And Jesus, looking at him, loved him… Mark 10:21
This simple phrase caught my attention today. It’s funny how that works. Sometimes a string of words put together in just the right order can serve as quite the nudge. These words did that for me today. They call attention to what’s really important in my life. They distill the entire Scriptures into a single kernel of truth that rises above all other truths – the Love of Jesus. It is my hope that this walk through God’s Word will cause us to approach God’s glory “with open face.”
The Context
This portion of Mark 10 has to do with what many Bible publishers refer to as “the Rich Young Ruler.” This young man approaches Jesus and asks Him how to “inherit eternal life,” and Jesus points him to the Law. The young man claims to have followed the Law fully from his youth. It is at this point that Jesus “beholds him and loves him.”
John 2:25 tells us that Jesus, “knew what was in man.” Paired with this idea, it seems to me that Jesus’ loving look at him is a nod at our fallen and broken humanity. It’s Jesus saying in a way in which only He can say it, “Child, no one can keep the Law, but I love you nevertheless.”
As Jesus often does with us, He prods further at the young man’s heart. “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Though Jesus could have clarified that the young man had not, in fact, “kept the Law,” in his deep compassion He journeys further to get at the real issue plaguing this man’s soul. This is instructive for us, because we all have these heart-issues that need dealing with, and only Jesus can address them. Jesus instructs the young man in this way:
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Mark 10:21
While we don’t necessarily learn of resolution for this particular young man (“Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”) we can still be encouraged by Jesus’ patience with us. Whatever our issue is, He is the remedy. His love is deep, and He will wait for us and our broken hearts to come around.
Examples of the Love of Jesus
We do not have to work hard to find examples of Jesus’ love in the Scriptures. Why don’t we take some time to explore just a few?
The Love of Jesus for a Close Friend
We find one of the most touching displays of the love of Jesus in the account of Lazarus’ death. In summary, Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters summon Jesus to help, telling him that Lazarus is ill. Jesus chooses to stay where He is for two more days, during which time Lazarus dies. Jesus then travels to Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, where He calls Lazarus out of the grave and back to life. The whole story is a tender one, adorned throughout with reminders of the love Jesus had for this family. Let us look now at these reminders.
Even in the opening lines of John 11, where we learn that Lazarus is sick, we see this beautiful note:
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
John 11:3
Here we see the sisters using Jesus’ love for their brother as a lever. Their hope is that He’ll come and save. Though this little line would seemingly be enough to convince readers of Jesus’ love, the Holy Spirit deemed it best to include another reminder:
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:5
These two sweet lines serve to set the stage for a dramatic conclusion as we follow Jesus in his journey to Bethany. As Jesus arrives at the tomb where Lazarus lay, we witness a tender scene:
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
John 11:32-35
At this moment, just before Jesus wields His power over death to call Lazarus back to his family, we hear the final crescendo in this beautiful symphony of love. In the midst of the most trying of human circumstances, the death of a loved one, enveloped with the solemn sounds of friends and family wailing and weeping, the voice of love prevails once more. The moment is immortalized with the stamp of Jesus’ love when we read,
The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
John 11:36
The Love of Jesus for His Disciples
We now turn our attention to another somber scene in Jesus’ ministry. On the night of his betrayal and arrest, Jesus and his disciples gather in an upper room to celebrate Passover. During the course of the evening, Jesus would wash the disciples’ feet, tell them that one of them would betray him, pray in agony that the Father might take “this cup” from Him and even allow Himself to be peacefully taken into custody by the Jews. When we consider all that Jesus was willingly subjected to, it shouldn’t surprise us how John 13 begins:
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
John 13:1
He loved them unto the end, to the uttermost, and He was just about to display that love in full glory through His actions. We read in John 15 that there is no greater love than laying one’s life down for friends. Jesus did so. He loved them unto the end.
The Utmost Expression of the Love of Jesus
While we could spend many hours citing examples of the love of Jesus in the Scriptures, there is no display so comprehensive as His love shown for His Father and for humanity at the place of His death, Calvary. Whether we examine His trial and scourging, or we place the magnifying glass on the hours He spent in agony on the cross, we visit the pinnacle of His love when we take in the event often referred to as His Passion. There is no outpouring of love so extravagant, so lavish, as the one we witness at his death. It would be a great investment of our time to reflect on the events surrounding His death. It would also behove us to soak up the statements He made while on the cross. The Love of Jesus is truly unrivaled.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
S. Trevor Francis
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of Thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward
to Thy glorious rest above.
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