Jesus told His disciples to make disciples and teach them to observe all that He commanded (Matt 28:19-20). The Jews had 600 commands ... we just had Jesus's commands. So much easier, right? But we can't keep track. And that's okay. Jesus said that two commands ... one word ... summed up all commands. He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and then Leviticus 19:18. "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbor." Then He said, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt 22:37-40). So ... love is the command that encompasses all commands. It's funny, too. The world has a sense of it. Dionne Warwick sang, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." The Beatles sang, "All we need is love" (and then they broke up). (Sorry ... an old line from a Larry Norman song.) Love is essential. But ... what kind? What is the standard of this "love"?
In the Bible, Jesus offered standards. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37) and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:39). Standards. Not "feel warmly toward." "With all that you are" when you are loving God and "like yourself" when you are loving your fellow humans. Paul expanded on that last one. "No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church" (Eph 5:29). So, the love we are supposed to have gives all and seeks to fill their needs. If you look at the description in 1 Corinthians 13, one theme arises (1 Cor 131:4-8). It is entirely outward facing. No thought for self. No "looking out for #1." It is completely devoid of self.
We have a further clarification as believers. Jesus updated the second command in the Upper Room. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). "As I have loved you." That's our marching orders, our standard. Paul told husbands, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (Eph 5:25). Give self up. That's our standard. Love selflessly, not merely emotionally. Love with an outward view, not inward. Always seek their best, not just your own (Php 2:3-4). Like Jesus (Php 2:5-8). Easy, right? Just two commands. Okay ... not easy. A lifelong process. But ... it's not unclear. The only question is ... will we obey?
11 comments:
So simple, yet so difficult.
It's amazing that the entirety of the law can be summarized by those two commandments, yet it is True. You don't kill, rob, or defraud those you love as you love yourself. Likewise you don't kill, rob, or defraud others when your entire being is focused on loving YHWH. It actually seems like if your entire being is focused on loving YHWH, then loving others flows naturally from that and the second commandment becomes redundant.
As the great theologian Mike Warnke (not really that great) said back in the day. "If you spend your time doing the dos, you won't have time to do the don'ts". Which seems like a decent paraphrase of those two commandments.
As one quite familiar with 1960s pop music, I will mention that the first song you quoted was recorded and made popular in 1965 by Jackie DeShannon (although Dionne Warwick did regularly perform songs composed by Burt Bacharach). And let’s not forget that “Love Is the Answer,” “Love Will Keep Us Together,” “Love Will Find a Way,” and “Love Never Dies” (from my favorite group, the Brothers Gibb). Alas, many are less sure, i.e. “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “What Is Love,” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” Fortunately, we have God’s Word to help us learn what love truly is and how to express it. Thanks for your regular reminders that God’s love looks like Jesus.
Such a simple yet difficult command for us.
I think the second commandment is important because we could easily justify treating others poorly in the name of living God.
Just for the fun of it (and it’s not even Valentine’s Day :), here are a few more facts about the world’s version of love, from a musical angle: “Love (Can Make You Happy),” “Love Is All Around,” “Love Hurts,” “Love Takes Time,” “Love Will Conquer All,” and “Love Will Follow.” And we all know that “Love Is a Battlefield, a Hurtin’ Thing, a Many Splendored Thing, a Long Road, a Rose, a Wonderful Thing, and an Elevator" (huh?!). Finally, “Love Is Blue,” “Love Is Forever,” and “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water.”
Wait ... you're saying that love is NOT thicker than water?
Well, Sir Barry Gibb says it is, and I’m not gonna argue with him! But what does that even mean?? :-D
I'm not disagreeing that it could be possible to do so, but doing so would seem to be misinterpreting the first. The problem is our inability to fully follow either of the two more so than the potential for misuse IMO.
Yeah, but the J Geils Band gave us "Love Stinks"...
Most of the commands of YHWH are pretty simple, yet we regularly put more effort into finding exceptions that allow us to break them instead of simply obeying.
But ... I though love is like oxygen ...
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