Crazy Love - Newnan Times-Herald

Dr. Steve Cothran lives in Newnan and has been a Baptist youth pastor for over 30 years.

I heard a rumor that love will make you crazy … well is it true? (Chris Rice)

Hmm…that depends on your definition of “love.”

Maybe you’ve heard recently about a public figure who did something crazy and then blamed “love” for his display?

For the past couple of weeks, people have been weighing in from all across the spectrum:

“He deserved it.”

“That was unjustified.”

“Violence is never the answer.”

“He had to do something — he couldn’t just sit there.”

And that scrutiny will only intensify this coming week as we put this incident under a microscope once again.

Insult, slap, humiliation.

All of this — and so much more — happens during Holy Week. (Surely, you’re relieved we’re not spending another 15 minutes on Will Smith and Chris Rock?)

No, Jesus’ attitude during the last week of his life should not surprise us at all.

From the dawn of his ministry, when he was tempted in the wilderness to satisfy the human desire for power, Jesus flatly refused. He knew from the beginning and demonstrated consistently what most of us fail to recognize: the love of power will ultimately be overcome by the power of love.

That’s why he was such a threat to a religious establishment that had become infatuated by power. He knew power was no match for love.

And in our world where everyone always seems to be grasping for more and more power, this kind of love seems … well, crazy.

We focus on glitz and glamor and aspire to be rich.

Love says the poor are blessed.

We stuff ourselves with whatever we feel like eating and drinking.

Love says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be full.

We spend fortunes trying to make ourselves comfortable.

Love says those who mourn will be comforted.

We say “mess with the bull, and you’ll get the horns.”

Love says turn the other cheek.

I heard a rumor that love will make you crazy … well is it true?

Well that’s no rumor, look at the crazy things that love made Jesus do

The friends he chose were thought to be outrageous

You could even find him touching the contagious

And the craziest is how he chose to save us

He gave his life away

Then he had to go and say

“Gotta love the same way that I love you!”

Love like crazy

We gotta love like crazy

The way he loves you and me

Cause if the world’s ever gonna change

We gotta love like crazy. (Love Like Crazy, Chris Rice 2005)

If we celebrate anything at Easter, it’s the power of love. The love that, no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t kill. Because even when we did manage to kill it, love came right back, with arms open wide to embrace the very same ones who have done our worst to destroy love.

And that’s just crazy.

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Dr. Steve Cothran lives in Newnan and has been a Baptist youth pastor for over 30 years.

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