The Unconditional Love of Christ: A Gentle and Longing Heart

The Heart of Christ: A Love That Never Fails

Imagine having a friend who loves you unconditionally, without limits or expectations. Someone who is always there for you, no matter what you’ve done or how you’re feeling. This is the heart of Christ, a love that is gentle, lowly, and longing.

A Surprising Claim

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus pulls back the veil and lets us peer into the core of who he is. What we find is not a heart that is austere, demanding, or exalted, but one that is gentle and lowly. This is a surprising claim, one that challenges our conventional understanding of God’s nature.

The Center of Who We Are

When the Bible speaks of the heart, it’s not just referring to our emotional life. It’s talking about the central animating center of all we do, what gets us out of bed in the morning and what we daydream about at night. Our heart is what defines and directs us, and it’s what Jesus is most interested in.

A Longing Heart

Jesus’ heart is not just a heart of love, but a heart of longing. He longs to be with us, to comfort us, and to sustain us in our times of need. He is drawn to sinners and sufferers, and his heart is comforted when we draw from the riches of his atoning work.

Gentleness is Who He Is

Lowly gentleness is not just one way Jesus acts towards others. It’s who he is. It’s his heart, and it’s what defines him. As we go deeper into weakness and suffering, we are descending ever deeper into Christ’s very heart, not away from it.

No Limits to His Love

Unlike human friends, Jesus does not have a limit to his love. We cannot present a reason for him to finally close off his heart to us. No such reason exists. Our sins and weaknesses are the very things that qualify us to approach him, not push him away.

Loving to the End

Jesus does not love like us. We love until we are betrayed, forsaken, or reach our limit. Jesus loves to the end, despite betrayal, forsakenness, and our own limitations. His love is not like ours, and it’s what makes him so worthy of our trust and devotion.

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