In reading the verses today the Love described in the Bible is not the wavering, touchy-feely, optionally defined love we see in culture. The Love Jesus described has teeth because it has a cost and is full of truth. It is offensive in many ways.
“If you love me you will bear fruit.”
“Those who love me will take up their cross and follow me.”
That doesn’t sound like the love we see today. The culturally love we see today does not make commands. It lets someone you love do whatever they want because it is their decision. In culture today love is cheap and doesn’t have a whole lot of value because it is based on a “feeling” not a decision. If my love for Jesus is based on a feeling I am not going to want to do the hard thing of taking up my cross and following him. I am not going to love my enemies. I am not going to do the hard things.
You see in the church we get love and obedience wrong these days. We think following God is this set of rules that robs us from our happiness. When in all reality I have discovered that God’s commands and rules are their for our protection and following after God is the most exciting, truly joyful thing you could experience. You see Jesus isn’t asking us to do something he wouldn’t do. He showed us what love looked like. It was not a weak, pushover, wavering love. It was a commitment. A commitment to love God after we truly grasp how much he love us. He died for us! Our love and obedience is not bread out of guilt but out of thankfulness. It is in gratitude that he would die for us and then allow us to be a part of his plan. After reading these passages and listening to the video I am really wanting to do a study on what love is by definition of Jesus and compare that to what the world says. I think we would be amazed.
Love and obedience in our culture seem like they are on way opposite ends of the spectrum but in the bible they go hand in hand.
Great stuff, Justin!