THE GREATEST LOVE STORY

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY

Josephat S. Hema

What is love?I can’t define it, it’s just something crazy. While many souls have been deadly craving for true loves, The World displayed even some tragedies that some souls had to pass through in searching of true Love.  There are five stories I want to share with you today, just in brief.

(1)ALI AND NINO

The novel Ali und Nino(Ali and Nino) published around 1930's under the pseudonym writer Kurban Said,is proclaimed to be one among the best love stories characterizing undying love surrounded by tragedy in the midst of diversities. It all happened in Baku-Azerbaijan around 1918 when a Muslim-Azerbaijan boy (Ali) and a Christian-Georgian Princess (Nino) fell in deep love. The obvious family differences (Religion,Nationality,Race) led to tragedy as while their marriage is being delayed,Ali stabbed and killed a family-favored man who attempted to kidnap Nino and marry her by force. Fearing the family's revenge, he escaped secretly to the Makhachkala mountains and later on joined by Nino who found out his hiding place after she researched the time when her parents wanted to send her to Russia so as to help her forget what she passed through.Ali and Nino got married and lived a poor but happy life in the mountains, despite the fact that they both came from Wealthy families. Their muslim marriage knot was tied after Ali promised to not practice harem, neither forcing Nino to wear the Muslim outfits. The story proceeds by explaining Ali's desire to serve his by-the-time newly found Azerbaijan Nation as he then went back and gained the political leadership positions. As he was soon appointed to France ambassadorship and during the departure he found out that the war erupted,Ali cancelled the trip to fight back for his country only sending his wife and their young daughter on board. The story ended by Ali's death in the war.Nino and the daughter never returned back.

(2)ROMEO AND JULIET

The 1590's William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet is about two young 'star-crossed' lovers and ultimate reconciliation of their feuding families through their tragic death, displays one of the greatest love stories ever written. It all explained about two love birds from two sworn-enemy families in Verona, Montague and Capulet families.

Romeo Montague, the son of Montague met the 13-year-old Capulet’s daughter, Juliet accidentally in a ball at Capulet's house. It was like this, Benvolio persuaded his cousin Romeo to attend the event so at to meet Rosaline (Capulet's niece) who Romeo loved but had no success in his approach towards her. But instead, he happened to fall in love with Juliet who was by then being forced to get married to someone else.

There happened a series of killings for the sake of love where eventually Romea and Juliet married secretly before Romeo was exiled from Verona under death penalty if he ever returned.

Juliet is forced to get married and hence found the potion that will put her in coma till Romeo returns, she took the drug one night before marriage and thought dead, put in the family crypt.

Romeo heard of Juliet's apparent death and decided to buy poison,approached the Capulet's family and drunk the poison. Juliet woke up and discovered that Romeo died, she stubbed herself with dagger and joined Romeo in death. The feuding families are reconciled by their children's death and agree to end their enmity.

"For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo"

(5)OLIVER AND JENNIFER

The American writer Erich Seagal wrote a novel in 1970 named LOVE STORY, that was later adopted into a movie. It is a story of two college students lover, a wealthy son of Barrett, Oliver Barrett IV of Harvard Law School and a music major at Redcliffe college, daughter of a Rhode island baker, Jennifer.

From two different Worlds of Wealth and Racial diversities, they fell in love against Oliver's father who cancelled all financial help to Oliver when he refused his will to leave Jenny. Doing part time jobs and help Oliver in his Law School fees, the couple got married. Oliver graduated and got a job and hence they decided to have a child. Jenny failed to conceive and later on it was found out that she was terminally suffering from luekemia.The costful cancer treatment forced Oliver to seek financial help from his Rich father who went to the hospital and found Jenny already dead.

Before Jennny died she told Oliver to not blame himself and requested him to embrace her on the deathbed. She said, “Love means not ever having to say that you are sorry”. The words which Oliver told his then apologetic father before he broke bitterly in tears in his arms.

