Of all the apostles, the one we most associate with love is John; he called himself “The One Whom Jesus Loved,” and his writings focused on love. The Gospel of John mentions the word “love” more than the other three Gospels combined, and the most quoted verse in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world . . .”
He wasn’t always the most loving apostle, however. Jesus gave John and his brother James the nickname “Boanerges”, or “Sons of Thunder”, due to their hot headed behavior. In Luke 9: 51-55 we read that they asked Jesus if they should call fire down on a Samaritan village that did not welcome Him – hardly a loving attitude. They could also be overly assertive without regard to others. In Mark 10:35-39 they ask to be at His left and right sides in His glory. As a final example, in Mark 9:38 John reports that he had asked someone to stop casting out demons in Christ’s name “because he was not one of us.” Jesus replied that he should not stop the man from doing good. How did John go from being a Son of Thunder to an espouser of love?

The Bible contains many passages that deal with love, but my favorites are 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, and 1 John, chapter 4. In First Corinthians 13, Paul gives an almost poetic description of love and its characteristics, and I think it is one of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible. First John 4 may not be quite as beautiful, but it does give a more specific answer to our question. Psychologists have learned that it’s very difficult for humans to love others if they did not receive love as children (there have been animal studies that provide supporting evidence, at least with respect to parenting behavior). It is not just that love is a learned behavior; it is more than that. A person needs to have felt loved. In chapter 4, John has some wonderful things to say about love, but I feel he gives the answer to the question in verse 19: “We love because he first loved us.” John was able to go from “Thunder to Love” because he learned about love from Jesus, but even more because he felt His love. May the same be true for us.

Read 1 John 4:7-21, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim

Originally posted September 2016