Love One Another
John 13:34-35: "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."
As God's covenantal people, the Israelites were called to live differently than the other nations. They were set apart from the other nations in how they worshipped, who they worshipped, and how they lived in community. The practices of the ancient near-Easterners were brutal and even gruesome. There was rampant sexual immorality in their pagan worship; there were child sacrifices offered to the gods; there was intense warfare among the nations; and there was a spirit of revenge for those who injured, harmed, or cheated a fellow man. Though the Israelites had lived among these practices in Egypt, this was not how they were to live as sojourners or in the land God would give them.
In Exodus chapters 21 and 22, the Lord speaks to his people in order to instruct them in how to relate to one another. There were laws about property and animals. The Lord called his people to treat one another with great respect and care. In turn, they were to treat the property and animals of others with respect and care. If they brought injury or harm to each other, they needed to make restitution until that person was fully restored. In essence, they were called to love one another. The Israelites were people who had been redeemed and delivered from slavery. They had great value to the Lord. The Lord's laws were there to remind them to see each other with that same value.
Just as the Lord had chosen to put his love upon them, he called them to love one another. That love would distinguish them from the other nations. In loving and honoring one another, relationships would flourish, their communities would flourish, and there would be health and well-being among them.
Just as God's laws instructed the Hebrew people in living as God's holy people, Jesus instructs us in this holy life. He, too, emphasized that it is in loving one another that people will know they are Christians. As we have been loved, so we are called to love. As the song goes, "They will know we are Christians by our love." May love characterize our homes, our churches, our workplaces, all the places we go - may the love of Jesus be seen in you and seen in me.
Reflection:
Can you imagine a world in which this love was prevalent? While we will not experience that kind of world until we see Jesus face to face, we can exemplify this love for one another. How can you love others today?
As God's covenantal people, the Israelites were called to live differently than the other nations. They were set apart from the other nations in how they worshipped, who they worshipped, and how they lived in community. The practices of the ancient near-Easterners were brutal and even gruesome. There was rampant sexual immorality in their pagan worship; there were child sacrifices offered to the gods; there was intense warfare among the nations; and there was a spirit of revenge for those who injured, harmed, or cheated a fellow man. Though the Israelites had lived among these practices in Egypt, this was not how they were to live as sojourners or in the land God would give them.
In Exodus chapters 21 and 22, the Lord speaks to his people in order to instruct them in how to relate to one another. There were laws about property and animals. The Lord called his people to treat one another with great respect and care. In turn, they were to treat the property and animals of others with respect and care. If they brought injury or harm to each other, they needed to make restitution until that person was fully restored. In essence, they were called to love one another. The Israelites were people who had been redeemed and delivered from slavery. They had great value to the Lord. The Lord's laws were there to remind them to see each other with that same value.
Just as the Lord had chosen to put his love upon them, he called them to love one another. That love would distinguish them from the other nations. In loving and honoring one another, relationships would flourish, their communities would flourish, and there would be health and well-being among them.
Just as God's laws instructed the Hebrew people in living as God's holy people, Jesus instructs us in this holy life. He, too, emphasized that it is in loving one another that people will know they are Christians. As we have been loved, so we are called to love. As the song goes, "They will know we are Christians by our love." May love characterize our homes, our churches, our workplaces, all the places we go - may the love of Jesus be seen in you and seen in me.
Reflection:
Can you imagine a world in which this love was prevalent? While we will not experience that kind of world until we see Jesus face to face, we can exemplify this love for one another. How can you love others today?
No Comments