Our society has become increasingly pragmatic. If something looks good to us, we’ll generally do it — especially if we think it won’t hurt anyone else.
In this culture, it’s important to remember it’s not just what we do that matters; Why we do it is important, too. Motives matter.
Proverbs 16:2 confirms this when it says: “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
Why? Because the right actions with the wrong motives can still damage our world, especially as it relates to loving people. Thankfully, we have Jesus’ example. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus was the exact representation of God’s being, so He represented His Father’s heart flawlessly.
We see this in the call of Matthew, a Jewish tax collector who became one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. In Jesus’ day, Jewish tax collectors were despised by their people. They were often viewed as traitors, since they were essentially joining the Romans in oppressing their own. Jesus knew all of this about Matthew, but He still called him.
That doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it? I’m sure there were others who appeared much more deserving! Matthew 9:12-13 gives us insight into Jesus’ motive. He said: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do… Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
As Matthew and the other disciples followed Jesus, they discovered this wasn’t just a fancy quote Jesus said once. It was the way He lived His life. And it’s the way He wants us to live, too. He wants us to live and love with pure motives—seeking to bless all people, including the rejected, the disrespected, and our own.
Jesus showed us how to bless the rejected in Matthew 8:2-4, when He healed a leper. Lepers in Jesus’ day were outcasts, but Jesus didn’t let that stop Him from loving them. He touched the man and made him well. That day, through Jesus, people saw God cares deeply about those others have abandoned.
He also showed us how to bless the disrespected in Matthew 8:5-8, when He healed a centurion’s servant. Jews disrespected Roman centurions because of how they treated them. But here, through Jesus, people saw God wants to bless all people — not because they are good enough, but because He is.
Then, Jesus showed us how to bless our own. In Matthew 8:14-16, we see Jesus didn’t stop at healing strangers; He healed one He likely knew personally when He healed His disciple, Peter’s, mother-in-law. Here, through Jesus, we see God’s heart for us to love those closest to us well.
Friends, motives will always matter to God. So let’s look beyond current cultural norms and choose to love all people the way Jesus does—from the inside out!
