The Love of God in Christ (Part 3): Why Jesus Went to the Cross

(Continued from Part 2)

It lacks but one thing. I want to tell one more story. I asked you a minute ago, “What was the Lord’s attitude on this earth?” He was taking an inventory of what? What had taken His bride away, and He was an angry young man. Brothers, He was mad. You just better know, He was just plain angry, but He knew who His true followers were. John had a close real following. The Pharisees had those who followed them. And as time went on, the Lord Jesus had a following that got to know Him better and better. Did they enjoy being with Him? Yes. You really believe that? I believe that. Did He enjoy being with them? How much? I tell you, He was beside Himself. When He got alone with them and didn’t have this other race, that lower life form looking on, criticizing, when He got alone with them, I’ll tell you who He was. He was the kind of person that if a girl met Him, she would immediately admire Him. Have you ever been single, sister? Those of you who are married. Do you remember what it was like when you one day just got a real good look at the guy you’re now married to, and you thought, “Gee, what an unusual fellow.” Do you remember that? And you were very magnetized. Just really impressed with this unusual person. An admiration. What kind of a person was He?

Well, there’s no way to describe Jesus Christ. But brothers and sisters, I want you to know, when He got with those who were really His, and they knew Him well, and He knew them well, it was just sheer joy. They were having a wonderful time. Sisters who are married, have you ever had a wonderful time with your husband? That’s some time. They had a wonderful time with Him. Was He having a wonderful time? Who was having the most fun? Who was having the most joy? I don’t think it was fun. Who was the most joyful? That was Eternity’s love, finally having a place just to eke out a little bit. 30 years of manhood, of His “manness”; the love, the perfect love of His soul, and the eternal power behind the eternal love of the Spirit was finally getting a chance to show itself.

And what was the world’s report? I tell you, it came from the religious world. What was the world’s report? He was a glutton, He was drunk on wine, and was always out fellowshipping with those people. He was with them all the time. They were fellowshipping together, and every time you looked at Him, there was joy on His face, so much more than anyone else could be. It couldn’t be real. It would have to be something produced by wine. That was love shining through the cracks.

Brothers and sisters, I want you to forget every impression you have ever had before of who you are, please, for your sake, tonight and the next time we meet. I wish this were the first time I’d ever spoken to you. I wish it were. Will you let it be? That was one thing. He saw what had to go. He saw all the negative things, but He saw one more thing. He was in love with them. Who did He love? Tell me who He loved. He loved Martha. It says He loved her. He loved Mary. Did He love Mary? Yes. He loved Lazarus. Did He love Lazarus? Yes. Do you really believe He loved them? Yes. There was an eternal love of the Spirit there, and you can have some comprehension of it because you were made in His image. But you can’t comprehend it because He was God and He had all the power behind Him.

Toward the end of His life, one of His disciples began to perceive the love of God. John. Oh, He did a daring thing. Brothers, His eyes were beginning to open. He was getting a dove’s eye. He was beginning to understand who this one was, and He was beginning to understand who you are. Do you know that on the night of the Lord’s supper, they were all lying around the table? Who was lying next to the Lord? Who chose the position? Don’t kid yourself. Every brother there sat down, hoping the Lord would come and sit with him. The Lord went over and sat down next to John. Why do you think He did that? Because He’s a needy God, that’s why, because He was for all eternity, Love, with no place to go. Because for 30 years He had human love with no place to go, and because He knew that one of those disciples had finally got a little sense. There was one there who had learned to love Him. The Lord sat down beside John. Why did the Lord love John? Say it again, Theo. And why did John love the Lord?

What was the difference? Tell me the difference between John and the other eleven. Yes, they had all been forgiven much, and yes, that’s proper. Praise the Lord. Because one of them had begun to understand. One of them had begun to perceive. Now you tell me, why did John love the Lord? Why? Because the Lord loved John. Why did the Lord love John? Because John loved the Lord. Did the Lord love Peter? Yes. Why didn’t He sit down beside Peter? Because Peter had not seen the love that beat in the heart of this One. Even after the resurrection, the Lord had to tutor him. Do you have a passion? I really like you. Why was Peter having such a hard time? Do you know why, Larry? Why was Peter having a hard time? Why, don’t you know? Because of the enormity of his soul.

He’s trying to coax the love out of Peter. He wanted Peter’s love, and He wasn’t kidding about it. He meant it. He wanted to get it out of Peter. Peter, love me. And Peter was hung up on his sin. What was the Lord interested in? That he had denied Him? Not one bit. Well, have you ever denied the Lord? I don’t think anybody in this room ever did what Peter did. I think nearly everybody who knows the Scripture would say the greatest sin committed in the New Testament by a follower of Jesus Christ was committed by Simon Peter. And here is love. Here’s the Lover.

Does what I have just said mean anything to you? At any moment in your life, have you ever been worse off than Simon Peter? Please, look at the Lord, looking at Peter. Peter is looking at himself, and he’s seeing one who denied Him. What is the Lord looking at? He is looking at His wife, wants her to love Him, and is literally standing next to her, asking her to love Him.

After the Lord’s supper, the Lord Jesus sat down beside John because John knew how to love the Lord. What did John do? He laid His head…I wonder how the Lord must have turned over…and John just laid His head down. He was lying just within an inch or two of His head. Lay on the chest of God. And the presence of the Lord was just all over him. The Lord felt John’s love, and they were just there, communing love with one another. For the rest of eternity, it’s going to be “John whom Jesus loved”. That’s what he got called all the time. John the beloved disciple. Why was he known as the one whom Jesus loved? Why? Because he loved Him. Does that say anything to you? Does it say anything to you right now?

He rose from the table and went out, after He had broken the bread. There was one last thing. The Lord had His enemy. He knew what would keep Him from a perfect wife. There was one last thing lacking. What was it? Does anybody know? He had already marked off death as one who had to go. There was one other thing. It’s not the negatives. It’s not negative. What was it? He was one. That’s what you are. He was One. Did He have a wife? He had seen those whom the Father had chosen. Were they really His yet? Not really. In eternity, yes, but in time, no. And what was Jesus? He was still…all alone. Brothers, it came to His highest point of feeling. It was like every feeling He had had in all eternity now welled up within Him. It was like all the emotion He had known through the 30 years on earth welled up within Him. There is one thing that was lacking. He was still singular.