The Impossible Love Of God

 "Jesus looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for people (to save themselves) , but it’s not impossible for God to save them. Everything is possible for God.” Mark 10:27 GW

Love is a many splendored thing but to love as God loves is humanly impossible. Marriage is instituted by God to help us experience the joy of a loving intimate relationship that is rooted in the love of God. Marriage is more than a legal contract between two human beings - it is the mystical union between a man and a woman that leads to the great mystery of God as our Divine Lover:

“As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:31-‬33 NLT

The death of Prince Philip of Edinburgh in April 2021 brought to mind his marriage of more than 70 years to Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Philip was a model of loving from the center of his being and to play second fiddle. The marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is a testimony of God’s grace and an inspiration to me as it is a revelation of God’s impossible love in the mystery of marriage. When the Pharisees tested Jesus by asking him if a husband can divorce his wife as Moses had allowed them to do so,  Jesus drew their attention to the fundamental truth of God being our Loving Creator:

“Jesus said to them, “He wrote this command for you because you’re heartless. But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.” Mark 10:5-‬9 GW

When we lose sight of God’s love, we will not be able to understand and experience what real love is all about. As Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, a rich man came to him and asked Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. He had been successful in his worldly ventures and thought he had been successful spiritually as well for he led an exemplary life of obeying the ten commandments. However, instead of being commended and assured that he has eternal life  he  was told  to sell everything he had and give to the poor before he can follow Jesus. But he was not able to do so and left with much sadness. The disciples were shocked and asked each other, “Who, then, can be saved?” (Mark 10:26 GW).

The bad news is that it is impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven by human effort. Like the rich man, we struggle to obey God hoping that to earn a place in heaven. But self righteousness leads to arrogance and blinds us to the truth that we are perfectly imperfect human beings. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

The good news is that we can enter the kingdom of heaven with the impossible love of God that is revealed by the cross of Christ. It is dying to our egos and being reborn as a child of God that we can live in the kingdom of heaven as imperfectly perfect children of God. On the cross Jesus revealed the impossible love of God depicted in the parable of the prodigal son. God is our Heavenly Father waiting patiently for us to come home to His loving embrace.

The Crown is a dramatized television series of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In episode 10 of season 4, there is a poignant encounter between Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher. Margaret was trying to solicit Queen Elizabeth’s help to stay in power. But Queen Elizabeth had been groomed since young to understand that the biggest struggle when one has power is to do nothing. For Margaret Thatcher, to be without power is to be nothing. When we have power, the temptation is to use our power to solve problems according to our wishes. But the greatest power is sometimes to do nothing in order that God's power will be seen in our power as well as weakness. Jesus submitted to Judas’ betrayal and went to the cross to demonstrate God’s power over evil. We can win the spiritual war against evil only with the power of the resurrection for nothing is impossible with God.

But instead of expecting God to do impossible things for us, we are to clothe ourselves with love in prayer so that our impossible situations will become possibilities to experience God’s unfailing love. As we do so, we will be filled with the peace of God:

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:14-‬15 NLT

Without Christ, we are not able to have an intimate and personal relationship with God. With Christ, we can relate to God as our Shepherd of Love, as our Heavenly Father and as our Divine Lover. As I care for the elderly sick and the dying, I have the vicarious experience of walking through the valley of the shadow of death with Jesus as our Shepherd of Love so that I will fear no evil. My grandchildren have shown me the wonder of living the life of innocence, transparency and curiosity of childhood. I am reminded to live as a child of God with God as our Heavenly Father. Through my marital relationship with my wife, I am learning the joys of having an intimate relationship with God as my Divine Lover. And in times like the COVID 19 pandemic, I can learn to seek refuge in the Rock of Ages.

And so I  journey through the season of autumn into the winter of life to the embrace of God’s impossible Love with His wonderful promise:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT

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