October 13, 2016
LOVE IS A VERB. WITHOUT ACTION LOVE IS JUST A WORD.
Luke 23:26–43
Lindsay McCoy
Central Truth
Love isn't easy. It takes time and effort and doing things we don't want to do at times. But the joy and glory that comes from love is everlasting. It is beautiful. It is what we were made for.
Key Verse | Luke 23:43
And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Luke 23:26–43
The Crucifixion
26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 1 23:34 Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus what they do And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, 2 23:38 Some manuscripts add in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, 3 23:39 Or blasphemed him saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Dive Deeper | Luke 23:26–43
As I read this passage, it convicted me how much I’ve allowed Christ’s story to become commonplace. Jesus, dying on the cross because of His love for us, is heard ALL. THE. TIME. It's heard in sermon after sermon. It's told to show us that we need to love one another the way Christ loved us. It's heard in ministries like re:generation as the reason you can let go of your hangups and move forward in freedom. I could go on and on.
Somewhere in the middle of that, I lost the gravity, intensity, and glory of the love demonstrated on the cross. Thankfully, God speaks to us through His Word. Man, oh, man, did He LOUDLY remind me of what love actually is!
Love isn’t a feeling. It isn’t romance. It isn’t flowers and candy, unicorns and diamonds. It is an action. A choice to stay when you could leave. A decision to be kind when you could do harm. It is the pursuit of righteousness in the face of persecution. It is the act of forgiving when you are wronged. It is extending grace to relieve an individual from punishment. It is paying off others' debts simply because you care about them.
There is only one person I know who has done this. On the cross, Jesus was the perfect image of love. He chose to stay on the Father's path even though He knew this road would end in His own suffering and death. He pursued God's righteousness and glory by bearing persecution and the cross even though it caused Him to be separated from the Father and the Spirit.
He also chose to show kindness to a criminal even though the man had lived a sinful life separated from God. And He not only forgave the criminal by His side, but even asked the Father to forgive the very men beating and killing Him. He extended grace to them all, making a place in paradise for the criminal who finally came to repentance. But most of all, He paid our debt of sin with His death and resurrection. Now we get paradise.
What I want to know is, what human loves like that? Only One!
Discussion Questions
1. How do you love others? Is it a Christlike love filled with action, or a superficial love based on feelings and romance, masking what God intended love to be?
2. Who are some people that you think love well. What do they do that is different from others?
3. I dare you to take an action step of love today. Can you reach out to someone you have been meaning to call? What about owning your part in a disagreement, even if it is only two percent of the disagreement? Is there a cause you have been meaning to give to, but can never find the time? Take the step to put love into action right now.