The real test of loving like Christ isn't in loving Jesus, it is in loving Judas.
You know, it is easy to love the lovable. I mean, it requires no emotional heavy lifting to be kind to the friend who always lends a helping hand, the spouse who showers you with affection, or the colleague who constantly validates your hard work.
That isn’t a test of grace, it’s a transaction. You give love, you receive love, and the ledger balances perfectly, but Christian love was never meant to be a business deal.
When I look at the life of Jesus, his most revolutionary moments didn't happen in circles of mutual admiration. They happened on the fringes. They happened when he washed the feet of Judas, knowing betrayal was only hours away.
They happened when he paused in a crushing crowd to look at a marginalized woman, and when he promised paradise to a thief dying on a cross beside him. Christ loved people who had absolutely nothing to offer him in return. No status, no wealth, no political leverage, and often, not even gratitude.
The world teaches us to invest our affection where we see a return on investment, but Christ turns this economy completely upside down. He calls us to love the difficult, the ungrateful, the abrasive, and the broken. He calls us to love the person who cannot pay us back with kindness, status, or even a simple "thank you."
Anyone can love a friend, but to love the one who offers you nothing in return? That is where the shadow of the cross falls, and that is where we finally begin to love like Jesus.
You're reading from your handsome friend John Petra.
Peace 🕊️ and love 💕
