Who Loves Jesus?
Posted at Reformation Scotland:
People who trust Jesus can’t help loving Him as well. When faith seems feeble and love seems small, the way back to joy and peace in believing is to remember what Jesus is really like, and how lovely He is. In and of Himself, the Lord Jesus is all lovely. As God, as man, as the God-man, he is lovely. In His attitude of mercy and welcome to sinners, in His sufferings, and in His graces and His activities, He is lovely. But we can also listen to other people’s recommendations of His qualities. Who is there who gives their good opinion of the loveliness of Christ? The preacher Thomas Watson (c. 1620–1686), who wrote a commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, noticed that the bride in the Song of Solomon said, “He is altogether lovely” (Song 5:16). In the following updated extract, Thomas Watson identifies three sets of opinions which concur on this point, as well as mentioning some ways in which we can admire the loveliness of Christ.Other people’s opinions
Christ is not only lovely in Himself, He is also lovely in the opinion of others.
The Father
Christ is lovely to God his Father. God is infinitely taken with him. Christ is called “the Rose of Sharon,” and how God delights to smell this rose! He calls him, “My elect, in whom my soul delights” (Isa 42:1).
Surely if there is enough loveliness in Christ to delight the heart of God, there may well be enough to delight us! Christ is the centre, where all the lines of His Father’s love meet.
The believers
Christ is lovely in the account and esteem of His saints. “He shall be admired of all them that believe” (2 Thess. 1:10). He is admired by them now, and He shall be yet more admired by them in the future.
Well may the saints marvel to see Christ sitting in the bright robe of their flesh, above the angels in glory! Well may they marvel to see their nature united with the Deity! O how lovely and beautiful is this sight! Well may Christ be admired by His saints.
The angels
Christ is lovely in the esteem of the angels. They adore Him. “And let all the angels of God worship him” (Heb. 1:6). The cherubim are painted with their faces looking upwards, to show that the angels in heaven are all constantly looking upward, admiring, and being ravished with, the amazing beauties of Jesus Christ.
