DO YOU LOVE THE LORD MORE THAN THESE?
The Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel, whom He often referred to as the “Son of man,” a prophecy concerning the coming death of his wife. He further instructed him not to mourn for his wife because he was to be a sign to those who would see the destruction of Judah’s “dearest treasure,” namely the Temple. Ezekiel obeyed the Lord. For he told the people the prophecy God had given him the next morning and that same evening, his wife died. And Ezekiel did not outwardly mourn for her just as the Lord had commanded him. He became a symbol for those exiles who came from Jerusalem having seen the Temple’s destruction.
When Jesus came, He took up the title “Son of Man” as his own. For in Ezekiel we see a foreshadowing of Christ, who willingly submitted to the Father’s will and identified with his people’s sufferings.
The resurrected Jesus asked his disciple, Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15). Peter answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”
Wasn’t the Lord asking Ezekiel that same question when He informed him of his wife’s imminent death? Doesn’t the Lord still ask this question of us?
“Do you love Me more than these?”
PRAYER: Dear Father, we treasure many things, but we desire to treasure You above all. We declare our love for You above all others. Yet, we know that we often love others more than You. Help us to see that even our greatest loves, our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, are all gifts from You. We love them all, but we would love You above all others. In Jesus’ name, amen.