THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

"Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands"
Isaiah 49:15b-16a

Jesus loved everyone with the same unconditional and perfect love to the very end. Not for a single moment did He turn away from those for whom He came into the world. Only the Son of God could remain so loving and free from any desire for revenge after all the evil and injustice He endured. Jesus knew exactly the purpose for which He came into the world:

• John 12:46–47 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

The purpose of Jesus was very clear from the beginning, and He fulfilled it perfectly! He did everything to show us His love and the love of the Heavenly Father, overturned the value system of the world, and brought us the Kingdom of His love. He came and accomplished the most wonderful plan for the salvation of humanity despite the rebellion and stubbornness of human nature.

John, the apostle of love, presented most clearly throughout his Gospel how much Jesus was rejected by God's own chosen people. Here is just one very conclusive verse:

• John 1:10–11 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
  

The world easily recognizes those who are like it, and it would seem that this alone should have made everyone in Jesus’ time realize that He was different. He was not like them—He did not behave like them, think like them, boast, or act pridefully. He did nothing for His own benefit, harmed no one, did not chase money or fame. On the contrary, He listened to everyone, healed all who came to Him, made only righteous judgments, always spoke what the Heavenly Father gave Him to speak, and made time for anyone—whether a royal official or a beggar, woman, man or child. Anyone had access to the Son of God. He never said He was too tired or too busy.

And because, as we read in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” we know that He receives us into His presence whenever we need Him and helps us when we cry out to Him. He has the same perfect, complete love for each of us and will never change.

The Jews rejected Jesus and fought against Him because He disrupted their plans, and they were losing their privileges and power. They did everything they could to remove Him from their path. But only when “His hour had come” were they able to take His life. Even then, they did not understand that Jesus came into the world precisely to die for humanity! The religious leaders did what their father led them to do, as Jesus said in the following verse:

• John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
  

Jesus had at His disposal legions of angels. He could have destroyed all those who mocked Him, insulted Him, and ultimately tortured and killed Him in the most painful way—by crucifixion. But He loved them to the end. And on the cross He prayed for His executioners: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

We see no trace of evil or desire for revenge in Jesus. He behaved perfectly, without sin, to the very end. If it had not been so, the devil would have found something of his nature in Jesus, and He could not have risen to give us His righteousness and eternal life. Because the sins He died for were not His own, death could not hold Him.

• Acts 2:24 Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
  

Precisely because even the most terrible suffering could not change Him, we could be redeemed! The plan of salvation for humanity succeeded perfectly! Through Jesus, man can be restored to the image and likeness of God through the new birth and be with the Lord forever.

If we live with the purpose of becoming more like Jesus and pleasing the Heavenly Father, we can remain strong in faith and full of the Lord’s love regardless of what we go through. Why? Because the purpose of our lives is not to have everything go well, to fulfill the desires of the flesh, or to gain success, wealth, and fame. Our purpose is heavenly—it is about what the Lord desires for us and fulfilling His will as best as we can. And when we have this purpose, God strengthens us and gives us the power to stand firm in faith and be filled with His love.

And to see even more clearly how completely and perfectly Jesus fulfilled the purpose for which He came to Earth—namely, the salvation of humanity—let us look at the final words He spoke on the cross:

• John 19:28, 30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ […] So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
  

The original Greek word translated “It is finished” is tetelestai, from the verb teleó, meaning: “to finish, to complete, to accomplish, to carry out a mission or purpose.” Its root, telos, also means “to bring to a close, to finish, to end” (according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance).

This word was used in Jesus’ time when a transaction was completed—when a debt was fully paid. In a legal context, it was used by judges when a sentence had been fully served, once and for all, and the person was set free. In a military context, it signified triumph and victory after winning a battle.

Considering all this, we can conclude that Jesus was, in essence, declaring on the cross:

“The debt for your sins has been fully paid. The punishment for your sins has been completely satisfied once and for all. The victory has been won over death, sin, and the devil.”

Jesus finished the work of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation with God the Father for all who believe in Him and follow Him. Through His death on the cross, everything has been secured for every single one of us. He made new birth possible for every believer and a new life filled with the power of the Lord and heavenly blessings.

Thank You, Lord Jesus!
 
Carmen Pușcaș