When I first encountered this graphic on an Internet atheist community, I thought “No way!”
But upon investigation, I’ve concluded that the ‘charge’ is correct. Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the son of God, did *not* make a blanket I-love-you statement about all of humanity.
So why do people like me insist that Jesus does, indeed, love me, YOU and everyone else? Let’s look at the evidence:
1. Among the most famous statements in ancient documents comes from one of the four primary-source biographies of Jesus’ physical life on earth. It states “God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.”
Does it make even a bit of sense that God would not want Jesus to love the world the way He does?
2. In that same biography, Jesus tells his followers “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they [people who believe in Him] can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
Again, why would Jesus care about the kind of lives people are living if He didn’t love them?
3. One of Jesus’ earliest and most influential followers told people that “Christ had no sin. But God made him become sin. God did this for us so that in Christ we could become right with God.”
This passage refers to one of the basic tenets following Jesus, that He died on a Roman cross to make up for all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do. Why would Jesus do this if he didn’t love humanity? Why?
4. One of the original-source Jesus biographies noted a crucial time in His life. Jesus, knowing he was about to be arrested on trumped-up charges and eventually put to death, went off on his own and prayed “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Why would he pray this if he wasn’t in complete union with what His Father wanted? His Father — who created you and me — wanted to take away the inevitable negative judgment on everyone who has done wrong and failed to do right (and that means every person on this planet). Why would God — and by extension, Jesus — want to do this if He didn’t love me and YOU?
After offering up all this evidence, I’m reminded of “More Than Words”, the 1990s pop hit by Extreme. Some of the lyrics go like this:
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know.
Exactly. Jesus doesn’t say He loves me. Or you. He went further and proved it by his life, death and resurrection. And all this is offered as a gift to YOU. Are you interested in accepting it? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
As the title suggests, actions speak louder than words.
At work I am often told how much management cares and wants the workers to have the equipment they need etc… but then they don’t follow through with actions.
It would mean WAY more if they didn’t say anything at all but provided the equipment. I would feel and know they care even without their words.
I’ll start out by quoting the last verse in the gospel of John, which confirms that only a small portion of Jesus’ life was written down. Remember that the Bible only gives a condensed version of events. We therefore don’t know every word that He said to everyone while here on earth.
John 21: 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
And then, before we go to verses that talk about Jesus loving people, let’s look at what Jesus had to say about love and how to measure it.
John 15: 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 10: 17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
We see therefore, that even if Jesus had not said a word about love, His actions when He died on the cross for your sins and mine, said it all! However, there are some verses which you may find interesting. Jesus may not have said to many people that He loved them, but they knew very well that He did, by His actions. Here are some examples from the gospels.
Mark 10: 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
John 11: 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
John 11: 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 13: 1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
John 13: 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13: 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 14: 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
John 15: 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
John 15: 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Finally, as the second Person of the Godhead, Jesus is not just loving, He is love.
1 John 4: 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
I enjoyed reading this article, as always, Frank. I liked what the other posters wrote also. Good food for thought.
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39
Such love can only emit from God’s light and all that is good. That’s when you understand the joy of it all.
“For God so loved the World” (Jn.3:16) … “Whatever the Father does, the Son does also” (Jn.5:19) …. “I and the Father are One” (Jn.10:30)
Great Bible quotes, Ross. Just note that John 3:16 is narration; it’s not a direct Jesus quote. And the other two are indirect inferences, so they don’t negate the point of the atheist meme. And that’s okay, since I make the point that Jesus shows His unfathomable love through his actions. 🙂