When I was four years old, my parents surprised me with my first puppy, Pepper.
Pepper quickly became my best friend. My dad often shares a story about watching me play with him. After witnessing my pure joy, he smiled and said, “I love you, buddy.” Without skipping a beat, I replied, “I love Pepper.”
At four, I obviously didn’t understand the concept of love! I assumed I could only choose one person (or puppy) as the recipient of my affection. The older I get, though, the more I realize how common it is to misinterpret it.
What probably doesn’t help is that in the English language, we have only one word for love. But in Greek, the language of the original New Testament, there are eight words to describe the same term. The most used is agape, which speaks of an unconditional, divine, selfless love.
This is the love we see Jesus demonstrate throughout Scripture. Matthew 8:1-4 gives us one account: “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
In this passage, Jesus teaches us all how to show real love. First, He proves that real love is always ready. No matter where Jesus was, what He was doing, or how busy He was, He was always prepared to stop and show love. Similarly, for believers, love shouldn’t be something we get around to; it should define who we are.
Second, we see that real love is for everyone. In Jesus’ day, lepers were outcasts. Yet, Jesus didn’t see the man that way. In Matthew 5:44-46, He encourages us to love the same way: “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?…”
Third, we find that real love is humble. After healing the man, Jesus instructed him to keep it private, demonstrating that genuine love seeks not recognition, but the opportunity to help those in need.
Last, Jesus shows that real love restores. In His’ time, touching a leper was against the law because of the belief that lepers were highly contagious. However, Jesus prioritized showing God’s love over concerns for Himself, and it was this restorative love that changed the leper’s life forever.
As followers of Christ, our highest calling is to love like Jesus. This selfless, agape love has the power to transform even the most broken among us. Together, let’s determine to love others as if their lives depend upon it…because they do!
