Love.

It’s what we feel for our newborns before they can do a thing in the world to earn it or make us proud.

Just lying there, breathing in and out is more than enough. We love them. We first-love them. Right? Just like 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us”? Our babies come to love us because we first loved them and met their neediest needs. We first-love.

Parenthood. Such a wonderful object lesson in God’s love for us. Right? We sit here spewing CO₂ and He loves us. We try to walk, fall forward onto our top-heavy, over-sized heads, or backward onto our bottoms, and He loves us.

Peter fell.

He denied Christ three times. And three times, Jesus gave a toddling Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his love for Him. (John 21:15-17)

Interesting thing about threes. Did you know that in Jewish law the number three represents permanence? In concept and practice it’s called chazakah. Their prayers, for instance, are repeated three times. It’s a part of their ritual washings, their worship, and even some of their superstitions, like spitting. 🙂 Repeating a blessing, a truth, or a command three times, it is believed, not only adds emphasis and significance, but a sense of permanence.

In light of this, consider chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, where Jesus gave the commandment to “Love one another” three times in three sentences, spoken one right after the other.

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~ John 13:34-35

Maybe it was repeated simply for emphasis. But do any of us here think this “love one another” thing is anything other than a permanent command, without exception or qualification?

If there was any doubt in His disciples’ minds, Jesus reinforces this new command later on in John chapter 15. He explains that He has loved them the way His Father has loved Him, and He asks them to make themselves at home in His love. He says, basically,

 “If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in His love.”  ~ John 15:9-10 (The Message)

And then Jesus reminds them of what exactly and emphatically He commands.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you . . . This is my command: Love each other.” ~ John 15:12 and 15:17.

Clearly, love is not just a many-splendored thing.  It is a priority of permanent importance.

Love is also not just a New Testament thing.  The book of John has the most with 39 references. But it’s followed closely by Deuteronomy with 29.  So, definitely not just a New Testament thing.

There’s the call to love the foreigners among you, for you were once foreigners. (Deut. 10:18-19) And one of my favorites, of God showing love to a thousand generations. (Deut. 5:10)

Not to mention that “love thy neighbor” thing. (Lev. 19:18 and Matt. 22:39-40) Love him at least as much as you love yourself, not a little bit less, as we are much much more apt to do. And Paul’s reiteration of Jesus’ teaching that the entire law was fulfilled in keeping that one command to love your neighbor as yourself. (Galatians 5:14)

Then there’s the Sermon on the Mount. If I could give a title to this next set of verses from Jesus’ sledgehammer-striking sermon, I would entitle it, “Love: It’s Not Just For The Ones You Love.”

 “You have heard it said . . . But I tell you: Love your enemies . . .” ~ Matthew 5:43-44

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you . . . Give to everyone who asks you. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” ~ Luke 6:27-31

In other words, grant others the same respect and rights as you desire for yourself.

Even if you don’t much like them. Even if you don’t agree with them. Even if you don’t approve of their “lifestyle.”

And if you struggle with this, maybe imagine yourself on the other side of the same service counter for a moment, and then serve them as you would want to be served yourself.

Consider who His audience’s enemies were at the time Jesus was speaking. The Romans oppressed God’s people. And the Jews despised them for it. What Jesus was asking them to do was not easy: Love  anyway. If they ask of you, do. Give. He asked them to be merciful, as their Father is merciful, and to act in the best interest of others, even and especially those they despised.

The Lord asks this of us as well. Make no mistake. He knew it would take conscious and concerted effort to do this. He wins the award for dealing with a rebellious people in a rebellious world.  But He asks us to follow His and His Father’s example, and love anyway, love in action, and love well.

 “For the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” ~ Galatians 5:6

So if you’re struggling for firm footing in a world of shifting sands, if you’re looking for some word from The Lord you can hold onto for support, to guide you as you go, help you navigate, help you be true to the God you love and fair to your fellow man, if you’re truly desperate to stand on and obey God’s holy word . . . the answer is hard, but easy. Like parenthood. 🙂

Love anyway, love in action, love well, and thus fulfill the whole law.

 

David Goehring — Love is Law