Learn to love

As I read and considered the lessons for Sunday coming (Matthew 22.34-46) I could not help but find myself humming the words to a song that I taught the Sunday School a couple of weeks before: “He came down, that we might have love.” Now perhaps to the modern mind that might sound silly. We most certainly recognize that within each person there is at least a certain amount of love and that we have love to offer and share with other people. What seems to not be recognized in our modern society is where love comes from. Most people would shudder at the notion that God has already shown them love and wants to teach them how to love others. And this is so in large part because of what was once taught about God and how God was... well was “the God of Maude” The title character of the 1970’s sitcom was constantly saying to her husband, “God will get you for that Walter!”

And such memory brought out another. I remember encountering a priest in my early years of ministry who was convinced that there where different Gods – the God of the Old Testament who was spiteful and vengeful, allowing the Israel to overtake and overcome the nations in the promised land; a god who was bent on murder and pillage. Then there was the transcendent God that gave the Ten Commandments and was far removed from the picture and from what was going on amongst the people and just wanted people to behave rightly. And last but not least there is one last god – the one who sent Jesus, the one who is kind and gentle and posses very little threat of any kind. The hymn “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild” comes to mind.

It seems to me that there is more to loving a person than just having the “warm fuzzies”. Truly loving another person takes time and commitment. Even the Old Testament recognizes that it is important to care for the other by not violating or hurting them in any way. Here’s what I mean (and many thanks to Lindy Black over at Sermon Fodder for the help!): Leviticus 19:9-18 spells out what is involved in loving one's neighbour.  The person who loves his or her neighbour:

        • will not reap the fields bare, but will leave some for the poor (vv. 9-10).

        • will not steal (v. 11).

        • will not deal falsely (v. 11).

        • will not lie (v. 11).

        • will not swear falsely by God's name (v. 12).

        • will not defraud a neighbour (v. 13).

        • will not keep a labourer’s wages overnight (v. 13).

        • will not "revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind" (v. 14).

        • will not render an unjust judgment (v. 15).

        • will not be partial to the poor or defer to the great (v. 15).

        • will judge the neighbour with justice (v. 15).

        • will not engage in slander (v. 16).

        • will not profit by the blood of the neighbour (v. 16).

        • will not hate your neighbour (v. 17).

·  will not take vengeance or bear a grudge (v. 18).

Moreover, Leviticus also says "you shall reprove your neighbour" (v. 17), suggesting that love is tough where toughness is needed –– confrontational so that wrongs might be righted and obstacles to relationships removed. 

And if that is the case, then it should be easy should it not? Well not for us as human beings. We need to know just who our neighbour is, just in case we discover that we have loved the wrong person. That’s why Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan – that we might discover and truly love that person with everything that we have, looking after the needs of that person. We are challenged by Jesus to give and to love and to care for people, even when we are laid down in the dust or are hanging and dying in pain. If we can begin to learn to live a love like that then we can celebrate and feverently pray to God in worship together that we might be filled up more and more with unceasing, untiring love. Love of God and of neighbour must balance out so that we can truly love and know love. Let that be our goal this and every week in Jesus’ name.