However, if you look at the appearance and possible consequences of His actions – going into the temple and tossing the tables or convincing people not to obey the law of stoning a adulteress, wandering with no home or apparent money. His followers were beaten and thrown into jails. If you put yourself in the mindset of average Joe His actions must have appeared not just irresponsible, but downright reckless.

Knowing and believing what we do, we can follow Him in a similar manner and love people in a way that others around us may judge as irresponsible. Is it actually irresponsible? No. Neither was Jesus. Could others around you look at you like a crazy person for it? Sure.

Why can’t we love perfectly? We have sin in us. We aren’t perfect. Our motives are selfish. If we have moments of perfect love, He gave us that love. We can strive towards staying in that perfect love like we can strive towards perfect living. I know my love, like my righteousness, is filthy rags in comparison to His.

and may i just refer you to the story of the Prodigal Son? if that’s not loving “irresponsibly” i don’t know what is.

i want to be strong enough, open enough, generous enough and risky enough to love irresponsibly.

For example, those of us who weren’t there, don’t really have the whole context of the speaker who gave the message Serenity used in her original post. It also sounds as if most of the responses have been written by people who have known Jesus for awhile – and thus are assumed to have some measure of maturity to sift through basic right and wrong. Telling the wrong people, however, to “love irresponsibly” could be a dangerous thing for them. And, I think, Serenity acknowledged that when she initially said it sounded like a slogan for teen pregnancy.

Den, if you don’t mind – I’d take issue with you a bit on your comments. While an argument can be made from a surface point of view that Jesus acted irresponsibly – I believe, set in context, he was VERY responsible. I would ask: What is the lesson that his actions point to in each of the circumstances you cited? Could it be that the severity of his actions/comments are meant to underscore the issues and lessons at hand? Jesus could have given any one of several reactions/comments; why did he choose these particular ones? In my opinion, Jesus IS the example. But again, what is the underlying lesson/message?

And – I would disagree with you that responsibility isn’t one of Jesus’ defining characteristics. If Jesus isn’t responsible, who is? In my opinion, Jesus WAS responsible to his Father and to his mission and purpose. I know it’s hard for us humans to do, but I think we have to try to look at responsibility from a heaven-down viewpoint rather than an earth-up one.

Serenity – you said it doesn’t seem responsible to turn the other cheek or walk the extra mile. Again, I disagree. I think Jesus uses these examples to show us exactly how to be responsible.

Caroline – you said Jesus was not answerable to a higher authority because he IS the higher authority. Then why did Jesus say he can only do that which he sees his Father doing?

Serenity – I don’t understand your “fear that we could actually love someone right into hell.” Can you elaborate?

Lucinda – you said “only he has the ability to love perfectly.” Hmmmm. How would you define to love perfectly? Why can’t WE love perfectly?

Thanks, guys – for letting me throw in my two cents.

And the greatest of these . . . is love.

As far as being judgmental we need to remember that we don’t ‘hate the sin’ because it offends our righteousness, but we hate sin because it hurts the sinner -more like ‘love the patient hate the cancer’ than ‘love the criminal hate the crime’. With this in mind a whole lot of people suddenly become enjoyable to be around – that is also loving irresponsibility because now you’re putting your reputation at risk.