Posted on 08/23/2024 8:00:35 AM PDT by fidelis
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–39
We are very familiar with this passage above. It is Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees who came to test Jesus. Prior to this, a group of Sadducees tried to trap Jesus and failed. So now it was the Pharisees who gave it their best shot to trap our Lord. Of course, Jesus’ answer was perfect. And upon the conclusion of this answer, Jesus returned the favor by asking the Pharisees some questions that they could not answer, and they dared not ask Him any further questions at that time.
Sometimes, being challenged by another in matters of faith helps us, in that it allows us to clarify what we actually believe. Though Jesus did not need clarity for His own sake, He did offer this clarity in the face of trickery so as to help both the Pharisees as well as His followers who were listening attentively.
Have you ever been challenged by another about matters of faith? If so, what was your response? Were you able to respond by the inspiration and clarity given by the Holy Spirit? Or did you walk away confused and unable to respond? Having our faith challenged by another will either result in our own confusion or in our deeper understanding.
By answering this question in the way that Jesus did, He presented the entire Law given by Moses in the Ten Commandments in a new and summarized way. The first three of the Ten Commandments have to do with love of God, and the last seven have to do with love of neighbor. The second commandment Jesus gives, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” is a consequence of the first commandment. How do you “love yourself?” You do so by fulfilling the first commandment Jesus gave: “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When God is loved above all, then loving your neighbor simply means that you love God Who dwells within your neighbor in accord with the way God loves them.
It is also helpful to note that it is possible to “love” our neighbor in such a way that is contrary to the love of God. For example, if our love of neighbor is expressed in such a way that is contrary to the Love of God, then this is not true love. Let’s say that your neighbor has chosen a gravely immoral lifestyle. How do you love them with the love of God? You don’t say to them “I support you in your immoral living.” Doing so is not love of God; it’s a selfish form of love that cares more about how the person will respond back to you than caring for their eternal soul. The right form of love for one who has gone astray in an objectively immoral way is to let them know you love them but do not support the choices they are making. And though they may respond negatively to this, caring for their eternal salvation must supersede every desire to simply get along with them.
Love of neighbor, at times, especially when the “neighbor” is a family member who has turned from God, can be challenging...
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to love God above all and to love your neighbor with that same love that you have for God. If you find loving someone is difficult, pray for the wisdom you need to remain faithful to them in God’s love alone. And if you find your love challenged, rely upon our Lord to lead you and to give you the words you need when you need them the most.
My loving Lord, You love all people with a perfect love, and You call us all to love You with our whole heart, soul and mind. And You call us to love others with the love You have for them. Fill my heart with love of You and all people, especially those who are most difficult to love. Give me wisdom, dear Lord, to know how to love others in You so that they will experience Your perfect love in their lives. Jesus, I trust in You!
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"Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.” ”
(Luke 2:34-35)
I have often wondered about the admonition, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Does that mean that if my neighbor is a follower of Satan, Beelzebub, Astarte, etc., that I am to love him? Reading Peter II, it is clear that he has no use for the non-believers and chastizes them in brutal and no uncertain language. I wonder, does your neighbor really refer to “you neighbor, the believer”?
We are indeed commanded to love all, even our enemies:
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:27-31)
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19-21)
Love (or, Charity) in the Bible doesn't mean to have affection for an individual, but to will what is best for him. That doesn't mean we endorse everything they do, but for our part we are to strive to wish the best for them, which would be their eventually coming to Christ.
You didn't say what part of 2 Peter you had in mind, but I suspect it is chapter 2. Here, Peter isn't ranting against enemies in general, but against false teachers and prophets who have crept into the Church. Such people must be fully exposed and their influence be resisted and removed.
"Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
C.S. Lewis once noted about the difficulty in loving our neighbor as ourselves that we have no trouble loving ourselves, even while admitting that we’re not perfect and even at times difficult. We would never let ourselves starve or become physically harmed if we could help it. If men have no trouble loving themselves, they should have no trouble loving others.
All well and good. You have the ‘Good Samaritan’, but what of the ‘bad Samaritan’, are we to love him as well? Am I to love the savages from Gaza who carried out unspeakable crimes there?
As I said above (or, Charity) in the Bible doesn't mean to have affection for an individual, but to will what is best for him just as God does. That doesn't mean we endorse everything they do or not take measures to protect ourselves, our families, our country, and our society from evil when we encounter it, but for our part we are to pray for them and strive to wish the best for them, which would be their eventually coming to Christ.
Even though we don't personally know them, the "bad Samaritan" and evil-doers like the Gaza terrorists would fall under the general category of "enemies"--those who oppose God and would probably do us harm if they had the rationale and the opportunity. But our minds must be in conformity to God's. Along with the passages above, we have these words from Jesus:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)
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