What is Love | 3 Descriptions of Love from Jesus

We love icecream, we love our dog or cat, we may love our jobs or hobbies, we love someone special in our life, we do something for someone or an organization because we feel a special bond with them. Is love a feeling? God loves us. But what is love? What can we learn from our creator? How would you describe love? Before you read on, in the comments selection below, please tell us of an experience when you felt genuinely loved. Afterward, return. Then we will look at what is love and 3 descriptions of love from Jesus.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic gospels. The focus of the fourth gospel, the book of John is much different than the other three, flor the most part. However, there are at least two things similar in all four gospels, Can you guess what it is? It has to do with love. Interestingly, besides the crucifixion of Jesus, which covers approximately 1/3 of the content in all the gospels, loving God and our neighbor and even our enemy is meantioned in all the gospels. And to what extent should we love our neighbor? It is a high, high standard–to sacrifice and to even give up your life on behalf of others. That is the ultimate expression of love.

What is love?

First of all, if we learn from Jesus’ example, love is sacrifice and total commitment. We don’t typically think like that. We feel a kinship or desire for something, and we call that love. We love those who love us. We share common interests and that draws us together. But what if God calls us to love the unlovely?

As good looking and excellent that we might be, the truth is that before God saved us we were his ugly enemies. It’s true, and here it is all laid out for us in these few verses from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:8-11)

That is a tremendous truth. Think about it. We were not God’s friends, his buddies. We didn’t agree with him. We thought we were so good, or at least better than the next person. Crash! Reality time: We were all depraved, totally wrong, without hope, and without a future. We needed a savior.

3 Descriptions of love from Jesus

An immoral woman

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is– that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” 

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven– for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:36-47, NIV)

Unlike others who thought they were pretty good, this woman knew she was pretty bad and she knew only Jesus could save her. Jesus commends her.

The poor widow’s’ mite

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything– all she had to live on.”
(Mark 12:41-44, NIV)

The Almost Christian

There was a man who was almost a Christian. Perhaps there are many others even now. I say almost, because he seemed to have figured things out. He knew what was important. Here is the account.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

Are some of us almost Christians? It is vital that we know more than God’s truth–we need a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is a total commitment. Learn more

Want to learn more about Jesus? If you want to read a chronological account of his life, start here

Want to know what God intends for human love between a man and his wife?  See the post on Love and Romance; the Song of Solomon