Most of the time on this site, https://motivationofchristianlove.wordpress.com, I have been dealing with chapter 13 of St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, verse by verse or phrase by phrase. 1 Corinthians 13 is a well-known chapter on Christian love. These days, I am writing about a topic: The love of God. Today, I am focusing on how the love of God can be seen in the life of Jesus Christ.

We read about Jesus:

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 NIV).

Obviously, in biblical days, people had many opportunities to see and watch sheep. Left alone, sheep were aware of many dangers and inconveniences. Men taller in height more easily detected dangers and found grassy spots in otherwise barren areas.

Years ago, when I was a teenager, we had far more snow in winter than these days. Nearby the city where I grew up, we had enough snow to go skiing. As my father and I were moving over some snow-covered grasslands, I discovered something. Beside me, there was a small opening in the snow. There was a man-made pit on the wayside. From this pit, a sheep was looking at me. It was trapped. I do not know how long it had been there.

The space in the pit was just big enough for the animal to stand. It had no chance to move about to warm itself. There was hardly anything for it to eat. – We went back home and got a slide for transporting the sheep. I think a nearby farmer found out the rightful owner of the sheep. So the poor animal was returned to proper care.

Jesus was looking at the crowds, and he felt they were lacking proper care. People knew something about God, and most of them had some religion. Yet Jesus knew they did not experience much of the blessing God was willing to give them. They needed to be taught to trust God. They needed instruction on how to live a godly life.

A Look at Jewish Society in Jesus’s Days

In many ways, the Jews in New Testament days were not a homogeneous group. Some were rich, others were poor. Some were religious, others were taken up with concerns of this world. Some were healthy and strong, others were sick and disabled. Some were influential, others were not. Some took great care to avoid foreign influences. Others were more open to aspects of Greek and Roman cultures.

The fact that Jesus chose his disciples from various walks of life shows he was aware of all these differences. He trained disciples to reach different kinds of Jews. Jesus wanted people to learn about the heavenly Father. He wanted to help them trust the love of God.

I guess some of you have had the opportunity to see episodes of the Christian movie “The Chosen”. Obviously, the author has enlarged on the biblical materials. He has invented details to show how the disciples were fairly different.

In one episode, we learn about tensions between Simon Peter and Matthew, who had been a tax collector earlier. In fact, according to “The Chosen”, Matthew had been the one charging Peter in earlier days. Matthew’s tax charges were high enough to make Peter seriously worry about his future. In one episode, Simon Peter was experiencing tremendous inner battles until he was prepared to forgive Matthew.

A Word to People in Western Countries

In the Old Testament, we read:

“We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6a NIV).

Certainly, the second part of this quote is a fitting description of Western societies today. I guess we are more individualised than any other society in history.

People hold various worldviews. We have opportunities to adapt our thoughts and beliefs from so many different sources.

The bible tells us: Because we have gone astray, we do not experience God as a God of love.

We Pray:

“Lord Jesus, I thank you, because you are looking upon us with compassion. Please teach me your ways! Help me to understand what estranges me from your love. Amen.”

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