What does love without words look like?
Communicating love without words is something any of us could do, but most of the time we don’t have to. But that’s not true for everyone.
It’s certainly not true for Elena & Lizzie Delle Donne.
Elena Delle Donne is one of the WNBA star players for the Washington Mystics. After college, she first played for the Chicago Sky before being traded. Her sister, Lizzie, has cerebral palsy. She is deaf & blind. But Elena says that Lizzie is her biggest inspiration.
Last year Gatorade did a 2 minute video featuring their story. Watch this…
We talk a lot about love, but I wonder if we really know what love is.
And do we know what the love of God is?
I think we need to realize & admit that the love of God is a different kind of love.
[Tweet “The love of God is a different kind of love. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]We try to describe it, explain it, comprehend it… We use human terms & examples & stories to describe it & we have to because it’s all we’ve got.
But we can’t forget, the love of God is a different kind of love. It’s not like our love.
It’s greater than any love you’ve ever felt or experienced. It’s greater than any love song that’s ever been sung. It’s greater than the emotion you felt on your wedding day or the day your first child was born. It’s greater than any love story you’ve ever heard, ever read or ever seen on the silver screen.
Jesus, Feet, & Love Without Words…
Jesus didn’t just speak of His love, He demonstrated His love, without words, to some of his closest disciples.
John was one of Jesus closest disciples. In fact, some would say he was Jesus’ closest disciple, friend & confidant. And John wrote about Jesus. And when John wrote down his version of the story of the life of Jesus, he made special note of this story. He was the only one of Jesus’ disciples to tell us this story. For me, it’s evidence that this moment had a significant impact on John.
[Tweet “Jesus didn’t just speak of His love, He demonstrated His love. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]Here’s what John wrote…
John 13.1-6; 14-15; 34-35
1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
I kind of wonder if Jesus even meant for this to be a moment. OR, did Jesus see a need, do what OF COURSE he would do… & it had such an impact on John that when He wrote his story about the life of Jesus HE HAD to include this moment.
Here’s what Jesus teaches us about love in this moment: Love doesn’t hesitate. And Love, especially love without words, always makes an impact.
[Tweet ” Love without hesitation, from humility, without words. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
by Ford Madox Brown
Notice that at this point in the story, Jesus hasn’t spoken one word. He just saw a need & went to work. Jesus didn’t ask someone else to do it. He could have, but He didn’t. Jesus didn’t complain that He’s spent three years teaching these guys about love & about serving & here they are in this upper room & nobody sees this need & snaps into action. Jesus isn’t frustrated with His friends, His followers, these first disciples. Jesus doesn’t say anything.
In fact, the first words spoken in this story are spoken by Peter.
Peter essentially says, “Jesus, don’t do it. Don’t wash my feet. It’s too much for me. I’m not worthy. You’re too worthy.”
Have you ever receive a gift & said, “I can’t take this? It’s too much.”
That’s what Peter is experiencing right here in this moment. This is too much for him. Peter can’t believe it. Can’t receive it.
When Jesus does speak, listen to what He says…
“…since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” John 13.14-15
In other words… Since I have loved you with humble action, without hesitation, with a different kind of love, love without words, you should love each other in the same way.
Then Jesus says…
“…now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13.34-35
This different kind of love will prove, validate, be the evidence of your relationship to me. It’s because you’re able to love from humility, love without hesitation, love without words that people will know there is something different about you.
It’s a new commandment because it’s a different kind of love. We are recipients of the unconditional love of Jesus. Having received this love, we are compelled to love others in the same way.
[Tweet “We are recipients of the unconditional love of Jesus. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]Love without words leaves a lasting impression
What are we compelled to do because of the love of Jesus? Jesus says, Love each other as I have loved you! Love without hesitation, from humility, without words.
[Tweet “Love without hesitation, from humility, without words. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]We can speak of the love of Jesus, & we should. But don’t ever underestimate the power of love without words. Because Love without words leaves a lasting impression. When we learn to love without words, we learn to love like Christ.
So who can you love without words this week?
[Tweet “When we learn to love without words, we learn to love like Christ. #LiveDifferent #LoveDifferent”]We don’t have any stories, but I wonder if any of the 12 disciples that were in that upper room ever did this later on, at supper, at passover, one year? I wonder if they ever got up from a table to wash the feet of their guests before dinner one night. If they ever directly imitated Jesus? And I wonder what kind of impact it had on those they served?
I know it left a lasting impression on these first followers of Jesus. Everyone in that room that night, with the exception of Judas, would go on to love those who were far from God so much that it would cost them their very lives. John was the only one who didn’t die a martyr’s death. He would die of old age serving the church till the day he died.
If you really want to see what this kind of love looks like, what love without words looks like, then just take one look at the cross.
This is a different kind of love.
We are the body of Christ, called to LOVE Different because of Jesus.
