Continuing my reading of my new Bible study, Discovering Jesus, I am trying to see how the Word and His Spirit will guide me through chapter 2 of John. This chapter includes the first miracle, which was performed at a wedding. Jesus turned the water into wine. Jesus also cleared the temple and reminded us to have zeal for the house of the Lord.
Amidst all the happenings, Jesus makes profound statements. Miracles bring people to the House of the Lord. Word gets around that if you have a problem or need healing, go to Jesus, and your needs will be met. Isn’t that true for all of us? We feel welcomed and included when we show up and people see us, want to help us, and can provide some type of solution. This is zeal. Zeal focuses on Jesus and pouring His love out to the world. Towards the end of the chapter, Jesus talks about knowing a person’s heart, so a person can’t be trusted. Many began to trust Him, and Jesus was also very aware of the human heart.
Translating that into our everyday life, I began to wonder about the patterns we fall into, where we start with zeal and trust with high expectations, and when humans are humans and fail us, we begin to pull back or become discouraged. How can we keep zeal, knowing that humans will hurt, fail, and reject us? They will also love, come alongside, and lift us up. It is both. All at the same time, so how do we continue to love despite the human heart?
I cling to this in my relationship with Jesus: He knows my heart (John 2:25), and He still loves me beyond measure.
On this Mother’s Day, I find myself reflecting on a passage from John 2, where Jesus performs miracles that draw people to Him. Word spreads quickly—if you need healing, if you’re broken, if you’re searching, go to Jesus. He will meet you there. And He does. But what strikes me most is not just the miracles—it’s the moment when Jesus, knowing the hearts of people, chooses not to entrust Himself to them (John 2:24-25). He sees the full picture: the beauty and the brokenness of the human heart.
Isn’t that the paradox of love? Especially a mother’s love?
Mothers love with a kind of zeal that mirrors the heart of Christ. It’s a love that shows up, sees the need, and offers healing in the form of presence, comfort, and sacrifice. It’s a love that knows—knows the child will one day pull away, make mistakes, maybe even cause pain. And yet, the love remains. It pours out anyway.
Zeal, in its purest form, is not naive. It’s not blind to the reality that people will fail us. It’s a choice to keep loving, knowing that love will sometimes be met with rejection, disappointment, or silence. But it’s also the same love that lifts, restores, and brings joy beyond measure.
As children, we often come to our mothers like the crowds came to Jesus—needing something. And like Jesus, mothers respond with open arms, even when they know the cost. They see our hearts, and they love us still.
So how do we keep that zeal alive in a world where hearts are fragile and trust is easily broken?
We look to Jesus. He knew the hearts of men and still chose the cross. He knew betrayal and still chose love. And He knows our hearts—every corner, every contradiction—and still chooses us.
This is the kind of love that mothers embody: not perfect but persistent, not without pain but full of purpose.
Today, let us honor the mothers who love like Jesus—who see, who serve, who stay. And let us also remember that we are called to love like that, too, with zeal, grace, and the kind of love that knows the heart and chooses to love anyway.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Today, I honor all the people who reflect on their Mothers’ love, including the mothers who are no longer with us. This is my lifelong friend Steve in the final moments of his mother’s passing.
He whispers words of love, gratitude, and peace. Her fingers curl slightly around his, a final gesture of connection, of knowing. In that touch is a lifetime of love—unspoken, unbreakable.
- How do I respond when my zeal is met with disappointment or rejection?
When people fail to meet our expectations or hurt us, do we retreat, or do we lean into the love of Christ to sustain our passion and purpose? - In what ways can I embody the persistent, sacrificial love of a mother—or of Christ—in my relationships today?
Consider the people in your life who may need love that sees beyond their flaws and failures. How can you show up for them with grace and zeal? - What does it mean to be fully known and still fully loved by Jesus—and how does that truth shape the way I love others?
Reflect on John 2:25. How does Jesus’ deep understanding of your heart give you the courage to love others, even when it’s hard?
ARRESTED BY GRACE 