Unconditional Love
Spring In Montana
Spring in Montana can be hit-or-miss. One day the sun will shine, the trees are in bloom, and it’s 70 degrees. Then the next day a foot of snow accumulates on the ground. You never know what you are going to get.
Tulips
One of my favorite things about spring here are the tulips. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. It’s on my bucket list to see the tulips in bloom in Amsterdam. When I go for walks in the spring, I love to see the array of colors of tulips in everyone’s yards. Even if it snows, their beautiful colors pop through the snow.
We moved into a new house last summer and, to my surprise, tulips have blossomed around our yard this spring. The first to peek out was a deep purple one, followed by some pale pink ones and a couple of orange ones. They are all beautiful.
Out of curiosity, I looked up tulips and found they represent unconditional love. The red ones represent pure love. This was perfect after finishing up my lesson for my next class on Genesis.
Judah and Joseph
In Genesis 37, we read of Joseph and his beautiful coat. As his father’s favorite son, he never had to work like the other brothers and given special gifts. His brothers get jealous and Judah gets the idea of selling him as a slave.
The story progresses, and we find Judah struggling with this decision. For twenty years, Judah carries a burden. He has watched his father grieve day-after-day, and it caused him so much pain he even moved away.
During the famine, Judah and his brothers have to go to Egypt to buy grain. They do not know that God had placed their brother Joseph in charge of all Egypt and he was in charge of the grain. Joseph immediately recognizes them when they arrive. Without their knowing, he puts them through multiple tests.
He places one brother, Simeon, in prison and tells them to have him released they must bring their youngest brother Benjamin to him. Benjamin was Joseph’s only full brother and longed to see him. With much hesitation from their father, Jacob, they bring Benjamin back.
Joseph once again tests them. He has his silver cup placed in Benjamin’s sack to look like he stole it. Joseph’s steward goes after them when they leave and says that one of them had stolen Joseph’s cup. Judah says whoever has stolen the cup will die or become Joseph’s slave. They find the cup in Benjamin’s sack.
When brought back before Joseph, they all fall down prostrate in front of him, pleading their innocence. In all of this, Joseph just wants to see if they have changed or if they were the same brothers who wanted to sell him into slavery.
Unconditional Love
When Joseph comes down on Benjamin for stealing the cup, Judah comes forward and pleads for his life to be taken in place of his brothers. Not only does this prove he has had a major change in his heart, but it also points us to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
This story of Judah sacrificing himself for his brother foreshadows Jesus, sacrificing himself for us. Judah is also the brother from whom Jesus eventually comes from. The brother chosen to fulfill the covenant God had made with Abraham.
This unconditional love is hard to grasp. Only through God, who extends grace to us, can we even fathom the love Jesus had for us that enabled Him to die for us. It’s a love that is sacrificial, selfless, and pure.
In the same way, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are called to love others in the same manner. We are called to sacrifice for others, put their needs above our own, and extend grace just as God has extended it to us.
Reflections On God’s Unconditional Love
When I look at our broken world, I wonder why Jesus would go to such great lengths to save us. Our human minds just cannot grasp a love so strong as the love God has for us. So much love that He was willing to sacrifice His one and only son for us.
Going through the book of Genesis over the last twenty weeks has been incredible. Each story gives us another picture of how far humanity has fallen, yet each time it points us to a God that redeems us. He is not only the Creator but also the Redeemer.
So the next time you see a tulip, remember the magnificent, unconditional love God has for you.
I loved the reminder about Joseph put in a more simplified telling. I love tulips, but certainly not Florida friendly.
I love flowers, especially spring ones. In the South, our tulips are long gone, so I especially enjoyed your pictures and learning of their symbolism. Thanks for sharing about Judah and his brothers’ change of heart. That shows how God will work in our lives if we open our heart to Him.