Greatest

"What if, just what if, He gives His very body to be burned? But there's no love in it."

LET’S JUST take love out of the mix and have Jesus do what He did for completely selfish reasons. So, let’s say He could speak with the tongues of men, in many languages, and of angels. He knew the very words of heaven. But, yeah, no love there. He’s just braggin’ the wagon. Me, me, me, me, me, me, ME.

He’s a whole lotta noise or some teeny-weeny-tinsey-little ding. What? Did … did you hear that? (Looks askance.) Nope.

Or … or … how ’bout this scenario? What if Jees-Please has the gift of prophecy? He’s the Prophet of all Prophets (He IS the Prophet of all Prophets, but hang with me here), and He knew all mysteries, ’cause He’s Creator and all, and has all knowledge and can speak and whole mountains lift up and plop into the sea (Mark 11:23). So He’s all-smart and all-powerful, but there’s no love in it.

Then He’s nothing. Zippo.

Here’s another one to think on. What if He’s the most generous donor? He gives all He has away. Clothing, foodstuffs, all His time. What if, just what if, He GIVES HIS VERY BODY to be burned? He gives of Himself even to His own death. But there’s no love in it. What if He walked the Via Dolorosa, endured crazy pain, heard all the mocking and scorn, and hung on that cross simply for show?

He's wasted His time.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34 KJV)

Love suffers long and is kind. It doesn’t envy, isn’t proud and puffed up, doesn’t act rude or unseemly, doesn’t seek its own way over other people’s, isn’t easily provoked. We’ll pause here for that one.

What if God was easily provoked?

What if He got mad at every turn and blew up at the people He’d created? Destroying these, flooding those, wiping out these others? What if He worked with Satan to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)? He and the accuser are striking deals under the table, behind poor ol’ Job’s back. ’Cause, you know, God’s easily provoked.

Longsuffering is the opposite of shortsuffering.

Longsuffering created mankind, knowing it would tank, then for thousands of years spread abundant mercy on this earth in bucketloads, saving anyone who would turn their face upward. Anyone who would call out. All with the plan to give up being the powerful God He was and be just like those who suffered.

Longsuffering did that. Kindness did that. Because it’s not easily provoked.

Love rejoices in the truth. Not lies, not deception, not the killing of innocence, which it hates (Proverbs 6:17). It doesn’t steal from mankind. It gives all it is to it. It doesn’t slay mankind. It pours life into it. It doesn’t destroy but speaks and every word does exactly what it’s sent to do (Isaiah 55:11). There’s nothing void, nothing vain, nothing hopeless, about it. But instead, it never fails.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, these are the words of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. And it goes on to say we only know in part today (1 Corinthians 13:12). Which part are we? Our faith has become greedy when it’s a product of our adoration. Our hope is for our own blessings instead of that person we saw suffering. We know God’s love is the greatest; we can quote the verse, but even in the church, it’s our pew, on our aisle, where we like to sit. We’re in a continual struggle to survive an old battle in a war which ended when Jesus rose triumphant from the grave.

God is love. He’s longsuffering and kind. Never failing. Never ending. There is no shadow of turning in Him, no evil of any kind (James 1:13,17). He didn’t create evil. He rescued us from it. And now asks us to be like Him, to do as He did when He became love’s greatest example.

“For God SO LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com