A Portrait of Jesus
Sabbath School
First and Second Corinthians
A Portrait of Love
Jesus: The Perfect Picture of Love
Love is one of the most familiar words in the world, yet it is often one of the most misunderstood. We use the word to describe affection, friendship, romance, family, kindness, and even our favorite foods or activities. But Scripture gives us something much deeper. Biblical love is not merely a feeling—it is a choice, an attitude, and a way of living that reflects the character of God.
When we look at Jesus, we see love in its purest and most complete form.
Love Begins With God
Read John 13:1, 34; John 15:9, 12; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 1:7, 13; 1 John 3:16; and 1 John 4:7–12, 19–21.
One of the clearest lessons from these passages is that love originates with God. First John 4:7–8 tells us that those who love know God because “God is love.” Love is not simply something God does; it is part of who He is.
Jesus demonstrated this love in a way humanity could see and understand. John 13:1 says that Jesus loved His disciples “unto the end.” He knew that betrayal, denial, suffering, and the cross were before Him, yet He continued to love.
That is remarkable because human love often depends upon how others treat us. We love people who love us. We forgive when someone deserves forgiveness. We show kindness when kindness is returned. But Jesus loved His disciples even when He knew they would fail Him.
Then Jesus gave His followers a new commandment: “Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
Notice the standard. Jesus did not simply say, “Love one another.” He said, “as I have loved you.” Christ Himself becomes the pattern for Christian love.
Jesus Is the Definition of Self-Sacrificing Love
Perhaps the greatest revelation of Christ's love is found in 1 John 3:16: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
The cross demonstrates that true love gives.
Jesus did not go to Calvary because we had earned His love. He did not die because humanity was deserving. He gave Himself for sinners who needed grace.
First John 4:19 reminds us, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Our love for God is therefore a response to His love for us. We don't manufacture Christlike love through sheer human determination. We receive His love, allow it to transform us, and then allow that love to flow toward others.
This is why Paul could say in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God's love gives us courage to live differently. It enables us to love when it is difficult, forgive when we have been hurt, and serve when there is nothing to gain.
What Is Love? Look at Jesus in 1 Corinthians 13
First Corinthians 13 gives us one of Scripture's most beautiful descriptions of love. But rather than seeing it merely as a list of ideals, we can look at the life of Jesus and see every characteristic embodied in Him.
Love Is Patient
Jesus was patient with His disciples. They repeatedly misunderstood Him, argued about who would be greatest, and struggled to understand His mission. Yet Jesus patiently taught them again and again.
He is patient with us, too. Our spiritual growth may be slow, but Christ does not abandon us because we have not yet become everything He wants us to be.
Love Is Kind
Jesus continually demonstrated kindness. He touched lepers, welcomed children, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and showed compassion to people others rejected.
Love Rejoices With the Truth
Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Christ's love and truth were never enemies. His love led Him to speak truth because truth ultimately brings freedom and restoration.
Love Bears All Things
Jesus endured rejection, false accusations, betrayal, physical abuse, and the cross.
He bore suffering without abandoning His mission to save us.
Love Believes All Things
Jesus saw possibilities in people others overlooked. He saw potential in Peter, Matthew, Zacchaeus, and others whose lives were far from perfect.
Christ sees what grace can accomplish in a surrendered life.
Love Hopes All Things
Jesus never gave up hope for His disciples. Even after Peter denied Him, Jesus restored him and entrusted him with ministry.
Christ's love sees beyond our present failures to what God can accomplish through us.
Love Endures All Things
The ultimate evidence is Calvary. Jesus endured the cross because He loved us.
His love endured when the nails were driven into His hands. It endured when He was mocked. It endured when His followers abandoned Him.
And His love still endures today.
Jesus doesn't merely teach 1 Corinthians 13—He embodies it.
How Else Does Jesus Show Us What True Love Is?
The life and ministry of Jesus reveal several additional dimensions of genuine love.
Jesus showed that love serves. He washed feet and ministered to the needs of others.
Jesus showed that love forgives. He offered forgiveness even to those who wounded Him.
Jesus showed that love tells the truth. He never compromised truth simply to make people comfortable.
Jesus showed that love welcomes. He reached out to people whom society pushed aside.
Jesus showed that love sacrifices. He gave His life for those who could never repay Him.
Jesus showed that love seeks the lost. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Jesus showed that love puts others first. Philippians 2:5–8 describes Christ's willingness to humble Himself and become obedient unto death.
Jesus showed that love remains faithful. Human beings may change, fail, or walk away, but Christ's love remains steadfast.
Perhaps most importantly, Jesus showed us that love is not merely something we say—it is something we do.
We can say we love our family, our church, our neighbors, and even our enemies. But Jesus calls us to demonstrate that love through patience, kindness, forgiveness, sacrifice, service, truth, and compassion.
That is why the question is not simply, “Do I love?”
A better question is:
“Does my love look like Jesus?”
When someone frustrates us, does our love look like Jesus?
When someone hurts us, does our love look like Jesus?
When someone disagrees with us, does our love look like Jesus?
When someone needs help, does our love look like Jesus?
When someone has fallen into sin, does our love look like Jesus?
The goal is not to imitate Jesus through our own strength. We first need to experience His love. As 1 John 4:19 says, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
The more deeply we understand the love Christ has shown toward us, the more naturally that love can flow through us toward others.
Jesus is not simply our example of love. He is the source of the love He asks us to give.
A Prayer for Christlike Love
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for showing us what true love looks like through Jesus Christ. Thank You that when we were undeserving, You loved us. When we were lost, You sought us. When we were sinful, You offered forgiveness. And when we could not save ourselves, Jesus gave His life for us.
Lord, teach us to love as Jesus loved. Make us patient when others test our patience, kind when kindness is difficult, humble when pride rises within us, forgiving when we have been hurt, and faithful when relationships become difficult.
Help us not only to speak about love but to demonstrate it through our actions. Give us the courage to speak truth with compassion, to serve without seeking recognition, to forgive without keeping records of wrongs, and to put the needs of others before our own.
When we fail, remind us of Your unfailing love. Fill our hearts with Your Spirit so that the love described in 1 Corinthians 13 becomes visible in our homes, our churches, our workplaces, and our communities.
May people see something of Jesus in the way we treat them.
Thank You for loving us first. May Your love transform us until our lives become a living testimony of the love of Christ.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
More on Lesson 7: A Portrait of Love
3rd Quarter Sabbath School: 1st and 2nd Corinthians
