Friends of Jesus

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Unit II. K

Is God Unconditional Love? – Jesus’ Friends and Neighbors

© Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D./Magis Institute July 2011

Introduction

Jesus’ works of love occurred every day and very likely during every waking hour. We have already seen one dimension of these works of love manifest in his prolific ministry of exorcism, healing, and raising the dead. With respect to exorcisms and healings, we have seen how Jesus felt deep compassion toward his petitioners and responded to their needs (Unit II-F, Section IV.A and B); and with respect to raising the dead, we have seen Luke’s use of the word “esplagchnusthē (from splagchnon – “gut wrenching, tender mercies”) to describe Jesus’ feeling for an unknown widow and her son (Luke 7:11-17), and John’s use of the phrase “embrimōmenos en heautō” (“groaning in Himself”) to exemplify the deep feelings of empathy and compassion that Jesus had for his friend Mary and her brother Lazarus (John 11:1-45). These deep feelings of empathy and compassion characterize not only Jesus’ ministry of exorcism, healing, and raising the dead, but also his relationship with the poor, sinners, and his disciples. Let us look at each of these groups in greater detail.

The four Gospels make clear that Jesus exhibited great affection, understanding, compassion, and self-sacrifice for His friends and disciples. But He went far beyond His circle of friends, and even beyond the wider circle of those who are easily loved, and even beyond the much wider circle of those who are acceptable. He sought out the poor, outcasts, and even the most egregious sinners. Jesus wanted to be a healing, reconciling, and compassionate force for those who were in greatest need of His and the Father’s love, and He befriended them all. Let us begin with the poor.

Jesus’ Love of the Poor

Jesus believed that an integral part of his mission of bringing the kingdom of God was to bring good news to the poor. As Meier notes:

…the climactic action of Jesus in bringing in the end time, the action Jesus keeps to last in his list, is not any healing but rather the proclamation of good news to the poor—the good news spoken of in Isa 61:1, the good news Jesus quite literally proclaims to the “poor” in his first beatitude in the great Q sermon (Matt 5:3/Luke 6:20).

Jesus had more than a “soft spot in His heart” for the poor, more than feelings of empathy and compassion for them; He felt that their salvation and the alleviation of their suffering was integral to the kingdom of God, and promised that the consolation of the poor will come when the kingdom of God is fully realized.

Jesus also gave alms to the poor and encouraged others to do likewise; He praised Zacchaeus for doing so (Luke 19:8-10) and evidently made this a central part of His ministry. He believed that this was a key responsibility of every person who possesses the means to help the poor, and in carrying out this responsibility, Christians actualize His kingdom in the present moment. Those who help the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned will not only help to actualize the kingdom, they will literally inherit “the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). Jesus also held that heartlessness toward the poor put people in grave spiritual danger. He explicitly says that this attitude will be the basis for separating the righteous (sheep) from the unrighteous (goats) in Mt 25:31-41, and causes the separation of Lazarus (who is with Abraham in heaven) from the rich man (who is in eternal torment) – Luke 16:23ff. It is our responsibility to continue the ministry of Jesus in helping to usher in the kingdom by helping the poor. Yet, it seems that He did not expect the suffering of the poor to be fully alleviated until His kingdom is fully actualized.

It might be thought that Jesus’ concern for the poor was not as intense as implied above, because He tells his disciples who are criticizing a woman for anointing His head with expensive ointment, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me” (Mt 26:10-11). The context of this saying reveals that Jesus is quite concerned about the poor – for this concern is precisely what moves the apostles to think that the ointment could have been sold and the proceeds given to the them. It is difficult to believe that the apostles would have been thinking about giving to the poor (instead of anointing Jesus) if this had not been a very high priority for Jesus.

The emphasis in Jesus’ statement is not on “not giving to the poor,” but rather on the act of love which the woman is displaying and its significance for His impending burial. Jesus is indicating that ministry to the poor will be ongoing and should be a high priority, but sometimes it cannot be the highest priority.

In sum, Jesus deeply empathized with and cared for the poor. He gave alms and ministered to them, and encouraged others to do likewise. He indicated that having a heart for the poor puts us close to God while heartlessness towards them jeopardizes our salvation. He associated ministry to the poor with actualizing the kingdom of God, and revealed that the full coming of the kingdom will entail the complete alleviation of their misery.

