Holy Week: Jesus Teaches Love

Holy Week: Jesus Teaches Love       


In my last three blog posts we witnessed Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday); saw Him shake things up at the Temple; rejoiced as He blessed children and healed the afflicted.  


Now let’s move on with Him into mid-week.


Jesus continued to teach about what the Kingdom of God is like. In parable after parable He illustrated God, His Kingdom, and man’s flawed propensities. He also continued to heal the sick and afflicted, showing love and compassion toward people. Still, the religious leaders wanted Him gone. 


One of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, approached Jesus and asked, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ 


“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’


“’This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV).  

Illustration by Lesley James, from 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie wohlford

Have you meditated on that passage lately? 


Jesus pointed out that if we would love in the way He described we would be fulfilling all of the Law, which includes the Ten Commandments, and all of the Prophets. We would be fulfilling everything that the statutes of God require. 


Let’s go back to the essence of love. Jesus also said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 NKJV). 


The center of God’s character is love. God is love. 


Jesus came to Earth because of that love and He was (and is) walking, talking perfect love. In just a couple of days that perfect love would be nailed to a cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God. He would take the punishment we each deserve for the sins we’ve each committed. 


As we approach Resurrection Sunday, lets ponder on that perfect love.


As followers of Jesus—we who are in Christ—lets consider the words of the beloved disciple, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 NKJV). 


With God’s help, by His Spirit in us, we can love like Jesus. 


This Holy Week, I again want to encourage you to read, in your Bible, about the last days of Jesus’ life. Quite a bit happens in these few days. See for yourself. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, and John 12:12. Go ahead and read through to the end of each of the Gospels between now and Easter Sunday. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


Each day this week, I’m posting just a few highlights from those amazing days in history. Also, I’m using some of the pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James. 


Thank you for traveling with me through these extraordinary days. God bless you. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

A Greater LOVE

A Greater LOVE

Is love on your mind this week? Are you giddy just thinking about how you’ll express your love to a special someone? Or are you discouraged and lonely because there is no special someone?

If the latter best describes you, take heart and be assured that romantic love is not even the highest level of love. It’s often temporary and can leave a person with a painful hole in their heart.

Jesus brought a greater love to mankind when He gave Himself on the cross.

In Paul’s letters to first century churches he gave instructions on how church members should behave in general and how they should treat one another.

He told the Ephesians, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift (Ephesians 4:1-7 – NKJV) .

Verses 2-3 in the New Life Version state: Live and work without pride. Be gentle and kind. Do not be hard on others. Let love keep you from doing that. ³ Work hard to live together as one by the help of the Holy Spirit. Then there will be peace.

It takes effort to live in unity as a couple, a family, a church community, or any organization. When we decide not to be hard on others, we are bearing with one another in love. This is a choice.

Note that after Paul’s listing of instructions, he reminded his readers that God gives us each grace. Paul knew they (and we) cannot accomplish the directives in the previous verses without the gift of grace that comes to us from God, by His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Through God’s grace to us, we’re forgiven and accepted into His Kingdom. His grace in us gives us power to bear with one another in love, following Christ’s example. Allowing God’s grace to work in us is a choice.     

In the 5^th chapter of Ephesians, Paul told the followers of Jesus to walk in love after the example of Christ Himself. This is agape, the God kind of love.

After listing several Christ-like attributes in his letter to the Colossians Paul  wrote, And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity (Colossians 3:14).

Can you see it—love the perfect bond of unity? Love is the superglue which holds a marriage together; holds a family together; holds a church community together; even holds a business together. What other entities can you list which are held together with the bond of love? 

When asked what the greatest commandment is, “Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, HEAR O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” ³¹The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:29-31).

 

 

Three things will last forever−faith, hope, and love−and the greatest of these is love.  

1 Corinthians 13:13

 

Let’s ask God to give us grace to love the way Jesus loved,

letting agape love rule in our hearts and be evident in our actions.

©Connie Wohlford 2016