Love thy Neighbor
His Comments
Her Comments
Scripture:
Thoughts:
My wife chose the topic of “love thy neighbor” as this month’s devotion along with the verse Mark 12:31. Without knowing what led to her choosing this topic and what issue she has in mind, it leaves me thinking about the passage and the true meaning behind it. When reading Mark 12:31 as a stand-alone passage, I feel a lot of people miss the ending, “greater than these.”
On social media, I see a lot of posts promoting “loving thy neighbor” without having a clear definition of “love” or “neighbor.” After watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of posts, it appears that people conflate “love” with “affirmation,” and “neighbor” as “only people who hold my views.” I see this incorrect view of love and neighbor as examples of eisegesis, which is just a fancy word meaning someone is reading their own preconceived ideas, bias, or agenda into scripture. How can I be sure I’m not doing the same thing? I can be, as we all have our own bias, but that is why it is important to read passages in context with the scripture around it, as well as the entirety of scripture.
“Greater than these” is a good place to start. What are “these” referring to in this passage? People read this as a stand-alone passage, but it needs to be read and applied as the last part of what Jesus says in Mark 12:28-31.
When we read it in context with 28-30, we can see that “love your neighbor” is second to the greatest commandment, which is loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second commandment compliments the first. So, why is 28-30 important? Can’t we love as verse 30 tells us without needing to apply those other passages? To that, I would follow up by asking, “Apart from God, how can we objectively know what love means?” 1 John 4:8 tells us, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” John 14:15 tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Lastly, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 serves as a way in which the Bible describes love:
So, bringing it back to “love thy neighbor.” I can know what love is by looking to God. I can know how to love by applying God’s word and His love throughout my life and my interactions with others. How is that in conflict with social media and what we see throughout society? As mentioned above, I think all of us, at times, conflate love with affirmation. Society has a way of making it seem unloving if we speak God’s truth or tell someone their views and/or actions do not align with God’s truth. Because of this, we often limit “neighbor” to those who we agree with and talk to. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying we need to always be blunt and direct with others. We are to always strive to hold to God’s truth while being patient and kind, free of prideful arrogance and rudeness. We will all fall short while doing this, but we should strive to continue to put God first, pray for continued growth, and pray for those who do not agree with us.
I’ll end with this. Pray. Pray for family, friends, and those who you like and agree with, but also pray for those that disagree with you and are hostile towards you. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be prepared to defend the hope that is within us, which a lot of Christians can do, but do not forget how 1 Peter 3:15 ends, “do it with gentleness and respect.”
February brings with it Valentine’s Day, a time when we intentionally recognize and celebrate the people who matter most to us: our friends and our family. Robert and I originally planned to talk about practical ways to show love to those around us. However, given the current climate, I felt led to reflect more deeply on what it truly means to “love thy neighbor.”
Grace and love are the major meanings of this quote. Hate the sin but love the sinner. Jesus ate with the tax collectors and prostitutes. He loved them and showed them love. We are to love those around us. Jesus loves all, and we should love all. We should see everyone as people worthy of being saved. They are image bearers of God. We should not condemn them but lovingly help them to see the light and path to Jesus.
However, in all of this, Jesus did not say give no boundaries. We need to understand our righteousness, our responsibilities, and the truth as Christians. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). The first warning that I give is that we should not participate in a situation where another person is now relying on us to continue with sin, using our kindness as an excuse not to better themselves, or using us to remove their accountability. Everyone needs help sometimes, but we need to help others to support themselves. We cannot be the reason someone is unable to grow. This balance is not always easy, and it requires prayer and discernment. The line between helping and enabling looks different for everyone, but it is essential for growth – both spiritually and physically.
Next, this does not mean we should be taken advantage of. “Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart.” (Proverbs 26:24-25). Too often, Christians hear statements like, “You’re a Christian – you have to believe this,” or “You have to help no matter what.” That is not biblical truth. We are not called to roll over and accept abuse. We can be kind and generous without being foolish. We have big hearts. It is an extension of Jesus. However, we are not a Jester in the court of the World. We are to use our wisdom and steadfastness to stand for what is right and to share the Word of God.
In addition, we do not have to accept false accusations based on the world’s definitions of truth. “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy,” (Proverbs 31:9). Jesus spoke up and defended truth against people (even those in power) who believed wrongly. He put himself in harm’s way time after time to prove what is correct. His actions culminated in dying for our sins on a cross. This does not mean we are called to be aggressive, but it does mean we are called to stand firm. If we cannot defend what we believe, we must ask ourselves whether those beliefs truly shape our lives.
I hope this helped to give you some support at this time. I know it was healing for me, and I benefited from my time in prayer with this verse. Remember to love your neighbor and enemy. Show them grace. Pray for them. Do not let them bring you down, persecute you, or allow them to define you. You are made in God’s image, and Jesus loves you and stands by you always. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
Thoughts for this week:
- Am I showing love to others in ways that point to God?
- Am I showing kindness to others, or am I enabling them?
- Am I standing for what is righteous with grace and love while praying to God for guidance?
God Bless.