Jesus Christ said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13
Ode to Romeo for dying with Juliet! Save the heroes who died in battle for their queens! Salute the martyrs who have died for their beliefs. It is not an easy task for a person to die for another person.
It even seems that Jesus supports this cause. But really, what was Jesus saying? Let’s take a look at the quote, “Greater love has no one than this”, focus now, “may he lay down his life for his friends”.
Giving your life… this seems normal until you realize that giving your life for a cause doesn’t mean you’ll kill yourself for it. Do not! It simply means that you are willing to sacrifice anything to believe in the cause.
If we salute people who have died out of love, then we should worship those who are still alive out of love. Death is not proof of love. And Jesus never told anyone to commit suicide in the name of love, in fact, he is against suicide.
A person worth dying for should be worth living for, right? Let’s use an illustration.
Mr. X never compliments his beautiful wife, never tells her how beautiful she is. He never tells her whereabouts, never asks how her day went. Never thank him for the delicious meals he prepares. He hits her every time she complains about her busy schedule. Tragically, mobsters pay them a visit. In an instant, a gun is being pointed at Mrs. X. Mr. X suddenly stands in front of his wife, in an attempt to prevent his wife from being shot. The mobsters pull the trigger and Mr. X is killed.
Mr. Y, unlike Mr. X, never hits his wife. He does everything that Mr. X never did. He comes home early, he calls his wife when they’re not together. He is the complete opposite of Mr. X. He adores his wife. They grow old together and die embracing each other, in the presence of their children and generations of great-grandchildren.
Now, the question is, who loved his wife more? X or Y?
X died for his wife. And he lived and died with his wife. Can X’s contempt, meanness, criticism, abuse, slander, denigration, and humiliation of X’s wife be compared to Y’s elegant style of dealing with his wife? The point of love is happiness, joy. A person you love should get joy from you and not sadness. It is obvious that X never gave his wife something to smile about, while Y made his wife smile all his life. What greater love than living for someone else. This goes beyond marriage, which is why I am glad that Jesus used friendship, and not a more complex relationship.
We can safely conclude that there is no greater love than living for/with your friends.
Therefore, the approval is for all those who live for someone/something and the requiem for the great ones who died for what they lived.