Jerome, identified as one of the early “church fathers,” lived from 347 to 420 A.D. and recorded a story that had been handed down to him about the apostle John.
John, often called “the apostle of love,” lived to a ripe old age. Legend has it he died of natural causes between 90 and 95. According to the legend, John had to be carried to worship services and lacked the voice to speak forcefully
During most services, John said very little, but almost always repeated the same refrain. “Little children, love one another.”
Finally, one brother asked, “Teacher, why do you always say this?”
He replied with a line worthy of John: ‘Because it is the Lord’s commandment and if it alone is kept, it is sufficient.”
“Whether historically precise or not, the story beautifully captures the heart of Jesus’ command recorded in John 13:34–35.”
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Imagine how different the church, the family, and our communities would be if we truly internalized and imbibed that concept.
So, if we are to love like Jesus, how should we love?
#1 Love Compassionately.
“Moved with compassion” is an expression often used to describe Jesus’ feelings. “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them” (Matthew 9:36).
Jesus was moved by people’s pain, problems, and pressure. His heart was touched by the helpless, hungry, and hopeless. The lepers, the lame, the blind, the deaf, and the brokenhearted. And, of course, those caught in the web of sin.
To love like Jesus is to see people’s needs, to feel their hurt, and respond with compassion.
#2 Love Forgivingly.
Sweeter and more loving words were never spoken than when Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk. 7:48).
We’re not always told the nature of their sins, but it is obvious that men and women burdened and broken by guilt found in Jesus both grace and forgiveness.
Even as he hung on the cross, dying, at the hands of his enemies, he uttered, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Love doesn’t keep score. It chooses grace and mercy instead of retribution or vengeance.
#3 Love Unconditionally
Greedy tax collectors. Shunned Gentiles. Despised Samaritans. Immoral women. Societal outcasts. Jesus loved the unlovable.
The religious elite erected walls, but Jesus built bridges. He loved those they despised. Not because they deserved it, but because He came to show us the Father. The character of Deity. The heart of God’s love.
When we love like Jesus, we will truly love those whom he loved, regardless of their race, ethnicity, social status, political affiliation, or character flaws.
#4 Love Sacrificially.
On the way to Gethsemane’s garden and in the shadow of the cross, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Sacrificial love is selfless. As one unknown author wrote, it is “the active choice to prioritize another person’s well-being, happiness, and needs above your own, without expecting anything in return. It is a voluntary, unconditional commitment—often called agape—that involves “dying to self,” making sacrifices for the greater good, and providing care even when it is costly, inconvenient, or unreciprocated.”
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice with a love that cost Him everything.
“What are we willing to give? Will we serve sacrificially when it is inconvenient? When it is hard? When it hurts? When it demands that we dig deeper than ever before?
When we love like Jesus, we never ask “what do I get? Rather, “What can I give?”
In 2004 Victoria Ruvolo was driving home on Long Island when six teenagers were playing recklessly from a passing car. One of them, 18-year-old Ryan Cushing, threw a 20-pound frozen turkey through her windshield. It exploded into her face, shattering nearly every bone in her face and nearly killing her. She required multiple surgeries and months of painful recovery.
Most people would have demanded the harshest punishment possible. But when Victoria stood in court and faced the young man who had done this to her, she chose something shocking—forgiveness.
Instead of bitterness, she showed compassion. Instead of revenge, she offered mercy. She told the court she did not want his life destroyed by one terrible act. She advocated for leniency and spoke directly to him with grace. Ryan wept openly.
That kind of love is rare. Difficult. Costly. And it looks a lot like Jesus.
Victoria Ruvolo could have chosen bitterness, but she chose compassion. She could have demanded revenge, but she offered forgiveness. She reminds us that Christlike love is not merely a feeling—it is a decision.
When we love compassionately, forgivingly, unconditionally, and sacrificially, people do not just see kindness—they see Jesus.
When we learn to love like Jesus, our homes change. Our churches change. Our communities change.
That is how we love more and give more.”
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
ThePreachersWord 