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Greater Love I don’t think you could miss it. For weeks now, the red hearts and flying cupids have been all through the stores. The heart-adorned teddy bears have been screaming out to you, “St. Valentine’s Day is coming.” And that it is—February 14th, to be exact. As a baby boomer, I can’t help but remember those little heart shaped candies that had little messages on them. And I certainly could not forget the decorated shoe boxes we used to collect the valentines we received from our classmates. St. Valentine’s Day, however, is not really just an opportunity for a party, or even gifts and cards—it’s significance goes far deeper than that. Valentine was a real person, though relatively unknown today. Stephen Crotts begins the fascinating story with these words: “To be young, wealthy, and in love—and all in the 3rd Century! Such was Valentine. He would soon consummate his great love for her by taking her to be his bride. Soon they would be wed!” But there was a problem—a very big one. Valentine was also a Christian, and a pastor, at that, who loved to join Christians together in Holy Matrimony. The emperor, however, was finding that marriage seemed to divide the focus of his soldiers, so he issued a decree outlawing marriage, as well as Christianity itself. When Valentine continued to perform weddings, he was arrested and charged with treason. All he and the others would have to say was, “Caesar is lord,” and they didn’t even have to mean it. Just saying it would mean they would escape certain death. Many today who take the name of Christ upon themselves, if placed in such a situation, would rationalize that it would be best to live another day in order to serve Him even longer. Valentine, however, would not even say it, let alone mean it! In jail, awaiting a gruesome execution in the arena, he spent his time writing love letters to his fiancée—not just affirming his love for her, but also to encourage her in the faith. Setting aside his own seemingly-hopeless situation, he also wrote notes to others, convincing many of the love of God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Valentine would never marry his fiancée, for on February 14th, 269AD, he was put to death, martyred for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the years, and even to this day, Satan has tried to destroy the Christian witness through persecution, but it only serves to fan the flame. Many Christians were thrown to the wild beasts in the arenas—so many that the animals actually became sick of human flesh and would no longer attack. Soldiers, too, became so weary of killing unarmed men, women, and children that they threw down their swords. Purified by the fires of persecution, the radiant testimonies of true believers caused many to turn to Christ. Vance Havner once wrote, “For some, some things are more precious than life itself—such Christians need no revival. They have the very essence of revival, loyalty to Christ at any cost.” Such people have found that that which is more precious than life is love—true love, God’s love. Since the 3rd Century, February 14th has come to symbolize love, manifested through cards and gifts for others, but that is often a mushy, self-centered affection. What is the love that is greater? Paul, just 200 years before Valentine and only 20 years after Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, defined God’s love in this way: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8a,13) Jesus Himself put it this way: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) But what does that mean? As we have moved from Christmas and are aimed towards Lent, we have entered the season of Epiphany. The word “epiphany” comes from two Greek words—“epi” and “phanero”—literally meaning to manifest something, making it very conspicuous and obvious. What better time to see clearly who Jesus was, is, and always will be—even through His greater love. Recently, I preached on Jesus’ first miracle, performed at a wedding in Cana. He turned the water used in the purification rituals into fresh grape juice, or sweet wine, and in this, He manifested Himself as the Messiah, not just a miracle worker. You see, He revealed that in the shedding of His blood, represented by the sweet wine, He was calling people out of the Old Covenant of ceremonial cleansings and into a New Covenant of Christ living within the heart—cleansing from the inside out. He called people out of only looking forward to something off in the distance, and into living in the present reality of His forgiveness and great love. A little later, Jesus was once again in Cana, the place of “measuring.” In the Hebrew, it has to do with a reed or a scepter—the way in which a king would rule and get things done. Now, a nobleman comes to Jesus with a very deep need to get something done. “Nobleman”, in the Greek, is “basilikos,” literally referring to someone regal, even belonging to the Sovereign. Even in who he was, a picture is painted of who Jesus wanted him to be—belonging to Him, Lord of lords and King of kings. So Jesus puts before this man a very dire situation, and now, this man puts it before Jesus—his son wasn’t just a little sick; in fact, the Greek word used calls him feeble, diseased, and without strength. But it was even worse than that—“he besought Him that He would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.” (vs. 47b) Literally, the boy was about to “die off.” Jesus’ first words, at the outset, sound callous and crude, not loving at all—“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” (vs. 48) But I’m not so sure that this is a personal indictment of the nobleman, for the “ye” Jesus uses is a plural personal pronoun. He is speaking of the Jews in general—always looking for markers, extraordinary things that indicate and point to something else down the road. Many do this today, running here and there, to hear a new word or see a new manifestation—rarely recognizing that the Holy Spirit has already been manifested. The Spirit of God is yearning in these last of days to take His church beyond the “pointers,” and allow the power of God to actually change hearts and lives right now. A.W. Tozer once wrote, “The only eccentricity that I can discover in the heart of God is the fact that a God such as He is, should love sinners such as we are!” Yes, He loves us as we are, but He loves us far too much to leave us there. You see, as it turns out, the nobleman did not need to see in order to believe: “Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.” (vs. 50) Jesus would later tell Thomas, “…because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) The nobleman, Praise God, didn’t need a sign or a wonder in order to believe—he believed at the very word of God, then he saw the sign. To strengthen the nobleman’s trust, Jesus made it possible for him to know that his son’s healing had taken place at the exact same time He had declared it—the seventh hour, the fullness of time. But this was not just some marker, pointing to something that was about to happen—the nobleman had already believed and had already left to go home! He had put his faith and trust in the God standing right in front of Him, knowing that He had all things in His hand. The Lord of the Universe was in control, and he didn’t have to fret, worry, or find another way. If Jesus can handle life and death situations, He can certainly lead and guide our everyday lives to bring us through to the other side—and all to His Glory! God’s part is to do it; our part is to deny ourselves and trust His Love. And this isn’t just about you, either! What about those around you—what about even your families? Remember—not only did he believe, but “his whole house.” (vs. 53) Many lives hang in the balance—many are watching to see if true love can truly change anything. When Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” He didn’t stop there. He went on: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Jesus wasn’t just referring to physically dying for someone, but a day by day death to self and surrender to His Lordship—being poured out for the salvation and sanctification of others—even our own households. And this isn’t just an option; it is a command—a command that must be born out of love, true love. So, let’s get our eyes off ourselves and our own situations—there is a far greater picture to see, a far greater love to experience. As St. Valentine’s Day approaches, trust Him to know what He is doing—even in all things! Trust His Greater Love! Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