Jesus’ Acceptance and Love of Sinners

Jeremias shows that many of the original followers of Jesus were sinners. Jesus associates them with “the poor” and orients His mission to alleviating their poverty:

If we are to gain a clear picture of the people to whom Jesus brought the good news, our starting point must be the fact that, when we look at the various designations of the followers of Jesus as they are given in the gospels, we come to know these people from a double perspective. They are repeatedly called “publicans and sinners” (Mark 2.16 par.; Matt. 11.19 par.; Luke 15.1), “publicans and prostitutes” (Matt. 21.32), or simply “sinners” (Mark 2.17; Luke 7.37, 39; 15.2; 19.7). The deep contempt expressed in such designations shows that these phrases were coined by Jesus’ opponents; Matt. 11.19 par. Luke 7.34 confirms that explicitly.

To whom does the term “sinner” refer? Wright notes that it could refer to a large group of people ranging from non-Pharisaic Jews (“light sinners” who the Pharisees held to be technically sinners because they did not agree with their interpretation of Torah) to the wicked who deliberately flouted the law, like prostitutes (who would be considered “heavy sinners”). Tax collectors were considered to be particularly egregious sinners because they were collaborators with Rome, dishonest, and rapacious. Wright calls them “the moral equivalent of lepers.” It is clear from the Gospels that Jesus associates with all of these individuals and groups and enjoys table-fellowship with them.

Recall from Unit II-J that Jesus associated the father of the prodigal son with His Father (Abba) and that the prodigal son represents both individual sinners and perhaps also Israel (conceived as a sinful nation). Jesus reveals that His Father not only forgives the sins of the egregiously sinful son, but also restores him back to his former dignity and condition, and even re-opens the family (the kingdom) to him. Yet Jesus does far more than preach the forgiveness and salvation of repentant sinners; He also associates with them, welcomes them into His company, and even eats with them. Dining (particularly the table fellowship at a banquet) indicates not only friendship, but also familiarity and close friendship.

Jesus’ welcoming of and table fellowship with sinners incites the scribes and Pharisees to criticism and disdain:

And as He sat at table in [Levi’s] house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many who followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mk 2:15-16)

The Pharisees’ contempt is clearly manifest when they simultaneously accuse Jesus of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Mt. 11:19). It may also be seen in the attitude of the Pharisee who upon observing a woman wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair thought, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner” (Lk 7:38-39). We hear this familiar refrain of the Pharisees once again when Jesus asks Zacchaeus if He might stay at his house: “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner” (Lk 19:7).

Thus, Jesus endures not only ostracization by the official religious leaders, but also their contempt and disdain. This could not have been a comfortable religious or social position for Jesus. So why did He put Himself in this position? Because He could not resist any sinner who turned to Him.

The rationale for His peculiar, self-sacrificial behavior is quite clear: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mk 2:17). He manifests a deep sympathy and affection for sinners when He explains why He receives and eats with them:

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing (Lk 15:4-5).

Jesus also acknowledges the love that sinners can manifest toward God and others, and the justification which this love can effect (a righteousness which surpasses that of the observant scribes and Pharisees). In response to the Pharisees’ criticism of the woman who has wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, Jesus says to Simon:

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk 7:47).

Jesus forgives sinners and promises them righteousness and salvation. This is evident in the above passage, and is even more clearly manifest in a passage which suggests that sinners will enter the kingdom of heaven before even the strictly observant Pharisees:

“Amen I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you [Pharisees]. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him…” (Mt 21:31-32).

Jesus clearly reveals the forgiveness and salvation of sinners in the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple. He asserts unconditionally that the tax collector is justified (made right before God and destined for salvation), but the Pharisee is not. Why? Because the tax collector humbly begs for the mercy of God, but the Pharisee tells God that he has done everything right (unlike the tax collector) and implies that he has made himself righteous:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 18:9-14)

In sum, Jesus’ works of love not only include His prolific ministry of exorcism, healing, and raising the dead as well as His ministry to the poor, but also His ministry to sinners of every sort. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus did not set Himself apart from sinners, but rather associated with them, welcomed them, and enjoyed table-fellowship with them, which earned Him continuous and deep ostracization and contempt from the religious authorities. Despite this, He was drawn to this group because He recognized the goodness lying beneath their sin, their potential for salvation, and their need. In short, He loved them, desired to save them, and was certain of the Father’s desire to save them. He not only cared for sinners, He felt affection for them, and attributed that same care and affection to His Father. Furthermore, He promised that repentant sinners (like the tax collector who simply prays humbly, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”) will be completely justified and therefore “right with God” and destined for salvation.

