After spending years reading books about the art of love, poetry about love, and following other mortal examples of love, I found myself continuing to search the question, “How do you love”? In frustration, I decided to go to the teachings of Jesus.

One of the most touching stories in the bible is the way Jesus loved Judas. Jesus told his disciples: “A New Commandment I give to you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, …” (John 13:34) Jesus spoke these words after he had demonstrated great love and compassion to Judas, the one who would betray him.

Jesus knew that Judas would betray him and its effects before he invited Judas to break bread with him, along with the other disciples at the last supper. Inviting people to dinner is usually something you would do with friends, not enemies. Would you invite someone who had turned against you into your home along with your family and friends?

Jesus never saw Judas as an enemy but as a friend, (Matt 26:50). This is certainly a different but significant strategy. How do you treat people who are mistreating you? In the past I have shunned people who were less than kind to me. But Jesus treated Judas as if he had never done anything wrong.

After dinner, Jesus proceeded to wash Judas feet, and did the same with the other disciples as well. Not to gaze over these words too quickly, Jesus actually retrieved a towel, filled a basin with water, and took the basin of water over to where Judas was sitting. Jesus knelt down and tenderly loosened the straps holding the sandals on Judas’s feet, removed his shoes, put Judas feet into the water and washed his feet.

This gentle spirit of Jesus in washing Judas feet had some affect in melting evil’s hardness that surrounded Judas’s heart even though there were no visible signs at the time. This was a huge gift of protection that Jesus gave to Judas. Washing Judas feet was an act of purification. Jesus was defending Judas’s innocence. Judas may not have understood this then, but later he would find its significant meaning.

Jesus treated Judas with the utmost respect, patience, forbearance, and compassion. Jesus did not try to persuade Judas to change his mind. Neither did he show any signs of being hurt, disappointed, resentful, hateful, or even felt any need to retaliate against Judas. Jesus just loved Judas. Jesus only saw Judas as the perfect child of God.

Given the same circumstance I would have probably tried to talk Judas out of following through with his plan. I, along with many of us, would certainly have felt hurt because of the actions of Judas, along with disappointment, resentfulness, et cetera.

But Jesus did not take this direction. Jesus knew he could never reason with mortal mind so he put all of Judas’s faults safely in God’s hands. Jesus saw that God’s job and responsibility was to change Judas in the gentle way God knew Judas would understand. Jesus saw that his job was to love Judas.

Jesus demonstrated his way through the hatred by keeping his thought on God good; on love. Even though loving this way is a mighty goal, it is possible to love as Jesus loved. In John 14:12 it states “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father”.

THE WAY TO LOVE

He humbly washed his disciple’s feet
Even he who would betray
My heart grows tender as I yet remember
All the love he gave that day
His betrayer he called friend
As he defended his life to the end

He showed me the way to love that day
He defended his innocence
In every way
He looked beyond where I couldn’t see
Where love has the final say
He showed me the way to love

Insults swarmed from the angry mob
As the judgment was passed down
My heart was broken from the words that were spoken
But my Lord heard not a sound
He just sighed and searched the skies
Then with the tenderest love in his eyes

He showed me the way to love that day
He defended their innocence
In every way
He looked beyond where I couldn’t see
Where love has the final say
He showed me the way to love

He told us to love each other as he loves us
And he loves as if he were blind
He can’t see blemishes of any kind
He just loves, loves, loves

He showed us the way to love that day
He defended our innocence
In every way
He looked beyond where we couldn’t see
Where love has the final say
He showed us the way to love that day
He showed me the way to love

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