Series Introduction:

We hold many different understandings of love and views of those who receive God’s love. Perhaps no Image of God’s personal love imprints the minds of man more than that of the Son of Man, Christ Jesus.

Jesus embodies the Father’s love of others and God’s love of the world in so many ways.

During this brief season of Easter and until the occasion of Pentecost we will glance at God’s relational love for the Church.

Yes, EASTER is a season for the Church and not just one Resurrection Day –– a season of significance recognizing the risen Messiah and Lord who walked the earth as Jesus had prior to His Crucifixion for our sins. Jesus instructed disciples for fifty days after the Resurrection and He was witnessed by many saints soon to be built into His foundation of the Church.

We begin by returning to a scene just prior to Jesus’ Crucifixion at the tomb of Lazarus, who no doubt walked among those five-hundred witnesses until the day of Pentecost.

How God loved His friends personally

So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

It’s one of the tenderest lines in Scripture.

Roger@talkofJESUS.com – on witnesses of Jesus at Lazarus’ funeral John 11:36

Jesus: Image of God’s Personal Love

Lazarus – HELP from the grave

When YOU die will you have even one friend observing a mourner saying, ‘See how he loved him?’ (or ‘see how she loved her?’)

Do you have any friend — any mortal soul who loves you that much?

I don’t think that I do.

But then again, I’m far from the man of compassion our Lord Jesus is as once again He shows here the extent of his personal love of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

Throughout the Gospels — the Good News of Jesus Christ — the Lord’s Disciples and many others continually witnessed Jesus’ love for others both publicly and personally.

But Jesus IS God we rationalize, so you and I can’t possibly love real people that much. Yet aren’t Christians supposed to be built into His Image?

the Challenge of a personal conversation about Christ

Our public witness of Jesus (at funerals and other life events) may characterize Christ at times, yet away from these occasions we frequently fail to love others as we see Jesus do here at the funeral of Lazarus.

Some family, certain ‘friends’ and even a few from our ‘church’ convict me without mercy of the sins of all ‘christians.’

Roger@talkofJesus.com

Dare I call Jesus Christ my Lord?

YES. (And I certainly plea for grace from you and any who willingly confess your own shortcomings in relational love of others.)

So many will compartmentalize ‘christians’ as those who hate certain things too much and love certain people too little.

Roger@talkofJesus.com

Jesus Christ IS the Very Image of our loving heavenly Father modeling God’s Personal Love of us and for us. My desire in Christ is to love JESUS first and secondly to love those whose desire is to seek and remain in Jesus’ unfailing love.

• Are you one of these so called, ‘Christians?’

When we want to talk of Jesus, we remain ‘Christians’ (capital ‘C’) in Him, even though many ‘christians’ (small ‘c’) conveniently claim ‘Christ’ on their terms and not His.

Relating to God personally provides the fruit of the Holy Spirit which connects Christ to His Church (as well as our heavenly Father).

Two Personal Challenges

IF YOU are up for a personal challenge,

AND IF you have not encouraged me as your brother in Christ by subscribing to my occasional New Post Series notifications,

THEN I ask you to respond personally to my opinion as a ‘CHRISTIAN,’ identifying yourself as part of one of two groups:

1. ‘christians’ or
2. one who does not like ‘christians.’

Why not accept my challenge to your own hypocrisy (my fellow sinner)?

I too prefer not to associate with some ‘christians.’ For I also receive accusations or snubs by some ‘christians‘ impersonally distancing me in most unchristlike manners.

1. For those of you who do NOT like to relate personally to ‘christians’:
   • Just email me and make it personal, rather than judging me as ‘one of those closed-minded ‘christians’ shouting hatred and waving ‘Jesus’ signs in front of the cameras.’
2. For those ‘christians‘ who do NOT like to relate to other ‘christians’ from your ‘church,’ because they (I) won’t get involved in YOUR issue:
   • Maybe you’re one of them and really would like to talk to another Christian about your ‘ISSUE.’
   • Let’s talk. Email me. I’ll respond to you and that ISSUE so important to you personally.

As for our Christian community here on talkofJESUS.com, we will carry on conversations concerning our personal Lord witnessed in Scripture, Christ Jesus. We are Christians under construction by Christ.

So how did God love His friends?

I’m NOT going to give you the stock JOHN 3:16 answer, but it would apply.

Last year in A.D. 2020, we witnessed our Lord’s personal love of those He loves in the Gospel of John.

Jesus’ Commandment

Jesus IS God’s Personal love

Would you like to understand this special relationship of the Lord God to His church?

(Hopefully you are a part of the church, my dear brother or sister in the Lord.)

Look back at what you may have missed from our 2020 look at the Good News of John.

Jesus loved his friend Lazarus

We begin this series on God’s Personal love with the example of the death of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Observation of the Lord by their fellow Jews present for Lazarus’ memorial service was: ‘Jesus wept.’

• Do you have compassion like this for most of your ‘christian’ friends?

Perhaps more importantly I ask you,

‘Do they know how much you love them?’

Again, as friendless as my own life would seem at times, perhaps they do not know.

My friends do not know how much I love them. (And that may include YOU, beloved friend.) So as you read the Good News of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave, consider His human love for a friend you may not have ever seen in our Savior.

Lazarus – God’s personal friend

Below you will find a link to most of the story of Lazarus, but before we continue in this series just a highlight:

So the sisters [Martha and Mary] sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he [Lazarus] whom You love G5368 is sick.”

John 11:3 NASB20 – Strong’s G5368 phileō love

And yes, phileō is the same verb the mourners used of Jesus when they remarked, “See how He loved G5368 him!”

With ‘love’ as we use in English we have some confusion, not to mention misuse of application of Scripture. There is, however, some overlap as you will see in this next quote related to the context of Jesus and Lazarus.

(Now Jesus loved G25 Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.)

John 11:5 NASB20 – Strong’s G25 agapaō love

Lazarus – the Dead Man came out!

Why does love even matter?

Quite simply, because Jesus loved His friends so much AND our Lord (if we really love Jesus as our Lord) commands His followers to love one another as He has loved us.

God is a RELATIONAL GOD! And in Jesus we know the Lord’s LOVE PERSONALLY. We are connected in Love to Him and to each other.

To be continued...