Welcome to today’s devotion.
Love that hurts
- Zechariah 13:6
God’s love can be wounded. In Psalm 41:9, there is a prophecy about Judas being a familiar friend. In Zechariah 13:6, there is also a prophecy about Jesus being in the house of his friends.
We beat each other in different ways. Our soul may be troubled, and our natural man’s love may be troubled, in matters of which our feelings suffer. But these emotional, physical injuries are different from the injuries that Jesus Christ received in the homes of his friends. A divine love is hurt spiritually and suffers, because that person or God loves you. It does not suffer because of itself, but because it has come to love you. The more perfect love is, the more easily it is broken.
Judas became acquainted with Jesus, but he never understood His love. For Judas, Jesus was a “good or familiar friend.” But Judas never understood the power and companionship of divine love in the heart of Jesus. As a result, Judas turned against him. Love is over. The disciples, like sheep without a shepherd, were scattered, even losing love, which they had not yet fully known.
After Peter denied Jesus, Jesus looked at him, with bruised or sorrowful eyes (Luke 22:61). Those eyes said, “Why are you denying me?” Why are you making me sad? Why did you back off? And why don’t you understand my heart?” This is the heart of God’s love. Love wants us to do something because of its desires, not because of its commands. Love experiences deep hurt, because of what it is.
Today’s reading passage: Hebrews 5-7