“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” - John 17:23
The word, “love,” may be the most misused word in our vocabulary. Secular music has often abused the word. Television and movies use this word in shallow ways. “Love,” is a word that some wrongly use as a synonym for lust. Others use the word in hyperbole. We say things like, “I love chocolate ice cream.” Sadly, even in religious circles, the word, “love,” has lost its impact.
Thankfully, genuine love still exists. A good mother loves her children. An honorable man loves his wife. Christians should love each other. In spite of this, we need to be aware that counterfeits do exist, causing a great deal of pain and heartache. Some are weary of “love,” because they have been mistreated by those who've selfishly used the word without having the true commitment that genuine love produces.
Yet we must admit that there are different types of love. The love a man has for his wife differs from the love he has for his children. Yet in both cases, love exists.
In light of all this, we must consider “love” in its deepest form. The Bible says that God is love. Note that the Bible doesn't say that God has love. It says He IS love. Certainly, the Lord has love, but love is the true essence of His being. Our experience of love is due to the fact that our Lord graciously provided such love for humans. He created man to have the capacity to give and receive love.
In John 17, Jesus prays to His Father. During this time of prayer, Jesus intercedes on our behalf. In verse 23, Jesus said, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” In this verse, Jesus again prays for His followers to dwell in harmony, just as He and the Father enjoyed such unity. He also knew that such unity would get the attention of the world.
I want us to focus on the last part of John 17:23. Jesus said, “... thou … hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” We tend to think that the Father loves His Son with the highest degree of love and that His love for us is less than this. That is not what this verse teaches. Jesus specifies that the Father loves us with the same degree of love that He loves His Son.
This seems rather scandalous, or even blasphemous, doesn't it? For God to love us just as He loves His Son, seems rather outrageous. How can this be?
First of all, His love is a divine love. Since He is God, His love cannot be fully grasped by our finite minds. Since He is love, He has bestowed enormous love on us. He freely gives such love because it is nature to do so.
Secondly, He loves us because of Christ. We have the righteousness of Christ. We are accepted because of His Son. We have been lovingly adopted into His family. He has received us as His own children. He has set His love on us. The blood of His Son merits His attention. We've been purchased by the Lord Jesus. In salvation, we came to the Father through the Son.
The Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The cross of Calvary is vivid demonstration of God's radical love for us. He gave His Son to purchase our salvation. “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.”
God has lavishly poured out His love on us. We did not deserve such love. We still don't. Our salvation is due to His grace and magnificent love. He has invested heavily in our lives. He continues to love us.
How should we respond to such incredible love? By loving Him in return. John put it this way, “We love him because he first loved us.” It is easy to love someone who loves you. This is certainly the case with our love for the Lord. He has set His love upon us. We are His treasured possession. We are greatly loved and we love Him right back. We enjoy fellowship with Him with great affection.
The Lord knows our flaws, failures, sins and mistakes. He knows the worst about us … and yet still loves us greatly. He is on the throne --- and yet in our hearts. He has the entire universe to govern and yet He makes time for you and me simply because He loves us.
That kind of love is truly amazing.
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