Week Three: Loving Like Jesus Loved
Welcome to the final week of our journey!
Last week, we started some spiritual practices to help us live the way Jesus lived. We witnessed how His mindsets, practices, and habits made way for His ministry. This week, we’ll explore how Jesus loved. In other words, how did Jesus relate to other people? How did He make people feel? And How did He use His words and actions to accomplish His purpose?
Let’s check out an argument Jesus chose to break up. It happened between a few of His friends and followers:
An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” — Luke 9:46-48 NIV
The disciples had the wrong idea of how to achieve greatness as followers of Jesus. Maybe they thought the greatest was the one who performed the greatest miracles or knew the Bible best. But Jesus has a different definition of greatness.
Jesus said that the person who welcomes a child is the greatest. What? Why does that make someone great?
Jesus explained, “It is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
In other words, Jesus said that the greatest in God’s eyes is the person who isn’t seeking prestige, power, or a platform. Instead, they’re seeking to humbly serve.
Jesus, who is God, came as a baby to a humble family in a small village. When He grew up, He didn’t order His followers around like servants. Instead, He patiently led them and looked for ways to meet their needs.
That’s why He tells us the way to be the greatest in the kingdom is to consistently do good without seeking attention or praise. Service levels playing fields. It helps us see one another as God sees us—all equals, made in His image. And it helps us see God—great and powerful and wonderful and deserving of all praise—as the One we serve as we serve others.
If we want to love like Jesus, we need to pursue His version of greatness. Jesus lived an others-focused life that led Him to hospitality, service, forgiveness, generosity, and telling others about God’s love. We’ll explore each of these topics this week.
So, what are you pursuing in life? The world invites us to be “great” by pursuing personal goals that lead us to influence and comfort. Jesus invites us to a different kind of greatness—one focused on raising others up.