A question often asked in romance novels, smarmy films, “speed dating” clubs, and everywhere bad pick up lines are sold is, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”  And while this question is asked in restaurants and bars all over town, by people of varying motivations, you can be pretty sure of one thing: the questioner is desperate, deluded, or disingenuous.

Typically, the individual making this inquiry is either experiencing a psychotic break with reality, is already in love—with themself—or has not got the vaguest notion of what the word ‘love’ means. Nor have they the slightest desire to find out.

Still, there are those who will tell you that they think the question is not altogether fanciful and unserious.  Mothers presented with their newborns for the first time, for example, may not mind being asked whether they believe in love at first sight and are apt to respond, “I do now.”

One may also come across the odd couple here or there, celebrating decades of marital fidelity and connubial bliss, who claim to have felt an instantaneous romantic attraction to their partner, without having been introduced, and sometimes even before actually meeting their beloved face-to-face.  But these are the exceptions, rather than the rule.

Yet somehow, the popularity of this particular dream persists.  Why does it die so hard, despite the preponderance of evidence to the contrary?  Where did the idea of love at first sight originate?  The answer may surprise you.  It’s found in the pages of the Bible (Gospel of Mark, tenth chapter).  And the person revealed as the One who totally and completely fell in love at first sight was none other than Jesus Christ.

As the chapter opens, we learn that Jesus is in the southern part of the Promised Land, in “Judea, by the farther side of [the River] Jordan.”  Accompanied by His twelve disciples, He is on His way to Jerusalem, where He knows He will be rejected, tortured, crucified and buried, in just a few weeks’ time.  His preparation of His inner circle for these tragic and frightening events is growing more explicit and specific as the appointed time draws near.  The mood among the twelve is dark, filled with sadness and fraught with tension.

Along His chosen path, Jesus has an encounter with a man possessed of great wealth.  By this I mean that the fellow had great possessions, but also that his wealth had come to possess him.  It had grown from clawing a toehold in the man’s heart, to having more of a stranglehold around it.  Here is the incident as Mark recorded it:

“¹⁷ And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

¹⁸ And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. [Jesus is not denying His own deity, but rejecting flattery and ensuring that the rich man recognized what he was really (and rightly) saying.]

¹⁹ Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

²⁰ And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

²¹ Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.  [Emphasis added.]

²² And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!  ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁶ And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

²⁷ And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Did you catch it—the love at first sight (verse 21)? Listening to this rich, young ruler justify himself, “Jesus beholding him, loved him.”  Mark, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does not say that Jesus looked at the young man lovingly.  Mark does not say that Jesus saw the man through loving eyes.  Mark does not say that Jesus liked the young man, agreed with his answers to Jesus’ questions and began to develop a fondness for him.  This was something much, much more.

The looking and the loving were simultaneous.  Jesus gazed at the man and loved him full-blown—with empathy, sympathy, charity, compassion, affection, care, concern, and tenderness.  What was Jesus seeing while looking at this lost specimen of humanity? We can’t be certain, of course, except for one thing: Jesus did not see the man as we would, looking as we do, only at outward appearance and behavior.

Jesus felt no need to compare Himself with the young man, or with others, as we would do. He had no prejudices with which to contend, in order to see the man clearly.  Instead of perceiving the young ruler only in the present, Jesus could see the man’s past, as well as his future.  He could read the man’s thoughts and intentions, not just listen to the words he might choose to utter.  As his Creator, Jesus could see all that there was to see.  And seeing all, including his sins, Jesus loved him anyway.

Because Jesus deeply and genuinely loved the rich young man, He was willing to suffer unspeakable agonies on his behalf, even death on a cross!  Here, Jesus demonstrates full knowledge of what awaits Him in Jerusalem, to which He is now journeying for the last time (Mark 10:32-34):

“³² And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,³³ Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: ³⁴ And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Jesus understood that the rich young ruler’s first love was not for God, but for his own property and perks.  Jesus loved him anyway.  Jesus knew that the young man had misunderstood and thus had not obeyed His commandments, offering instead mere outward conformity to rules, in place of a surrendered heart.  Jesus loved him anyway. Out of love, Jesus identified for this man the single greatest obstacle to his salvation: his idolatrous attachment to his own wealth, rather than true riches—eternity in heaven with God.

Jesus has the same love for everyone on earth.  He died for the sins of all.  But most have never humbled themselves, repented of their sins and received His gift of pardon.  Like the rich young ruler, they are too proud.  They value the things of this world too highly.  They want eternal life on their terms.  They want to earn it. They want God to acknowledge their works as proof that they deserve it.  Jesus loves them anyway.  His love prompted Him to say ‘Yes’ to the Father’s plan, ‘Yes’ to taking the punishment our sins demand, ‘Yes’ to the shame, ‘Yes’ to the pain, ‘Yes’ to the cross, ‘Yes’ to the grave, ‘Yes’ to it all, in order that we might go free. He loves you SO much—now, right now—He could not love you more.

But there is one thing that the love of Jesus won’t cover: the sins of those who reject His love and His sacrifice for them. That’s why Jesus said about obtaining eternal life: “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” God has done for us what we can never do. Trust in Jesus, today.  Today, He looks at you and loves you.  He sees who you are and what you have done, as well as what has been done to you. Jesus loves you anyway.  And He longs to save you, if you’ll let Him.  Here’s how.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands). This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)