1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
There are an abundance of scriptures on the topic of love in the bible. There are an abundance of quotations outside of the bible too. Sayings like, “love conquers all” or “if you love someone, set them free”. Love may just be the most powerful emotion of them all. But what kind of love are we talking about exactly? What do we mean when we say “I love you”? To our friends, our family, our partners, even our pets. Surely (hopefully), one does not love their goldfish the same way they love their spouse or their mother. This must mean that there are different kinds of love. Different forms of the deep affection we express towards people or things in our lives. In ancient Greece, philosophers believed there may be up to 8 distinct types of love. For the purposes of this particular episode, we will only examine one. That is: Agape, or Unconditional Love.
In the New Testament, the term Agape is often used to refer to the selfless, endless supernatural love of God. Which he has for all humanity, and which we as humans, are asked to show him in return. This love extends beyond the realm of human emotion. It is not merely a feeling but also a determined act of the will. In other words, one can choose to love this way. It’s not a kind of love that happens to us (like how in romantic relationships one might say they “fell” in love), but instead, it is a kind of love that we can stir up, cultivate, wilfully engage and act upon. This is the love which was demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross at calvary, giving up his life for us, so that we may be made alive together with Him, for eternity. This is the love, which is the very essence of God himself.
John 4:7-8
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Imagine for a minute. You’re Jesus on the day of His crucifixion. Stripped, mocked and whipped in front of a bloodthirsty crowd. Screaming, spitting and laughing with derision as you are scourged, and a crown of thorns is twisted upon your head. The excruciating physical pain of being nailed to a cross, coupled with the emotional and psychological pain of being publicly humiliated in the process of your execution. Deserted by the people who claimed to love you most. How would you be feeling in this moment? What would be on your mind? I think I’d be speaking for most of us when I say I would be experiencing intense feelings of shame, anger, frustration, disappointment, maybe even hatred. Both, for my tormentors, and for the situation I had found myself in. But with Jesus it was the opposite. In the final moments before His death and resurrection, we see our Lord, using what little human strength he had left, to extend nothing but love and compassion, even towards his enemies.
In Luke 23:34 we see Him plead for the mercy of God the Father on behalf of his enemies, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. This is the Radical Love of Christ. To bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. To love the undeserving, unconditionally. This is the love which the New Testament authors refer to as: Agape. This is the eternal, unconditional, self-sacrificing love which doesn’t just flow from God, but makes up the very essence of His Being. It is Radical in nature because, it takes everything we think we know about what love is and flips it upside down. In Christ, true love is self-giving without necessarily expecting anything in return. It is self-sacrificing without seeking a reward. To our fallen nature, this display of deep affection for those who seek to do us harm seems counterintuitive. But in the mind and heart of God, this is the perfect expression of Divine Love.
Luke 6:32-36
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Prayers
Heavenly Father. May the love which flows from Your heart, into our hearts, through your Holy Spirit, be stirred up for action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Father Lord. May we receive the grace and strength to refuse to accommodate any form of: resentment, hatred, envy or jealousy in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Heavenly Father. Grant us the ability to exercise forgiveness towards those who offend us, so you may continue to forgive us when we offend you.
Father Lord. Please give us the grace to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and turn the other cheek. I pray not just for an understanding or revelation of your Divine Love, but that we may also embody it. So that we may be able to love others, as you first loved us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.