23 JULY, 2023

LOVING GOD AND NEIGHBOUR

(Growing in Faith, in Truth & in Spirit: GFTS 4)

One expert in the Law asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-39). Jesus said that “the first and greatest commandment” is loving God. Notice the emphasis on the “all”. That means there should be no room for other “loves” to compete with our love for God. Our God is a Jealous God and He wants no competition!

Christ told the Ephesian Church that they had “lost their first love” and if they did not repent and restore their love for Him, He would judge them (Rev.2:4-5). The Apostle Paul warned the Church, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed!” (1 Cor.16:22). This is a sober warning and we should heed it seriously. How many of us love God with our “all”? Yet this is what God commanded us to do. That is our “first” priority!

Then Jesus added, “The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself”! This implies that loving our neighbour is just as important as loving God! In other words, we cannot say we love God and yet not love our neighbour! That would be hypocritical. The Apostle John wrote “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God Whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4: 20-21). Our “brother” is one in the family of God.

In Luke’s Gospel a lawyer who wanted to “justify” himself asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus told the Story of the Good Samaritan, and then asked him, “Who is neighbour to him who fell among the thieves? He answered, “He who showed mercy on him” Jesus then told him, “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:36-37). The one who fell among thieves was a stranger to the one who showed mercy. He was neighbour to the wounded stranger.

It is very obvious from this Story that our neighbour is anyone who is in need. There are many needy people around us – the poor and hungry, the lonely and depressed, the homeless and the lost souls, etc. If we love God, then we will also love them and seek to minister to them. We should never harden our hearts and look the other way like the priest and the Levite in the Story. When we hear or know of our brothers and sisters in need, dare we refuse to help after knowing the commandments to love God and our neighbour?

In the OT God gave a commandment to help and bless the poor among them. He told them, “Do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and give them whatever they need. Give generously to them. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers who are poor and needy in your land” (Deut.15:7-11). Love is not just a feeling but a commitment to God and to our neighbour in need. If God has blessed us, then how can we withhold blessing from those who are in need – especially our poor brothers? 

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