(4)SERETSE AND RUTH

One of the greatest "true“ love stories of 20th century is that of the late and first President of Botswana,Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams, the story has been adopted into a movie called A United Kingdom.

In June 1947,Ruth an English typist who accompanied her sister Muriel to a London Missionary Society hospitality evening at Nutford House, met Seretse a Law Student who was the heir to the throne Chief to the Bamangwato people of Bechuanaland(a present day Botswana).

That day,Seretse told his closest friend, “I have met a girl and i think you should meet her! Somebody i should like to be my wife”. And on the other side, Ruth later recalled, “I saw a tall, well built, smiling African with wonderful teeth, broad shoulders and perfect manners”. They had a common interest in jazz and so love began. They dated for a long time with their love growing slowly till they got married.

Their interracial relationship faced a great deal of opposition both in London and back in Botswana. Ruth was called a 'tart' when with Serstse in London and she was later on thrown out of the family home.Seretse's uncle who accomodated Seretse in London banned him to bring the white wife at his home and said that he would fight Seretse to death. But overall diversities, their love and hence marriage triumphed.Seretse once said, “I suppose both of us wondered secretly what future could there be for us: an African prince and a white English secretary"

A personal friend and the first president of Tanzania,Julius Nyerere said it was "one of the great love stories of the World"

(5)A MAN CALLED JESUS

But here is the greatest LOVE story of all, it is just incomparable.

About 2000 years back, Mary, a virgin conceived before being married to a Carpenter called Joseph but Joseph still lived with her. After a time they had to shift to the City of Bethlehem where their first child, a son who they later named Jesus was born. In later years the Son displayed a great number of wonders and miracles and hence gained much influence amongst the Jews to the extent of being able to choose His own dozen of followers. He didn’t live longer, just at the age of 33 He had to die a so considered shameful death, crucifixion on the cross. The reason for His death was so uncertain since Religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy while political leaders thought He was plotting a government revolution. He touched so many lives and many people believed Him even though many didn’t understand Him well.He died and placed in the Tomb but after three days He appeared to many people whom He gave them some instructions before He was taken by clouds,dissapearing till to date.

Some days after He left his followers devastated, they received a supernatural power that led them displaying the same and even more miracles, spreading the knowledge of him all over the World persuading people to believe in Him for good life on Earth and later on Heavenly 'eternal' life. The power in them made them courageous and successful to convert many people till this very day.

The full story about that man, Jesus is written in the Christian's Holy Book,Bible,mainly in the first four books of the New Testament followed by stories of what happened after Him. The story is basically all about His love for mankind, that He had his special glorious position in Heaven but He left there to live with wicked creatures on Earth to pay for the debts of their sins, in a form of bloodshed death. And so He died to save all human kind from sins and its results-miserable life on Earth and eternal 'burning' punishment in Hell. He died to give access of His supernatural power to all who believed in Him.

And listen, Jesus did not die for one or two people He favored most, He died for all people on Earth. He endured the pain that all sinful people on Earth had to be punished by. He did not die for people whom He was just emotionally or physically attracted to. Many people sacrificed their lives for those forms of loves. Jesus died for all, unconditionally.

Jesus's story cross-cut lives of many who felt His power and became moved, myself being among them. I have seen a lot of miracles and wonders upon people's lives, through believing in Him.

Some famous people in the World History had some comments on the greatness of Jesus' love story.

Mahatma Gandhi , Indian political leader (1869-1948) once said,

 “A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”

Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader (1929-68) also was noted,

 “Jesus Christ was an "extremist for LOVE", truth and goodness.”

And Napoleon Bonaparte (French General, Politician and Emperor (1804-14). 1769-1821) said,

"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon LOVE; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

In the Holy Bible,King James Version,it is some where written,

"GREATER LOVE has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends"

St. John 15:13

Jesus' story is the GREATEST LOVE STORY the World has ever had and no other love story will ever be greater than this till the End of the World.