Jesus Commands Us To Love As He Loved.

by Eric Elkin

“Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”

Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.””

— Matthew 4: 6-7

“If you knew Jesus, you wouldn’t be afraid of COVID.” There is a lot to unpack in that short sentence. What does it mean to “know” Jesus? I know who God is and what God does for us in Jesus. Is that the same thing as knowing him? Something about the statement suggests the speaker also knows the mind of Christ. That one remains a little elusive to me.

Fear and being afraid to live life have been a big concern since COVID-19 came on the scene. Is being cautious the same thing as being afraid? People tell me I am living in fear because I wear a mask in the grocery store. No one said I was living in fear when I wore a warm coat in the wintertime. Isn’t that the same kind of thing?

Most of us know at least one person who says they will not get vaccinated for religious reasons. Many of the people who say this to me are Christian. They know and trust Jesus to save them from sickness. Except, if you know Jesus, wouldn’t you know the story about him being tempted by the devil?

Jesus is asked to put his body at risk to see if God would save him. After all, God promised to send messengers to protect you. He responds to the devil by saying, “Don’t test the Lord your God.” The command not to test God appears several times in scripture. It never ceases to amaze me how selective we are about the verses we choose to follow.

“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.”

— Henri Nouwen

Human beings are the language of God. Throughout all scripture, God calls upon a human to act on behalf of the Divine. God selected Abram and Sarai to be the parents of a nation. It was through Moses that God freed people from bondage. When Moses didn’t feel intelligent enough to speak, God gave him Aaron. Then, to save us, God became human. Human intelligence is not an enemy but the vocabulary of God.

If God works to save us, then shouldn’t we be about the same business? Isn’t that why we work to feed hungry people? Isn’t that why we minister to the poor? These ministries are designed to save people and give them abundant life. After all, Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.

Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio. At the time, no one took his “cure” seriously. He believed if people were injected with a “killed” poliovirus, they would develop antibodies. The antibodies would prevent them from getting polio. Among the first people tested were himself, then his wife and children.

If you know Jesus, then maybe you heard him say, “No greater love….” I think of those words when I think of Jonas Salk. A man who put his own family at risk to save millions. The phrase is part of an extended lesson to love our neighbor as Jesus loved us. This kind of love puts the welfare of others before our own.

There is one thing I know about Jesus. In Him, we no longer fear death, so we are free to live. Getting a vaccine is not an act of fear but of life. You may have other reasons for not getting vaccinated, but trust in God is not a valid one. Well, not valid if you know Jesus.

Click to read Matthew 4: 1-11