With one of his very last breaths while on the cross, Jesus spoke to and of his mother: When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman here is your son,” and to the disciple, “here is your mother.” (John 19:25) There can be no doubt at all about the depth of Jesus’ love for his mother Mary, and his caring for her.

Yet, in the book of Luke Jesus makes some astonishing remarks: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) In at least three translations of the Bible the word “hate” is used in this passage, and is jarring to read from the lips of the one who spoke so often about love. When I read Jesus’ words recently I thought that he must surely mean that attachments can be so very strong that they distract us from our real foundation, our very Creator.

Jesus understood love, and spoke of it strongly: …an expert in the law tested him with a question: “teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Jesus knew that if the first love lived in us, the second would easily follow. The apostle John wrote, “God is love. . . There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.

Jesus insisted that “other loves” not obscure our first love. Rather, John also wrote, We love because He first loved us. (1John 4 ;16&19) John recorded one of the strongest expressions of love from Jesus to his disciple Peter. It happened on the beach following Jesus’ resurrection. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me? (John 21:15) and three times Peter reaffirmed his love for Jesus. Each time he questioned Peter, he followed with the direction, “Feed my sheep.” Jesus enabled Peter to reaffirm his real love for Jesus after Peter’s denying him three times; but even more, Jesus gave Peter a vocation, “ Feed my sheep.” Peter knew that he had a place in Jesus’ kingdom, in his very ministry, established on the rock of Peter’s love forJesus, a love that always came first in Peter for the rest of his life.

Love in Him,

Prue