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Loving as Is Needed
Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds
had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented
in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:20–21
Have you ever felt the urge to publicly rebuke someone, crying out
in condemnation, “Woe to you!”? Most of us, at one time or another,
have experienced that impulse. When we are hurt, dismissed, or
sinned against, pride wells up within us, and our wounded hearts
may long to strike back with words of righteous anger.
But this human reaction is not what moved Jesus when He reproached
the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum in today’s Gospel.
He did not condemn them because He was personally offended or
emotionally wounded by their failure to repent. His pride was not
injured, nor was He overcome by anger. Christ was fully in control,
always responding with divine wisdom, offering exactly what each
person needed in that moment.
At times, He was gentle, consoling, and compassionate. At other
times, He chastised and rebuked. Sometimes He refrained from
performing signs and wonders; at other times, He lavished miracles
upon the people. At times, He taught in the veiled language of
parables, and at other times, He spoke plainly and directly.
Jesus always knew how to love in every situation because every
situation called for love expressed in different ways. True love is
not defined by the one who gives it; it is defined by the one who
receives it. What does that mean? It means that Jesus didn’t offer
a “one-size-fits-all” kind of love. He didn’t say, “This is me, and
this is how I love. Take it or leave it—I’m not changing for you.”
No, Jesus’ love was so pure, so other-focused, that it always
sought the good of the one He loved and adjusted its expression in
order to achieve that good.
This is clearly seen in Jesus’ rebuke of the people of these three
towns, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, which
were central to much of His public ministry. Capernaum was His home
base; Chorazin and Bethsaida were places He frequented. Near this
region He delivered the Sermon on the Mount and performed many
miracles. Yet despite His tireless preaching and countless signs,
few repented. And repentance was the very purpose of His mission.
By chastising them—“Woe to you!”—Jesus lovingly sought to jolt them
out of their complacency so that they might repent and receive the
abundant mercy He and His Father so deeply desired to bestow. In
this case, the rebuke was the precise expression of love that these
towns needed at that time.
Understanding the various expressions of Jesus’ love teaches us
much about the nature of divine charity—how God loves us, and how
we, in turn, are called to love one another. Though the essence of
God’s love is always the same—perfect, complete, selfless, and
sacrificial—the expression of that love varies, depending upon what
each person most needs and what will most effectively lead them to
eternal life.
What expression of love do you need to give and receive in your
life right now? Do you need God’s consoling hand, His gentle
encouragement, or His firm challenge to awaken you from spiritual
complacency? Because God’s perfect and unchanging love is expressed
in various ways, according to our needs, it is essential to remain
open to however He chooses to love us in this moment. In the same
way, we should love others generously, purely, and selflessly,
mirroring Christ, but the outward expression of that love must be
shaped by the real needs of those before us.
Reflect today on how God is loving you right now, and ask for the
grace to receive that love with trust and humility. Then consider
how you are called to extend that same discerning and sacrificial
love to others—not merely as you prefer to give it—but as they most
need to receive it. Let your love, like Christ’s, always be guided
by wisdom and formed by charity, loving others in the way that will
best draw them closer to God’s abundant mercy.
Most loving God, Your love is perfect, unwavering, and never
changing. Please open my heart to receive the expression of Your
love that I need most, so that I may always repent of my sins and
turn to Your mercy. Grant me the wisdom to imitate Your perfect
love for others, offering not merely what I desire to give, but
what they truly need in the moment. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: Day of Judgement by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND
2.0.
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