By Jenniffer Mann

The English word “love” has many different meanings and is both a noun and a verb. Something to have and something to do. The manifestation of love as a virtue, can be benevolent or a deeply intense liking for something, or someone. This latter type of love is relational and how we express this love, is defined by the type of relationship be that parental, spousal, siblings, friends and so on.

Romantic love, has been the theme of many a sonnet and literary writing and long identified as a topic that spans centuries and generations and requires little explanation to fathom it’s meaning. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wrote what is considered one of the most famous love sonnets of all time, Sonnet 43 entitled, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight 

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. 

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, 

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, 

I shall but love thee better after death.

We will come back to the sonnet in a moment but in my reading, I discovered that the Hebrew word ‘aheb’, most commonly used in the old testament of the bible, had a similar range of meanings. The word love is used 310 times in the King James Version of the bible and appears for the first time in Genesis chapter 22:1-2:

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Now this love is about parental love, the love of a father for his son and God knew that in depicting the love of a father for his son, we could better contextualise the love God has for mankind, which is the highest kind of love and in Greek called Agape love. This is a love that is sacrificial and puts another before yourself. 

Unlike the kind of love spoken about in literary writings and sonnets, Agape love is unconditional. As one writer puts it “No force on the planet of earth is greater than the power of God’s love.” Deon Jackson the singer from the 60s wasn’t far off the Mark when he said “love makes the world go round” because we read in the Bible: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8).

When I read Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet there are words that immediately jump off the page. For example, Depth, Breadth and height.

Those are the words used in the bible to describe the Agape love God the father, and Jesus Christ His son has for us.

Romans 8:38-39 reads: 

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:17-19 says:

“…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

It’s no coincidence that Elizabeth Barrett Browning in wanting to describe the extent of her love for her husband, uses divinical references such as grace, faith and soul to try and capture her feelings but true Agape love has no boundaries. It is not governed by emotions and not persuaded by behaviour. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice His son, He already knew that His own son Jesus, would be sacrificed to carry our sins. There is no greater love. We will often use our failings as an excuse for not being in a relationship with Jesus but the truth is, that is no excuse because God has made it very clear that there is nothing that can separate us from His love. 

As you go through this week, think about what Agape love means and count the ways that God has expressed this love, to you personally. 

Let’s Pray

Dear Jesus, Please help me to count all the ways you express your love for me and show me what it truly means to love, that in loving others, I have no choice but to find you. Amen 

Song of Encouragement

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