Authentic
Love: The Example of Jesus
Introduction—Today I want to
talk about authentic love. This is a
love that is not hypocritical, it is a love that responds to others not
according to what they deserve, but according to the grace received from
God.
The nature of authentic love is to
share it once you’ve received it. 1 John 4:7-8; If a person is born of God, then they should express authentic
love, God’s kind of love. A relationship
with Christ should cause you to be a more loving person. If your life does not display compassion for
others, then your relationship with God may not be what you think.
Augustine: “Love
slays what we have been that we may be what we were not.”
Authentic love
changes things. It takes sinful people
and by the blood of Jesus and the genuine love of God makes them saints. God’s love invades our lives and slays all the
old distorted images of ourselves; making us acceptable, lovable and capable,
and God invites us to share that same love with others.
Love is not only the verification and
validation of your faith, but it is the telltale sign of a growing faith. It’s not knowledge, or a change in habits, or
how many times you come to church in a month.
The best indicator of spiritual growth is an ever-increasing love.
In Mark 12 Jesus says that the greatest
commandment is to love God and to love others.
You can’t love God without also loving others. So, to get a picture of how God wants us to
love other people, let’s go straight to the source and see Jesus’ example of
authentic love.
Luke 13:10-16—Authentic love follows the example of
Jesus. What did Jesus do? We find five clear items that, if
applied, could radically change how we love others.
1. See Others—Jesus was
teaching in the synagogue--just another preaching event in the life of a
traveling preacher. The crowd was into
the sermon, and as Jesus looked at them he noticed one special person: A woman
who was bent over and couldn’t stand up (v. 16 tells us that a demon had caused
her problem).
Notice the important word
in Luke 13:12—Jesus “saw” the woman—he noticed her. Jesus locked his eyes on
this poor woman and had compassion for her. One of the unique aspects of
Christianity is the idea that God notices us—the God of all creation pays
attention to us. This is an amazing idea when you think about it. God has
numbered the hairs on our head (Matt. 10:30—but that doesn’t mean he’ll replace
the missing ones!). Cf. Matthew 9:36—Jesus looks with compassion on others.
Two things to recognize here: 1. People want to be
noticed, they want attention 2. To notice others may require us to slow down.
Attention
is one of the most powerful forces in the world. People
want our undivided attention. They want us to show interest. Every day we pass
people who simply want to be noticed, to be acknowledged. They are bent over,
even crippled by a lack of compassion or notice, and they are waiting for a
friendly face. To see them we must slow down. If someone was standing on the
side of the road, would you notice more if you flew by them at 75 MPH, or if you
walked by them on the sidewalk? The
speed of our lives causes us to miss many people who God wants us to notice.
This
week, take time to notice people. Take the time to look people in the eye,
notice them, encourage them. Slow down enough to spend some time reading the Gospels—pay
attention to how Jesus treats people and ask his Spirit to help you to treat
others that way.
Authentic love sees others as God sees them. Once we’ve
noticed people, we need then to take a risk and engage them.
2. Engage Others—Luke 13 tells us
that Jesus didn’t just “see” the woman, he took the risk to engage her and her
need. Jesus spoke to her in the synagogue (something taboo in the first
century—an unattached male speaking to a woman that is not his family member). He
called her over to himself and healed her.
Jesus demonstrated bold and almost reckless
behavior to show compassion to this woman. Sometimes love requires bold action
in its expression. Authentic love requires engagement—we must get involved in
the lives of others in order to love them.
C.S. Lewis said “To love at all is to be
vulnerable. Love anything, and your
heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it
intact, you must give your heart to no one.” The Four Loves.
Our culture
encourages us to disengage, to remain isolated, and to plug into the internet
instead. Stay out of touch! Who knows what might happen if you get
involved?
The truth is, entering into
other people’s lives or experiences is messy, but nevertheless we are commanded to
love: see Matthew 5:46-47. We don’t have to
do it perfectly, but we must show up.
