A Thematic study of Love in the Gospel of John
Introduction
Love is one of the major themes highlighted in the New Testament gospel. The concept of love is one of the fundamental ideologies of Christianity and is highlighted in the Gospel of John as one of the pillars of faith in Christianity. Love is essential in enabling a Christian to overcome the issues affecting their lives in the society. In this case, most of the activities, events and interpersonal relationships are based on the ability of an individual to express love towards each other. The theme of love is described in the gospel of John through the parables of parables and teachings of Jesus as well as the actions of the apostles described in the gospel. The gospel of John is the last to be written among the four gospels in the New Testament (King 235).
The gospel was written by Apostle John through a third person description. This gospel presents an interpretation of the teachings of Jesus by reflecting the situations and ideas that prevailed in communities of Christians during the attack on Christianity of by different quarters such as Romans, Jews and sceptics. The gospel highlights the theme of love as a means of providing the Christians with adequate strength and unity regardless of the negative perceptions and attacks by the external influences. The gospel of John presents three perspectives about the theme of love based on the teachings of Christ. The three perspectives of love highlighted in this gospel include the love for each other, love of Christ to the people and God’s love for the world (MacRae 18). By expounding on the actions and experiences of Christians, apostles and facilitators of Christianity, John illustrates the interaction of love with different aspects of the regular of lives of humanity. This paper explores the various perceptive of love as presented in the gospel of John based on the existing literature and passages from the book of John in the New Testament.
God’s Love
The love of God to the world is one of the dominant views of the theme of love in the gospel of John. The gospel begins by highlighting the unheeding love of God to the world to an extent of saving them through Jesus Christ. The gospel of states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but has everlasting life.” (John 3:16). This verse from the book of John shows that God’s intentions to the people of the world to have peace and life in every encounter. It is clear from the verse that, the love of God towards humanity supersedes the love He has towards the son, Jesus Christ. In this case, the initiative of God to use Jesus to save the world from the sins of destruction was selfless and guided by the intense love He has to the people of the world (Martin 160).
The other context in the gospel of John that highlights the love that God has towards humanity is the evident of God’s warning to humanity about their love for the world (MacRae 21). According to the gospel of John, continued love for the world could deter people from experiencing the love of God towards them. This verse indicates that God would limit His love the people that engage in the worldly affairs (John 2:14). In this case, the love of the world and the elements of the world such as prostitution, extreme leisure and demonic acts hinder the prevalence of God’s love among the humanity. The concept of love of God towards humanity is elaborated through the actions of the people of earth against the son of God (King 236). Regardless of the tendency of the humans to behave against the will of God, He finds an avenue for forgiveness of their sins through the sin Jesus Christ.
Most of the research about the love of God to the humanity focuses on the process of redemption of the people through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (MacRae 13). The death of Christ to wipe the sins of the world from humanity is a major reflection of the intentions of God to ensure the purification of His people from the influences of the needs of the world (John 19:28-30). The love of God towards humanity was continued by the acts of Jesus Christ from the period of creation. The first show of love to the humanity occurred in the Old Testament when God saved the children of Israel from the slavery in Egypt (MacRae 15). The generation of the Israelites that was redeemed from Egypt contributed towards the birth of Jesus and ultimately salvation of humanity from the effects of sin. Through Jesus Christ, Christians can ask for God’s forgiveness when their behavior deviates from the teachings of the bible about the right way to life.
Most of the Christians accept the love of God but tend to misunderstand the commitment of God towards enhancing their lives. In this case, people believe the loving God would hesitate from punishing them for the wrong doing. According to John (John 3:16), the intention of God to offer his only begotten son to the people was to ensure that everyone has access to eternal life. Therefore, failure to adhere to the teachings of the Lord would lead a person to eternal condemnation in hell (Martin 164). However, the gospel clarifies that repentance is an essential practice for acquiring God’s forgiveness. When a person repents, the love of God towards them is reignited and hence they are given a chance to correct their mistake and enhance their probability of enjoying eternal life in heaven (John 4:9).
The God’s love to the humanity is also expressed through Jesus when he cites the presence of God’s love amongst humanity. The connection between people and God is Jesus Christ, who presents the rules of God to people through his preaching about love in different parts of world (John 14:21). The Gospel of John provides insightful content about the presence of God’s love among persons and the need for the Christians to live according to the teachings of Christ in order to benefit from this love.
Interpersonal Love among Humanity
The other aspect of love that is highlighted in the gospel of John entails the love of humanity among themselves. In this case, God expects Christians to express love towards their neighbors, friends and enemies indiscriminately. The presence of God’s love in the human’s is an essential element in promoting the attributes of kindness, caring, forgiveness and gratitude among Christians. The Gospel of John connects the love of God to that of the humans such that each person is required to express the same love to others on earth. According to John (John 13:34-35), “A new command I give you: Love one another (Martin 167). As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This verse of the gospel of John illustrates that people should express love towards each other in a similar manner through which God loves them (Heil 24).
