Love May Not Act Like We Think It Should

And He groaned and sighed deeply in His spirit and said, Why does this generation demand a sign? Positively I say to you, no sign shall be given this generation. Mark 8:12

Jesus, Who is God, Who is Love, 1 John 4:8, made a whip and turned over tables and ran people off.

And Jesus went into the temple ( whole temple enclosure) and drove out all who bought and sold in the sacred place, and He turned over the four-footed tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who sold doves. Matthew 21:12

Love told a Father with a sick child that he wouldn’t believe unless he saw a sign, Mark 9.

Jesus, Who is Love, did these things. He talked openly with a known adulterous woman. He allowed a former prostitute to wash His feet with perfumed oil and not just any oil, the  oil she used cost an entire year’s wages. Jesus drank. He was called a wine drinker and a gluten, Matthew 11:19. Jesus turned gallons of water into wine for a wedding party where the people had already drank all the wine that they had. So in reality He made more wine for a bunch of partying and probably drunk people. Jesus intentionally read out loud verses of scripture that would offend religious people. He called a woman a dog when she asked Him to heal her child, Matthew 15:26. He repeatedly told the disciples that they had no faith when they were scared and He encouraged people to desire to be the greatest, Matthew 18. Most of the things that Jesus did when He was here would get us kicked out of church today. 

So why would Jesus call a person a dog, when all they wanted was for their child to be healed? He did it to spark the woman’s ability to believe. Jesus knew that woman better than she knew herself. He knew that getting her riled up would spark in her an energy to receive exactly what she needed. Jesus also knew that all of those who were around to hear and see it would marvel that she didn’t care about anything but receiving from Jesus what her child needed. The comment motivated her and then Jesus went on to say that He hadn’t seen such great faith in any Israelites. As humans we are motivated by all of our emotions and our Father knows exactly what it will take for each one of us to receive. He loves us enough to do whatever is needed in our lives. So don’t be surprised if there are times when the Holy Spirit has you say something that may seem politically incorrect or act out in anger. All things work out for our good in Christ and because we are one with Him, we will be used to walk as He walked.

Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself. 1 John 2:6

So praise God, we may very well be used to make a whip, groan openly at unbelief, tell people that they have no faith, make alcoholic beverages, have diner with notorious sinners, raise the dead, heal the sick, feed thousands, and we may even be used as a martyr. Love is never put in a box!