“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” - Matthew 22:39
Humans are very selfish. We tend to think only of ourselves. At our core, we seek after the things that bring us pleasure, protection or promotion. As we grow, parents and teachers instruct us to care about others. We are told to share with other children. Upon careful analysis, we learn that our parents and teachers have a selfish nature themselves. Although they may have good intensions, often they need to practice what they preach to children.
We are selfish beings because of sin. If you really think about it, nearly every sin can be traced to a selfish motive.
On the other hand, Jesus came from heaven to walk among sinful mankind. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He preached good news to the poor. Jesus modeled selfless living. He came on a mission of love. He loved those that society rejected. He cared for the hurting. He ministered to the very people that most would look down upon. Ultimately, Jesus died for His enemies.
When He was asked about the two greatest commandments, Jesus did not hesitate to respond that the first commandment was to love God. He added that the second commandment was this: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
When a lawyer asked Him to define the term, “neighbor,” Jesus told a story of a man who took a journey. As he traveled, the man was robbed, beaten and left for dead. As Jesus continued the story, a priest happened to come by. He saw the man, but passed him by. Then a Levite traveled the same road. He, too, saw the desperate man but passed by him on the other side. Two religious men had passed the unfortunate man. Even though they saw the man and his need, neither religious man rendered any service.
Then Jesus told how a Samaritan came and saw the poor man's condition. He had compassion on the man, treated his wounds, and took him to an inn so he could recover from his injuries. The Samaritan paid for the man's room and promised to pay for any extra expense. Note the contrast. The religious men showed no compassion and avoided the bleeding man. The Samaritan, a man that the Jews would have found revolting, actually cared for the hurting man and went to great sacrifice to see that the man recovered from his horrific experience. After telling this story, Jesus then posed the question, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” The lawyer responded to Jesus, “He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
A neighbor is more than just the person living next door. As Jesus taught in His story, our neighbor is the person we encounter in life. It may be our next-door neighbor. Then again, it may be a stranger.
It is important for us to demonstrate genuine love for a spouse, parents, children and grandchildren. We should love our family. However, our Lord also calls us to love those around us. Those that society has rejected: the poor, the sick and the lonely. James wrote that genuine faith is marked by caring for widows and orphans. It is one thing to visit a family member in the hospital, but it is something else to visit a stranger there.
Jesus went so far as to say that our treatment of others is a reflection of our love for Him. Jesus said that there would come a day in which He would say, “I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” When we help the helpless in the Name of the Lord, the Master sees it as an act of service towards Him.
We are called to love the Lord. Yet we cannot love Him without loving others. John wrote, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” Furthermore, John wrote, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
I must testify that I am a recipient of God's grace. Like Paul, I can say that I am what I am by the grace of God. Yet I must also confess that the Lord has used many people to invest in my life. Many precious saints have contributed prayers, support, encouragement and help. They did it because they cared. This is probably true of your life as well. Now God calls us to do the same for others.
Let's love others just as God has loved us.
No comments:
Post a Comment