The presence of God’s love among humanity is illustrated through the establishment of many charity platforms in different parts of the world to assist the needy (King 237). Through missionary activities, many health centers, catering facilities and other charity based facilities have been established in different parts of the world. The development of these facilities is a reflection of the existence interpersonal love among humanity (MacRae 20). Another context where this humanity love is expressed is through the establishment if families through marriage. In this case, people express their feelings towards each other, which mark the beginning of a lasting relationship. The institution of marriage is an external expression of the existence of love between two people. The element of love that defines relationships and marriage is highlighted in the context of love in the gospel of John. Marriage is an institution established by God since creation of the mankind. For two people to engage in the institution of marriage, they should share an element of love which triggers a mutual emotional feeling (Heil 18).
The element of love is also essential in promoting unity in marriage such that the partners tend to help each other during hard times (MacRae 13). In addition, the couple takes care of each due to the existence of love between them. The gospel of John highlights the instances when Jesus stressed about the aspect of love in marriage. This chapter of the gospel states, “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.” (John 2:1). In this case, Jesus emphasized on the importance of love in marriage by attending weddings in the society. The teachings of the gospel further highlight on the need for the married people to love each In order to strengthen the institution of marriage and form one bond. In this context, love acts as the link between two different people that leave their parents homes to live together as one.
Christ’s Love
The other aspect of the theme of love is the love of Christ towards humanity. The story of Jesus Christ is well explained in the book of john from the background of Christ before birth to the growth of Christ, his mission, commission, teachings to men concerning love and the ultimate price for his love for man. The book of John gives a clear and direct story of the back ground and the life of Jesus Christ. Besides the teachings of Jesus Christ, various teachings on love are interpreted from the life of Christ is seen in the life of Christ itself. An introduction of the love of Christ is given in (John 1:14) chapter one verse fourteen which shows Christ as the one who came to die to save mankind.
The birth of Christ and the events around it is covered with divine intervention. Christ comes out in the from among the least profiled in the Israelite community in terms of status quo. His parents Mary and Joseph are materially poor and are unable to provide the basic place for the birth of Christ. The fact that Christ’s birth comes in a divine way through a virgin birth shows that his life is special unlike other births occurrences in Israel. In this case, the situation emphasis that anything in the life of Christ is unique (John 1:2). The life actions and teachings of Jesus Christ about love are taken as special and fundamental since his life was divine (MacRae 16). Events of visitation by angels and the wise men from the east brings out a teaching that love is not about the status quo of one in the society but rather an unconditional love to him.
` The major events of the live of Christ that are mentioned are birth, baptism, his ministry teachings and his crucifixion. Early in the ministry, Christ obeys the scriptural laws by being baptized by John the Baptist to fulfill all righteousness as required by the law. This portrays him one who prioritizes love as first the love of God before reverence to earthly things. The teaching comes out from an event in his life when he was lost in the love for God s scriptures in the temple against his parents’ wishes. Priority of the love for God, men and self becomes manifest here (John 1:26-36). It brings out the point that through this exemplary action of Christ, one should love God first, self and then others.
When Christ starts teaching people at the age of thirty years, he does remarkable miracles as an accompaniment to his teachings. For instance, he miraculously feeds five thousand people in the time they became angry during his gathering when he was teaching them. At certain instances, he was compelled to do miracles to people due to his compassion for them. He teaches that the greatest law in which all other laws are established is love. His particular life is culminates in love for mankind in order to save him from sin (MacRae 20). When Christ was doing his mission of teaching people about God, he does so by performing all manner of miracles signs and wonders to heal the sick and end all manner of human suffering. There is no single instance when he turned away any person from helping him by using supernatural ability. At the time when he heard of the death of Lazarus his friend, he weeps out of love for him and then he resurrects him (John 19:17-37). The climax of the love of Jesus Christ is seen when in spite of his rejected by his own people he does all manner of good things to them, he ends up dying to save them and all men in the rest of the world.
Conclusion
In summation, the gospel of John is one of the most contextual Christian text in terms of integrating the theme of love into different social contexts. In this case, the theme of love is expressed in terms of the love among humanity, the love of and the love of Christ towards the Christians. Love plays a crucial role in enhancing the understanding of the teachings of Christ and offers a person with a platform to practice goodness through assisting others in the society. The love of God towards humanity helps to maintain a close relationship between people and God. In addition, people have hope that God is always there for them regardless of their circumstance because of this form of love.
Works Cited
Heil, John Paul. “Disciples and the Worship of Jesus (John 1:19–51).” The Gospel of John: Worship for Divine Life Eternal, James Clarke & Co Ltd, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2015, pp. 16–28. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1p5f1s4.6.
KING, KAREN L. “The Gospel of John.” The Secret Revelation of John, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England, 2006, pp. 235– 238. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13x0hm4.15.
MacRae, George W. “THE FOURTH GOSPEL AND RELIGIONSGESCHICHTE.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 1, 1970, pp. 13–24. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43712746.
MARTIN, DALE B. “The Gospel of John.” New Testament History and Literature, Yale University Press, 2012, pp. 152–167. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1nq081.15.
The New American Bible: Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2002.