Jesus’ Love of Disciples and Friends

The Gospel of John makes clear that Jesus had great affection for His disciples. Despite the redactional character of some of John’s specific vocabulary and phrasing, his many references to Jesus’ love of His disciples and friends almost certainly points to a core historical reality. Jesus’ new commandment in John’s Gospel sums up the apostles’ experience of Jesus during His ministry: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34 and Jn 15:12). This commandment would scarcely be intelligible if the disciples had not had a profound experience of Jesus’ love. The unconditional nature of Jesus’ love for His friends is specified immediately after the second statement of His new commandment: “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). When Jesus does in fact lay down His life for His friends, His unconditional love for them becomes not only a present reality, but one which will endure throughout history, and indeed, throughout God’s eternity.

John refers to himself five times as the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). John here does not mean this phrase in an exclusive way (i.e., that Jesus did not love the other disciples), but rather in a Semitic way. Names in the Semitic world commonly referred to the core or heart of a person (e.g., “Simon being called Peter” which means rock). Thus, by giving himself the name “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” John reveals his own core reality – his very essence – namely, “having been loved and being loved by Jesus.” This name would scarcely be intelligible if John had not had a profound experience of Jesus’ love.

We see other references to Jesus’ love of His disciples and friends – love which is recounted with empathy, depth, and affection. This is particularly manifest in the story of the raising of Lazarus: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (Jn 11:5). Again in the same story the Evangelist tells us,

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” (Jn 11:33-36).

Perhaps the most profound reference to Jesus’ love of His disciples occurs with respect to Peter – though in a somewhat inverted way. On the shore of the sea of Tiberius (after the resurrection), Jesus asks Peter:

Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to Him, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep….” (Jn 21:15-17).

Though there is clearly redactional material in this Section, Brown reports that even Bultmann and Grass agree that this passage goes back to a primary strand of tradition. Most exegetes believe that this passage indicates Jesus’ forgiveness and rehabilitation of Peter after his three denials. Even if the word “love” is redactional, its use within the forgiveness/ rehabilitation scene is appropriate, and reflects the ground upon which Jesus rehabilitates Peter and gives him a special mission as shepherd within the post-resurrection Church.

How does this reflect Jesus’ love for Peter (instead of only Peter’s love for Jesus)? A hint is provided by Raymond Brown:

Peter’s repentance would be implicit in his pathetic insistence on his love and in the anguish that the thrice-repeated question causes him (vs. 17). Instead of boasting that he loves Jesus more than others (15), a chastened Peter rests his case on Jesus’ knowledge of what is in his heart (17).

Though Peter is contrite, he relies on Jesus’ heart to know his heart, and in so doing manifests the love that Jesus has for him.

The Johannine expression of Jesus’ love for His disciples is summed up in a narrative comment prior to His passion:

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, loving (agapēsas) His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (Jn 13:1)

Here we see the unconditional nature of Jesus’ love (agapē ) for His disciples (“His own”) – “He would love them to the end.” Here, “the end” refers to both “the end of Jesus’ life” and the absolute and unconditional extent to which Jesus was willing to go in order to bring His love into the world. For the Evangelist, this summary statement which begins the second part of the Gospel (the book of glory) explains Jesus’ understanding of both Himself and His mission. If the Evangelist’s “understanding” is even remotely correct, we may infer that Jesus’ love for His disciples was not only empathetic, affectionate, forgiving, compassionate and self-sacrificial, but also unconditional. The implication is that Jesus will extend the same unconditional empathy, affection, forgiveness, compassion and self-sacrifice to all who desire to be His disciples – no matter what century, country, or situation they live in. Becoming a disciple of Jesus ushers in a life of love grounded in His unconditional love.