so because He knew that they were doing so in ignorance, not realizing who He really was.
There were three groups of people that stood around the cross of Jesus that day, who were in some way culpable for His death.
1. The Roman Soldiers
The Roman soldiers plunged those cruel nails into Jesus’ hands and feet, those hands which fed, healed the multitudes and those feet that walked miles to minister to the thousands. They pressed down the harsh crown of thorns on His sinless head that did not entertain one evil thought. They spat on His precious face, mocked Him, beat Him with the fiercest of blows, and for such Jesus chose to speak words of forgiveness.
We oftentimes struggle to extend this forgiveness and love to others. Nevertheless, the Lord cautions us that if we do not do so, we are worse off than sinners. Many believers too are wistfully caught in the trap of taking revenge, and are unwilling to forgive or love those who have hurt them in any way.
2. The Priests and elders
We read in Matthew 27:20, The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death. (GNB)
This was the group of religious leaders and elders in the temple, who plotted against Jesus and instigated the crowds to turn against Him. They always worked on the sly, and were far more dangerous than the Roman authorities.
It is often easier to forgive those who harmed us physically, but far more difficult to forgive those who wounded our emotions. Many carry in their hearts deep wounds which they have not allowed the Lord to heal, because of their unwillingness to forgive those who caused them.
There are some who are like these religious leaders, who will feign friendship on the outside but will cause much trouble behind our back. It is extremely difficult to love such people, because of their hypocrisy, but the Lord commands us to love them too. We must never be those two-faced people, who lead dichotomous lives that the Lord detests. When people are unfaithful to us and oppose us, it is good to commit them to the Lord. If we choose to love them anyway, the Lord will mete out justice to such in due time.
We read in Matthew 27:18, He knew very well that the Jewish authorities had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous. (GNB)
The reason the religious leaders handed over Jesus was that they were overcome with strong feeling of jealousy towards Jesus.
It is often true that when God is raising someone, there will always be a group that will be envious of him or her. Daniel is a great example of a man whose integrity lifted him to a high position in Babylon. This upset the ones who were with him, who grew jealous and plotted against him. However, their evil schemes failed because the Lord was with Daniel, and His hand of protection was upon him.
3. The crowds
We read in Luke 23:35, The people stood there watching while the Jewish leaders made fun of him: (GNB)
This is the group of bystanders whose chose just to watch all the events as they unfolded without taking a stand for justice. This was the group who knew that the leaders were doing wrong. They recognized that Jesus was being treated unfairly, but they wanted to please the majority more than they desired to please God. They were a selfish group who had no courage to stand up or speak up against the unfair treatment that was being dealt to Jesus. The crowds that gathered that day cried out saying ‘let His blood be on us and our children.’ What happened as a result was that seventy years later, Jerusalem was laid siege by the Romans who destroyed all of it.
If we stand in a place of injustice, and are silent when we should speak up, we too are guilty of being part of the group of conspirators and assaulters.
When Jesus spoke words of forgiveness, it was for every one of these people who stood around the cross that day. His forgiveness extends to each one of us too, for all of us in some way belong to one of these three categories of people.
Let us choose to release forgiveness to anyone who has wronged us in any way, by word or deed. If we do not forgive, loving the way Jesus commands us to, our worship and service will be unacceptable to God. Moreover, our unwillingness to forgive, will affect us more than the other person against whom we hold the grudge. May God strengthen us to live in peace, and to love others just the way He loved us. Let us extend to others His unconditional, agape love, proving to those around us that we are indeed the true disciples of Jesus.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