We must take the risk, take the initiative, and get involved in spreading
grace to others. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
This
week, how can we engage others in love?
Where do we need to take a risk? Make some time this week to listen to
someone’s story or find a way to bless someone.
Authentic love takes the risk
to engage others, but to do that we must reach out to them.
3. Reach Out—Most of all,
love reaches out and gives. Giving is
how love expresses itself. (see John 3:16)
Everyone
you meet is made in the image of God.
You never lock eyes with another person that doesn’t matter to God. Jesus
notices this poor woman, he engages her, and now he reaches out to her. Luke
13:13 says he laid his hands on her and healed her. He stepped outside of the
“comfort zone” of his society and ministered to her need.
Notice how Jesus
reached out to this woman: 1. By the
words he spoke; In verse 16, Jesus refers to her as a “daughter of Abraham” (he sees her potential, not her condition). He
doesn’t see her as an elderly crippled woman.
He sees her as a child of the great patriarch of the Jewish people. Our words can heal or destroy. 2. By his
touch; Everyone needs some touch. Luke 5:12-16—Jesus heals a leper—he actually
“touches” him! All people need human touch.
Studies have been conducted showing that people who experience
meaningful touch on a regular basis actually have a longer life expectancy.
This week, hand out some hugs, a gentle
touch, or some kind words. Authentic love requires us to reach out and touch
others. When you do this, however, don’t expect everyone to understand or to
praise your effort.
4. Expect Criticism/Resistance—Notice the
reaction of the synagogue official in v 14.
An amazing miracle has happened in his "church" service, and instead of
rejoicing in the amazing mercy shown to this woman, the official gets upset
that his “order of worship” was changed. Where the synagogue official saw a
policy issue, Jesus saw a person.
What
you will notice in the Bible is that Jesus showed incredible patience and grace
to those who were broken and seeking. However,
he had little patience with pompous, self-righteous religious people that cared nothing
for people or their needs.
Jesus
received criticism for his kindness and for hanging out with the “wrong kind”
of people. (Luke 7:34) In spite of the
criticism, Jesus continued to love on others.
He refused to stop. When we decide to follow Jesus, we may well find
ourselves doing things that others will criticize. If we are doing the works of Christ,
however, we should keep it up and love even those who criticize or persecute us
(Matt. 5:43-45). In fact, we should pray for those who abuse us. That is one way to deal with criticism or resistance. Authentic love requires us to persevere and to pray even when criticized.
5. Look for opportunities—In this passage,
Jesus finds himself involved in a normal Sabbath activity—he was in the
synagogue and he was teaching. He did
not let the mundane or normal activity keep him from looking for
opportunities. In the midst of the
“usual,” Jesus looked for a moment to do something unusual. He seized the moment that God provided. (1
John 3:18 and 1 Thess. 3:12).
Let’s take advantage of the moments God gives us.
Authentic love looks for an opportunity.
This week, in the midst of your normal activities,
do these things: Look around and see what is happening—look for the need, see
the people; Take a chance, risk engaging others with God’s love and grace; Reach
out and touch those who need it; Pray for/love the critics; Seize the moment.
Authentic love compels us to sacrifice for others as
Christ did for us (take up your cross)—how can we respond
to this?
Discussion Questions
— In what ways were you “crippled”
by your life and sin? How did Jesus heal
you?
— Describe a time when extravagant
love overwhelmed your life. How did you
respond? How did it make you feel? What was the impact of this love?
—
Describe a time when someone took
a risk and touched your life.
—
Who in your life is “bent over”
or “crippled” by circumstances or Satan?
How can you bring the grace of Jesus into that situation?
—
What is your routine? Who are some of the people you see on a
regular basis? How can you engage them
and touch them with the love of Christ?
—
What can you do or say this week
that will show the love of God to another?
—
Will you risk it?
Thanks for reading!
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