Table of Contents
Examples of Jesus showing love
Love could be defined as seeking the welfare of others. If you love someone, you seek his well-being and would not do anything wrong to hurt him, but would do anything possible, provided it is right in the sight of God, to help him. The Bible further tells us that love should be expressed in actions, it should not just be merely expressed in words. Said differently, if you love someone prove it; do not just say it.
Jesus, being all-knowing, understands this principle of love very well. Jesus started demonstrating His love to us long before He said He loved us. And His love is genuine and unconditional. All of Jesus’ deeds – the miracles, His teachings, prayers, etc – brought about our welfare; hence, they were signs of love. This is how Jesus, as the principles of love dictate, showed His love for us:
1. Jesus intercedes for His disciples
In John 17, Jesus intercedes for his disciples, praying to the Father to protect them, sanctify them, and keep them united. He asks for their joy to be complete and for them to be sent into the world as He was sent. Jesus expresses His desire for His disciples to be one, just as He and the Father are one, emphasizing unity among believers. His prayer highlights the importance of faith, love, and unity among his followers. Moreover, Jesus’ intercession demonstrates his love and care for his disciples, showing His care and concern for them.
2. Jesus heals those with infirmities
Jesus healed the sick during his ministry on Earth as a demonstration of his love and compassion towards those who were suffering. Through his miraculous healing, he showed that love can bring about physical and spiritual restoration. One day, Jesus met ten lepers who asked for mercy. He had mercy on them and told them to go and show themselves to the priest (Luke 17:11-19). On the way to the priest, they were healed. Love is an expression of mercy, compassion, and empathy toward others. Jesus also healed many including the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34), Peter’s mother (Luke 4:38-41), a centurion’s servant (Matthew8:5-13), a nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54), Epileptic boy (Luke 9:40-44). Jesus’ acts of healing were not only meant to alleviate physical ailments but also to bring hope and faith to those in need. His actions exemplified the power of love to overcome pain and suffering, leaving a lasting impact on all who witnessed his miracles.
3. Jesus raises the dead
Jesus performed miracles such as raising the dead as a demonstration of his love and compassion towards humanity. Jesus went to a town called Nain. At the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out on a bier. He was the only son of his widow mother. Out of compassion for the mother, Jesus went to the dead body and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And he rose and Jesus gave him to his mother (Luke 7:11-17). Besides this one, Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43) and Lazarus (John 11:1-44). These acts of bringing the deceased back to life were powerful displays of his divine nature and his desire to bring hope and healing to those in despair. Through these miracles, Jesus showed that love has the power to conquer even death itself, offering solace and faith to those who witnessed these extraordinary events.
4. Jesus fed the multitudes
On two occasions, Jesus fed the multitudes. One was a multitude of 5000 (Mt 14:13-21) and the other was a multitude of 4000 (Mt 15:29-39). The circumstances leading to these miracles are like this: The multitude had been with Jesus for days in the wilderness without food, listening to His word. They were hungry and food was nowhere near to buy. If Jesus left them to go as far as the nearest villages to buy food, they might collapse on the way. So Jesus, out of love and compassion, resorted to miracles to feed them by multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed 5000 men and seven loaves and a few fish to feed 4000 men. Though this event is recorded in the Bible as a powerful demonstration of Jesus’ divine power, the factors leading to these miracles were love, compassion, and sympathy towards those in need.
5. Jesus delivers others from demons
There is nothing more satisfying than being delivered from demonic possession. One day, Jesus arrived in the region of the Gerasenes where He met a man who had been possessed by more than 3000 demons for which reason he called himself Legion. He was naked, homeless, and living in the tombs outside the town. Jesus commanded the demons to come out of him and completely restored him to soundness (Luke 8:26-39). What a relief! What a deliverance! Aside from this, others that Jesus delivered from demons include a man with an impure spirit in the synagogue (Mark 1:21-27), the boy with the demon of epilepsy (Luke 9:40-44), Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), and others (Mark 1:29-34). It is a relief like no other to be freed from demonic possession and oppression. And the factors that led Jesus to deliver others from demons were love, compassion, sympathy, and empathy.
6. Jesus shares in our situation, good or bad.
Sharing in the good times and in the bad times of others is a sign of being a loving person and the word of God endorses this habit. Hence it is written: ‘Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep (Romans 12:15).’
i. Jesus rejoices with those who rejoice
Jesus was a friendly man. He was often invited to dinner and He never turned down the invitation. Jesus had some good friends, Lazarus, and his sisters. He often went to their house, spent some time there, and ate and drank with them. Jesus also showed His love by sharing in the good moments of other people. He honored an invitation to a wedding at Cana where he boasted the occasion by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). He honored an invitation to a dinner at the house of Simon, a Pharisee (Luke 7:36-49). Jesus shared in the good moments of other people even to the extent that He was teased of being a glutton (Mt 11:18-19). However, God’s principle of love requires that you rejoice with your loved ones who are rejoicing.
ii. Jesus mourns with those who mourn
One day, bad news hit Jesus. He was told that Lazarus, His friend, was sick and He was called upon to come and help. Lazarus and his sisters were living in the town of Bethany in the region of Judea. It was not safe at all for Jesus to go to the region of Judea for the Jews had often wanted to stone Him to death. But Jesus did not mind the risk. Out of love, He went all the way to the region of Judea to see Mary and Martha. But by the time He got there, Lazarus had been dead for four days. There, at Bethany, Jesus shared in the pain and the mourning of Lazarus’ sisters. Said differently, Jesus mourned the death of Lazarus with Martha and Mary. That is why it was written: ‘Jesus wept.’ Then after having joined in mourning, He resurrected Lazarus. (Reverence: John 11). This is one characteristic of those who love genuinely; they share the good and bad times with you.
7. Jesus welcomes and blesses children
At some point, some parents were bringing their children to Jesus so that He might touch them, and the disciples, probably thinking it would be a nuisance or an inconvenience for Jesus, rebuked the parents. But when Jesus saw that His disciples had rebuked the parents, He was angry at what they did, and He told His disciples, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. And that is a genuine expression of love – love for the parents and their children. Reference Mark 10:13-16
8. Jesus teaches us the truth
As Jesus was on a journey, a man ran up to Him, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And the man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.”
At this point, the Bible said that Jesus, looking at the man, showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But the man was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he owned much property.
What I want to draw your attention to is that Jesus loved this rich man and as a result, He told him the truth – that is, what he had to do to attain the eternal life he sought for. Jesus spent much of His time teaching – He taught us the way to salvation, prosperity, happiness, peace, etc. All these are part of the expression of His love for mankind. Reference Mark 10:17-22
9. Jesus died on the cross
Jesus once said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).” This means that the greatest love to show is to die for someone. That is the kind of love Jesus showed – He showed mankind the greatest love; that is, He died on the cross for us. Jesus’ life and death is a story of love – a love story that brought salvation to humankind.
10. He forgives His enemies
While Jesus was hanging on the cross covered in sweat and blood and suffering agonizing pain from the wounds caused by nails and whips, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).” Jesus demonstrated remarkable compassion and forgiveness towards his enemies even as he suffered on the cross. Despite the agony he endured, he asked for forgiveness for those who crucified him, showing a profound example of love and mercy. Jesus’ act of forgiving His enemies exemplifies his teachings of forgiveness, compassion, and love towards all, regardless of the circumstances.