L is for Love

A Love as Deep and Compelling as Spousal Love

Such great and limitless love has its source in God's love, says 1 John (4:19): "We love because (God) first loved us," and the Scriptures use a variety of ways to convey the depth of God's love for us. The Old Testament prophet, Hosea, for example, compares it to the intensity of love that lovers have for each other. Hosea, you see, loved his wife, Gomer. Unfortunately, Gomer had a wandering eye and flirted with other suitors, even though the nature of marriage is such that one has promised no longer to require or desire other suitors! Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea and it hurt Hosea deeply! It set in motion the usual emotions: anger; resentment; bitterness. The kids got hurt, the anger spilling over and affecting them, as reflected in the crazy names they were given. (Hosea 1:4, 6 & 9) Meanwhile Gomer's affairs continued. And though she was unfaithful, Hosea repeatedly asked her to come back to him. She'd leave; he'd ask her to come back. She'd leave; he'd ask her to return. And so it went. A messy marriage!

The story of Hosea and Gomer is not a story of wholesome family values. God used this story, however, to convey His love for Israel — and for us. The book of Hosea is really a love letter; Hosea writes, "...I will...allure her, ...and speak tenderly to her." (2:14) Other translations read, "I will woo her..." (NEB), "I will seduce her..." and "speak to her heart" (JER), "I will win her back with words of love...." (TEV) She "...shall respond as in the days of her youth," wrote Hosea (2:15), thinking, perhaps, of their honeymoon. Israel proved as unfaithful as Gomer, wandering away from God, yet God continued to court Israel, to woo her, to try and win her heart, for God's love for Israel was as deep and compelling as the best of spousal love.

Some Christians are uncomfortable with Hosea's messy marriage metaphor. Jerome, one of the early Church Fathers, concluded, as did many church leaders after him, that Hosea and Gomer's marriage was surely fictional — God would not have condoned such immorality! It was an unusual relationship — for those days, anyway — but it conveys a powerful message: that though God's love be unrequited, even scorned, God will love us forever!

A Love as Deep and Compelling as Parental Love

Hosea's use of a messy marriage to convey God's love didn't stop Jesus from using marriage and other family relationships to press the same point. Jesus didn't write any poems about love — at least as far as we know — but he told lots of stories, and he loved to tell the story of God's love. In one of his stories he compared it to the depth of parental love.

We know the story well — the parable of the prodigal son — and we know the moral well — parents good, children bad! The story is about a young guy who was eager to kick over the traces — and let's face it, adolescence looks better on a young guy than on guys who discover it much later in life. It was a bit reckless to cash in the family inheritance, but he needed cash to underwrite his venture — prodigality doesn't come without a price — and off he went, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering father.

We know the story: the young fellow cut the apron-strings, set off in search of adventure, and learned some hard lessons — so hard that he came to his senses and returned home, ready to eat crow and whatever else might justifiably be on the family menu.

The young fellow did a dreadful thing by even asking for his inheritance — an unacceptable request in the culture of that day — and he compounded his boorish behaviour with dissolute living. As one version phrases it, "...he squandered his money on a life of debauchery." (15:13, JER) The sum total of his behaviour meant there was little chance of healing the breach with his father! Those first listening to Jesus' story knew that the young fellow's rapid descent into disgrace was catastrophic! The breach with his father was irreparable. Apologizing would never make up for what he'd done; indeed, no repayment of any kind could ever be enough.

Luke tells us that the young fellow "came to his senses" (Luke 15:17, NEB), and if he had any sense at all he must have crept home rather humbly. His father could justifiably consider him dead! The neighbours could justifiably shun him from their social goings-on. Their local priest could justifiably designate him unclean and apply the appropriate penalties and discipline. As the young fellow approached his home he had reason to be terrified!

Having heard the story a hundred times, we know, of course, what happened. His father was at the gate waiting for him, and when he saw his son — a son he thought lost to him — he ran toward him! Luke tells us that while the son "was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

And we know all about the joy and celebration that followed. Grace abounded! Love overflowed! When the son began blubbering his apology, his father cut him off and said to his servants, "Quickly, bring out a robe — the best one — and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!" (Luke 15:22-24) No criticism. No blaming. No"I-told-you-so," or "I-hope-you-have-learned-your-lesson." Only joy over his return. "And they began to celebrate," says Luke. (15:24)

The father in Jesus' story is amazing! He welcomes home the wastrel, and later goes out of his way to mend fences with the other, intractable son. He's an exceptional father! An exceptional parent! And such is the nature of God's love, Jesus suggests. God's love is as deep and extravagant and compelling as a parent's love for his or her children. Such is the nature of the love God showed to us in Jesus, who laid down his life for us. He laid down his life for us so that we might have life — abundant life. He sacrificed himself for our sake, and he did it because he loves us. "Love one another," said Jesus, "as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

The Love of God is Greater Far than Tongue or Pen can ever Tell!

Earlier we sang a hymn that is in our old, brown hymnal: "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell...." (Mennonite Hymnal, #538) That hymn was written about a century ago by Frederick Lehman, a German immigrant who became a pastor and a poet. Lehman heard the third stanza of the hymn recited by a speaker who, with no little drama, claimed it had been found scrawled on the wall of an insane asylum! Twenty years later Lehman added the first two stanzas, and his daughter, Claudia Mays, set it to music.

It's a wonderful hymn, and one that was received warmly, but what is also interesting is that the third stanza is actually from a much longer poem written by Meir ben Isaac Nehoraï, a medieval Jewish writer who lived in Germany in the eleventh century. Some tortured soul may well have scrawled it on the wall of an insane asylum, but it is a thousand years old! It's known as the Hadamut, was written in the Aramaic language, and contains ninety couplets. It is written in the form of an acrostic, with the author's name woven into the concluding verses. It has a history all of its own, is often read at the Jewish harvest festival, and throughout the poem the theme of God's eternal love and concern for His people is evident.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell.

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And everyone a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Tho stretched from sky to sky."