The Need of Christ


Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” John 21:15

What could Christ possibly need from me? Isn’t everything I have from our Father through him? So I will repeat, what could Christ possibly need from me? Me, and my love. From you, he needs you and your love. He needs it. He also wants it but he does truly need it. We were created to love our God. If he doesn’t need us then our creation was pointless.

My husband and I have four children and nine grandbabies. At the moment I have no physical need that they should be meeting. I can take care of myself, thank God. I don’t need money from them. I don’t need them to drive me anywhere or help me take care of my home or even walk. One day I may need them for all of that, but right now I just need their love and companionship. The same is true of my friends. While I am fairly self-sufficient I need them for chatting, movie watching, sightseeing, trouble shooting, etc. How is that anything like God?

If God is love then God wants love. If He didn’t we wouldn’t deal with the sometimes dreaded, free will. If God had no interest in our love, He would have created automatons that could be programmed to do whatever God wanted done. There would be no relationship with Him. We would not do things to please His heart nor would we ask Him to come to us as comforter or guide.

How can we demonstrate our love for God? It isn’t through service. We are chosen for acts of service, for assignments that bring glory to God’s name and we are given opportunities to demonstrate our love for our Lord based on our relationship with him. When I need something from one of my children of from a friend I ask the ones closest to me, not based on proximity but on heart. I do not want a favor from someone who is barely speaking to me. While I may need human help God does not need our help. The love has to come first. In that God, once again, illustrates the type of relationship He wants us to have with our families and our friends.

Jesus Christ does not need us to help him accomplish anything. He does need us to be near Him. He needs us to do the whole, “you hang up first, no, no, you hang up first” kind of thing we did in the blush of new love. He needs us to run to his side in our pain and in our joy. He wants us to tell him all about the new job, new baby, good test results, just the same way we tell it to our friends with skin. He also wants us to simply sit with him, watching the wind move the branches of the trees, watching the birds and squirrels play, the firelight flicker or the rain fall. He wants us to able to sit with him without saying a word, just enjoying each other’s company.

Jesus could certainly exist without my love or yours. His need is an emotional, heart need not a physical, can’t do it by myself need. It is a need I want to meet and fill. I don’t want Jesus to have to ask me, “Tricia do you love me more than these?” I want him to know that I do.

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