The mark of the true lover

I am currently taking Christian Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This weekend I find myself “on location.” That is to say, I am in the lobby of the Legacy Hotel reading and doing homework. Off to the side, there are students talking to one another through their reading. My coffee needs a refresh, but the ambience – the feel of the chairs, the gentle instrumental music piped over the speakers – encourages me to stay put and read.

This is my study as I read about the apologetic method, defying classification, of Clive Staples Lewis. And while it may only provide a passing glance at his impact, this discussion of A Grief Observed grabbed my attention:

The incarnational turning point of A Grief Observed resulted from Lewis’s desire to be able to suffer instead of – indeed, in the place of – his dying wife. “If only I could bear it, or the worst of it, of any of it, instead of her.” The mark of the true lover is a willingness to take on pain and suffering so that the beloved might be spared it. Lewis then saw, in a moment of insight, that this is what God did on the cross. God could bear the suffering of those he loved. And God did bear the suffering of those he loved. That, in turn, allows us to bear the ambiguity and risks of faith, knowing that its outcome is secured. A Grief Observed is a narrative of the testing and maturing of faith, not simply its recovery – and certainly not its loss.

The History of Apologetics, p.616

“God could bear the suffering of those he loved.” …Oh to grace how great a debtor… “God did bear the suffering of those he loved.” …High King of Heav­en, my trea­sure Thou art…

And so we find Jesus before the crucifixion, pouring into his disciples abounding love and care. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, nor let them be afraid (John 14:27). What a savior!