By: Juliet Constantine

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1 NKJV)
 

If you know you only had two days to live, what would be your final preparation? Would you be preoccupied with your impending demise or would the time be spent reinforcing some critical principle in your child/ward? Would you be busy putting your affairs in order or would you find the time to help somebody? Death is the only thing that’s certain in this life. The Bible teaches that the living know that they will die. Yet, not many made preparation for death. Many parents of dependent children are so insensitive to the needs and continued care of the loved ones they will leave behind. Some even refuse to try; leaving the burden of their final expenses up to whosoever will assist, as it is a must to avoid embarrassment on the living relatives. But Jesus showed us a better way.

It must have been agonizing. The deadline was fast approaching and still, His subjects hadn’t grasped most of the basic truths He shared. The earthly phase of His ministry would soon be ended, but still, it seemed there was so much more to do to make His disciples understand. He loved them and could only think of their needs, instead of His own. He loved his Father too and wanted to be reunited with Him. He knew His ultimate sacrifice was only a few steps away from being reunited with His Father. Yet, this wasn’t the joy that filled Him. The need of His disciples consumed Him and preparation for their continued care was foremost on His mind. He was leaving them to the hatred and harshness of the world; but the best thing He could do was to love them to the end.

His love towards them was unconditional. Even though He knew that Judas would betray Him, Peter would deny Him, and others abandon Him to face His accusers alone; He still loved them to the end. He did not love them because of the good they did or would do. He loved them, in-spite-of their flaws and shortcoming. His love knows no limit or boundary. It did not enter His mind that His disciples were ungrateful and weren’t His true friends. Even in the face of death, He showed that a friend loves at all times – even to the end, and beyond.

In an era when love is being terminated before death, we are reminded to love to the end. We are reminded to pattern Christ and love the way He loves. In our eyes, some persons, like Judas, do not deserve to be loved. We see him as a ‘sell-out’! We would not give persons like Peter a second chance to enter our lives. In his Master’s season of pain, He disowned Him! Yet, Jesus left us an example to follow. Yes, there are times when living and loving brought pain. But with Jesus in the picture, it is well worth the risk.

Do not let life’s pain and disappointment close your heart to living and loving. Forgive and continue to love in-spite-of. Yes! It is so much easier to say than to do it. It won’t be easy. But our example is Jesus. He held no grudge and no resentment. He forgave the faults of His disciples who abandon Him in the face of opposition, and He loved them to the end. He would have forgiven Judas too, if only he hadn’t killed himself. How about you? You can love again. Don’t close your heart to love – it can bloom again. Just ask Jesus, the lover of all times, to teach you to love to the end.

Oh my Father, please teach me to love. Help me to love in the true meaning of the word just as Jesus did. For in His name I pray, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)