What is love?

What is love?  Jesus gave multiple answers to that question which can be aggregated into two general categories.  What is love towards others?  and What is love towards God? 

Love towards other people:

1. Matthew 5:44-48 (ESV) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
2. Matthew 22:39 (ESV) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
3. Mark 12:31 (ESV) The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
4. Luke 6:27-36 (ESV) “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
   “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
5. Luke 10:29-37 (ESV) But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
6. John 3:16-17 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
7. John 15:13 (ESV) Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

What is love towards others?  Giving.  God gave His Son.  We are to give our time in prayer and good deeds.  We are to give of our possessions.  We are to give our lives.  The parable of the good Samaritan illustrates one way this works.  While in the regular course of his life, the Samaritan saw a man in need.  Without asking whether the one in need was friend or foe, the Samaritan interrupted his plans, stopped, gave his time, effort, and funds to help the one in need.  Moreover, he committed to continue to give until the need was satisfied. 

Love towards God:

1. Matthew 6:24 (ESV) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
2. Matthew 22:37 (ESV) And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
3. Mark 12:30 (ESV) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
4. John 14:15 (ESV) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
5. John 14:21 (ESV) Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
6. John 14:23 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
7. John 14:24 (ESV) Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
8. John 14:31 (ESV) but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
9. John 15:10 (ESV) If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
10. John 21:15-17 (ESV) When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

What is love towards God?  What is love towards Jesus?  Whole-hearted obedience.  Through His own example (John 14:31), Jesus illustrates that to love God is to obey Him out of whole-hearted devotion.  Jesus is the Son of God.  In John 14:15 He very succinctly states, (ESV) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  Moreover, in His post resurrection discussion with Peter asking Peter if he loved Him, Jesus gave commands for Peter to follow as evidence of that love. 

Love

What does love look like?  To love God is obey Him keep His commands.  What are His commands?  Love your neighbor, love one another, love your enemy.  What does that love look like?  It is allowing your plans to be interrupted by a need that is before you and giving of yourself and your resources to minister to that need.  It is doing that without complaining or arguing that you may be blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.