Many of us have heard the song Jesus Loves You, but did you ever consider for a moment Jesus likes you?
It can be hard to believe sometimes, especially when we know ourselves better than anyone. We know those sins we can’t seem to shake and every time we’ve ever put our foot in our mouth.
Our quirks and weaknesses are crystal clear in our minds.
But I think it’s interesting to consider all the different personality types Jesus called to walk with Him in His time.
You have Nathaniel who said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
Rude! He’s criticizing Jesus’ hometown and, in a way, Jesus right along with it.
But Jesus knows Nathaniel said this, and He doesn’t dislike Nathaniel for it. In fact, you can almost see the grin on His face when Jesus sees Nathaniel and says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” (John 1:47)
Jesus appreciates that Nathaniel is not afraid to speak his mind. Not only that, he seems to get a kick out of it.
Jesus isn’t afraid of a strong personality.
Think of Paul, who originally was Saul. He must have been such a passionate and eccentric character. Still, even though He was killing followers of Jesus, Jesus saw through it all and liked Saul. In fact, He called Saul to become Paul and lead the Gentiles to Christianity.
Then you’ve got Peter, the hard-working, uneducated fisherman who sometimes speaks without thinking. Jesus clearly likes Peter so much He made Peter the head of His church.
The list goes on and on.
Jesus likes you, just like he liked all those strong personalities that came before you.
We might not always like ourselves, but Jesus always likes us. He enjoys us.
Maybe that’s partly because He knows us better than we know ourselves? He knows the life experiences, hurts and joys that are at the base of every word we blurt and each quirky thing we do.
Jesus sees and knows everything about you, and He still likes you. In fact, He likes you so much, Jesus offers you a no-pressure relationship.
So the next time you are tempted to not like yourself — or the next time you feel like you are not liked by others — remember Jesus likes you.
