How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch his treasure
Love does not always look like love. In fact, a lot of the time, it may look like legalism, or foolhardiness, or mere tradition. But it almost always differs radically from our modern cultural definition.
In typical high school relationships, physical attraction and contact are often mistaken for love. A girl will convince herself that her boyfriend loves her because he can't get his hands off her. In truth, though, this is not love but arrant selfishness: he disregards her emotional and physical purity in order to get what he wants.
In filial relationships, children (and parents) believe that their parents love them if they give them whatever they want at the time. So they whine and scream and pout until Mommy caves in and buys the latest Gameboy or Call of Duty or flat-screen or Ferrari. Actually, her choices demonstrate not love but foolishness: her child grows up and becomes selfish, irrational, and undisciplined.
For a pastor, believing that he loves someone in his congregation too much to call him or her out on their sinful behavior is delusional. If the pastor knows of a member's destructive behavior and remains silent, the sin inevitably affects not only the individual but also his or her family and community. Sparing someone's feelings for a moment in return for long-term pain is not loving.
Dying a horrendous criminal's death may not have looked like love to Jesus' disciples either. After all, how was he supposed to be a Savior if he let a mobs impulsively crucify him? But what appeared to be foolhardiness proved to be the ultimate atoning sacrifice, providing humanity a way to eternal life with God.
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