Jesus Loves the Church
If you picture Jesus’ Disciples as a blueprint of His church you will observe God’s love for the Church by Christ’s love of them. The Messiah Jesus had been with the Twelve for over two years when the Lord asked them about the crowds of disciples who followed them.
Matthew 16:
Also: (Mark 8:27–30; Luke 9:18–20 )
Jesus: “Who are people saying the Son of Man is?
- Various Apostles: “Well, some say Yochanan the Immerser,
- others, Elijah;
- and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Jesus: “But you, who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter:
“You are the Mashiach, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16 Complete Jewish Bible – maw-shakh
Jesus: “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan,” Yeshua said to him, “how blessed you are! For no human being revealed this to you, no, it was my Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…
Jesus builds the church and defeats her enemy
It is a powerful prediction prior to Jesus’ crucifixion!
He will build HIS Church. Hell will not claim its dead sinners redeemed in His sacrificial Blood of God’s grace.
God’s enemy loves sin.
Man’s enemy tempts us away from our loving Lord God. Satan has prevailed in our death ever since man’s expulsion from the presence of the LORD in Eden.
Here prior to His Sacrifice, Jesus, who began the work of the church in His Personal love of the Apostles, tells His Disciples He will soon secure our salvation by His own human death on a Cross for our sins.
Peter and the Apostles will become the rock-solid foundation for a Church – an eternal Temple purified in Christ to be built after the Son of the living God leaves this world in victory over sin.
“Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 NASB20
Why does love even matter?
Quite simply, because God is love Personally, embodied in the Person of the Messiah Jesus.
Jesus loves His friends much!
We witnessed this most godly love in our introduction at the tomb of Lazarus and later Jesus shows this unrelenting Personal love to Simon Peter after His resurrection.
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 Christ Jesus we know the Lord’s LOVE is PERSONAL.
Roger@talkofJESUS.com
We are connected in Love to our Lord Jesus and to each other.
Love, love and other loves.
So as not to immerse ourselves into a baptism of love feasts, I must define this love of which we speak, actually more than one love of which Christians speak in the context of Christ Jesus.
ἀγάπη – agapē
If you are a ‘christian’ raised in the church you probably have heard plenty of our first one: agapē or agapaō (Here’s a quick look.)
the Love noun of the church
Jesus said: “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love G26 will become cold.”
- Are you feeling that?
Even non-christians have noted this lack of love.
And you are probably familiar with this one *although the context is not romantic as it is often used emotionally in marriage ‘vows’.
Love G26 is patient, love G26 is kind, it is not jealous; love G26 does not brag, it is not arrogant.
1 Corinthians 13:4 NASB20 – Strings G26 – agape love
- How are we doing with this ‘love’ of others?
- your neighbors,
- your boss and coworkers,
- parents of your child’s ‘friend’
- or even someone at ‘church’?
ἀγαπάω – agapaō
the Love verb of the church
If ‘love’ as a nown is our expected godly response to others, then ‘love’ as a verb must become the actionble response of every ‘Christian,’ every saint of Christ’s church who claims Jesus as Lord.
Jesus answered and said to him,
“If anyone loves G25 Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love G25 him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
The one who does not love G25 Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
John 14:23-24 NASB20 – Strong’s G25 agapaō love
With ‘love’ as defined in English we have some confusion, not to mention misapplication of Scripture. There is, however, some overlap as you will see in this next quote returning to the context of Jesus and Lazarus from our introduction to God’s Personal Love.
(Now Jesus loved G25 Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.)
John 11:5 NASB20 – Strong’s G25 agapaō love
φιλέω – phileō
a verb of approval, affection & kindness
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!”
The Lord Jesus loved his friend Lazarus, yet listen to what Jesus says just a week before He is to be crucified and die on a Cross for the sins of His ‘friends.’
“The one who loves G5368 his life loses it,
and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.
John 12:25 NASB20 – The Messiah Jesus on phileō love, approving of our own life!
Jesus goes on counsel His followers (true Christians, faithful saints of the Church not approved by the world) concerning our opposition by many who refuse to love the Lord their God:
“If you were of the world, the world would love G5368 you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
John 15:19 NASB20 – Jesus Christ on why the world hates or does not approve of Christians who love the Lord and witness His love for the world.
The ‘door’ on the wall of worship
‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Those whom He loves
We’ve heard it preached — Christians and those evangelized to come, if you will, to our gentle and compassionate Lord — we have heard this Scripture from the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John.
We like it. And we love this same compassionate Son of Man the Jews observe at the tomb of Lazarus when they say, “See how He loved him.”
Yet hear me, dear friend, and hear out the context of this compassionate grace offered to those who will obey Christ’s commands.
And just in case the Lord is speaking to you — in case the Lord refers to your church and ‘christian‘ friends of your church, please see the Scripture of Christ’s letter to a church through the Apostle John:
( I shared this on talkofJesus.com in our first year of witness in 2013.)
If in the year of our Lord 2013, “the Time was near for our Church,” certainly time has sprinted strides further in these last days of A.D. 2021 nearer the finish line of God’s glory.
Next time, we will talk of Jesus’ connection to the Church even after the deaths of all but one of His beloved Disciples. Here’s a preview from Scripture. We will begin with the Lord’s brother Jude then God-willing speak to the church directly. (Preview below)
Revelation 3:
To be continued...
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