This paper argues that there is inseparable connection between knowing Jesus and loving others. They generate each other like chicken and egg. To substantiate this thesis, I will make the following points. First, there is a clear scriptural teaching that Jesus reveals himself to those who love others. Second, historical Jesus practiced enemy love, so knowing how Jesus loved his enemies will help us know Jesus better. Third, knowing Jesus involves more than intellectual knowledge; we need to become more like Jesus in order to know him. We will only know him to the degree we become like him. Fourth, conversely, we can love others only to the degree we become like Jesus. This paper will elaborate on these four points in turn.
First, in John 14:21, Jesus says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (ESV). If we keep his commandment to love one another, he will reveal himself to us. That is, if we want to know Jesus better, we need to love others more.
Second, one way to get to know Jesus better is by getting to know historical Jesus better. Historical Jesus is a subset of the true Jesus, so by learning more about the results of the quest for the historical Jesus, we can know Jesus better. When we know Jesus better, we will love Jesus more because we will only love him to the degree we know him. The central aspect of Jesus’ love was the enemy love, so this paper will delve into the enemy love of the historical Jesus, which set him apart from the Judaism or other religions of his days.
Third, knowing Jesus involves experiential and relational knowledge, not just intellectual knowledge. We need to become more like Jesus by growing in our ability to love others since loving others better means becoming more like Jesus since God is love (1 Jn 4:8). We will only know Jesus to the degree we become like him just as we can only understand our parents’ love for us when we ourselves become parents (cf. 2 Pet 1:5-8).
Fourth, we can love others only to the degree we become like Jesus. Love is patient, kind, gentle, humble, other-centered, generous, sacrificial, and compassionate, among other things. These are qualities of Jesus. We can only love to the degree we grow in these qualities, which is the same thing as becoming like Jesus (cf. 2 Cor 3:18). Knowing Jesus and loving others generate each other like chicken and egg. When we know Jesus better, we can love others more, and when we love others more, we get to know Jesus better (by becoming more like him).