“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13 (KJV)
Beloved, the words uttered in the aforementioned Scripture were made by our Lord and Saviour King Jesus Christ, shortly before His crucifixion. The statement “[no] greater love” in its context is defined as the greatest form of agape love demonstrated as self-sacrifice for others. Jesus Christ, in obedience to the will of His Father, Jehovah God, was crucified on the cross of Calvary for our sins.
We are reminded in John 3:16 (KJV) that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Thus, the love of God is the greatest because it is unconditional. It is not discriminatory, because He knows that all of mankind has been born in sin (Romans 3:23), yet He continues to love us.
Brethren, our heavenly Father has demonstrated His love for us, and as such, He has commanded us to reciprocate this love by strict adherence to His greatest commandment: “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38 – NIV).
Internationally renowned singer Whitney Houston, now deceased, stated in her lyrics that the greatest love of all is “learning to love yourself.” It is not the greatest love (as highlighted above), but self-love has its place. In Matthew 22:39, Jesus highlighted that the second-greatest commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself. This kind of love is not selfish, self-centered, or self-opinionated; it is selfless. He commands us to treat our neighbors the way we want to be treated.
Some of us in our life’s journey have experienced rejection, victimization, discrimination, and character assassination, and we need God’s redeeming love to pull us out of the pits of depression and oppression. May God heal the accumulated emotional pains, hurts, and bitterness and replace them with love and the oil of joy to destroy the spirit of heaviness as highlighted in Isaiah 61:3. After all, we are guaranteed His love in spite of what others say or do. May we continue to praise the name of the Lord.
Read: Daniel 9:9; Luke 6:27-28
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 24; Mark 5:21-43; Mark 6:1-6; Exodus 27; Exodus 28