This Kind of Love

Many years ago when I started reading the Bible daily I began to see Jesus as kind of aloof. Some of the things he said and did made me think of him as unfeeling, standing back from life and always evaluating everyone's motives and finding fault with people. It seemed like, as God in the flesh, he was suffering with the people for awhile until he could get back to heaven and reign as king again. Like there was that time in Matthew 17 when a man approached Jesus and implored him to heal his son. Jesus answered him, "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?" See what I mean?

This morning I had to take another break from Isaiah. Seems I have to steer my small group discussion this Sunday so I was looking at John 13. As I read I saw him differently. He knew his time was short, he knew he would soon die and he knew who was going to betray him. The Bible says "having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end." So what does he do? This is where he lays aside his outer robe, ties a towel around his waist and washes his disciples feet. Peter protests and Jesus tells him, "what I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." He is still painstakingly teaching his men. He loved them dearly so he's preparing them, right up to the end.

A few minutes later the writer says that Jesus was troubled in spirit. Then Jesus tells them one of their own will betray him. Wait a minute. He knew this was coming. He talked about it almost from the start three years earlier. He came to give his life as a ransom and he knew this was coming all along. Was he troubled because now it was imminent? What does it say.....? It says he was troubled and then the first thing out of his mouth was about Judas' betrayal. Was he troubled over Judas? Did he love him? Was he hurting over him? This is no aloof king. This is a love like I've never seen. He loves the betrayer, right up to the end.

More than anything else I want to know this kind of love....