Boundless Love. Jesus Offers Himself for the World.Sample

The Culmination of Divine Love

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

The apostle John starts his book “in the beginning”, as Jesus Christ was with God from all eternity. John then recounts how Jesus came into our world as an expression of pure divine love (see John 3:16). John’s aim is to share with us Who Jesus is and what Jesus did, “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) After all, Jesus came to earth for that purpose.

Having described many speeches, signs and miracles of Jesus that happened over several years, from chapter 13 John then focuses on Jesus’ last days on earth. This period gets the most attention since it is such a crucial part of Jesus’ ministry. This is “His hour”. Here we witness the culmination of divine love, when Jesus gave His life to take away the sins of the world.

Jesus loved His people “to the end.” This does not mean that His life, and thus His love, ceased at this point. On the contrary, it means that Jesus’ love came to completion and fulfillment. His love found its climax at the cross.

What does “boundless love” mean to you? What do you consider the ultimate expression of true love?