In Philippians 2.12-13 the apostle Paul counsels the church to 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling FOR God is at work in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure'. God is at work in us; therefore, we can work out what He has already done within.
Ephesians 5.1-2 sets out an important aspect of the conduct of the Christian: walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us (repeated in 5.25 to husbands). In 5.1-2 we are called to be 'imitators of God' (!): to be like our parent seeing we are his children. We, who have been loved beforehand (even when we were enemies of God, Rom 5.10) are called to walk in LOVE. ('Walk' means 'to conduct your lives' [according to the will of God].)
A nuance which we miss in the original Hebrew is that the same phrase occurs in both OT passages ve' ahavta ('and you shall love'); we miss the point because we don't know that Jesus was relying on a rabbinic rule called 'a comparison of equals' (see Lois Tverberg's site) to place these two passages side by side as he does. Apparently the rule can be applied if the duplicate phrase does not often occur. I don't think Jesus made this connection before anyone else--in Luke 10. 27 a lawyer quotes the two commandments together--but what is clear is that love of God and of neighbour is important for the walk of the Christian (e.g., Rom 12.9-21; 13.8-10). Jesus goes so far as to say, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt 22.40).
I also appreciate CS Lewis' comment on love: 'Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained' which Tverberg also gives because he expresses so well the core of love, the 'steady wish for the good of the one loved'.
Love acts mercifully and compassionately, and Jesus knowing that answers the question, How can I be a neighbour to someone I meet?
This lawyer clearly just wanted to have a verbal joust but Jesus went straight for the heart of the matter. He threw his hearers off-balance completely by introducing a hated Samaritan into the parable. This despised Samaritan acts in mercy towards a Jew who has been beaten up by robbers and left for dead. The Jew is his sworn enemy but he acts in the spirit of Jesus' understanding of Lev 19.18 whereas two other Jews have passed by their Jewish countryman and left him to fend for himself.
It would appear that Lev 19.18 teaches Israel that it was not to seek revenge on a kinsman or friend and that Jesus appears to be extending that understanding to include all those that we met by our wayside regardless of their race, station or creed.
Ephesians 5.1-2 sets out an important aspect of the conduct of the Christian: walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us (repeated in 5.25 to husbands). In 5.1-2 we are called to be 'imitators of God' (!): to be like our parent seeing we are his children. We, who have been loved beforehand (even when we were enemies of God, Rom 5.10) are called to walk in LOVE. ('Walk' means 'to conduct your lives' [according to the will of God].)
Walk In Love
Love is pervasive in both Testaments of the Holy Scriptures. Israel from Moses onwards had the written law which was summarised by Jesus as loving God with all their heart (Deut 6.1-5) and loving neighbours as those like themselves (Lev 19.8).A nuance which we miss in the original Hebrew is that the same phrase occurs in both OT passages ve' ahavta ('and you shall love'); we miss the point because we don't know that Jesus was relying on a rabbinic rule called 'a comparison of equals' (see Lois Tverberg's site) to place these two passages side by side as he does. Apparently the rule can be applied if the duplicate phrase does not often occur. I don't think Jesus made this connection before anyone else--in Luke 10. 27 a lawyer quotes the two commandments together--but what is clear is that love of God and of neighbour is important for the walk of the Christian (e.g., Rom 12.9-21; 13.8-10). Jesus goes so far as to say, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt 22.40).
How do we love our neighbour?
How then do we love our neighbour? Tverberg answers this question in terms of the Golden Rule: 'do unto others as you would have them do to you' (Matt 7.12). Another answer she gives is the adoption of the negative version of the Rule: 'don't do to others what you wouldn't want others to do to you'. With children certainly the negative version is perhaps more effective!I also appreciate CS Lewis' comment on love: 'Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained' which Tverberg also gives because he expresses so well the core of love, the 'steady wish for the good of the one loved'.
Who is my neighbour? How can I be a neighbour?
Jesus was asked 'who is my neighbour' by a lawyer in Luke 10.29. We shouldn't miss the point that this lawyer wanted to 'justify himself' by asking the question. And we shouldn't miss the fact that Jesus did not answer his question directly.Love acts mercifully and compassionately, and Jesus knowing that answers the question, How can I be a neighbour to someone I meet?
This lawyer clearly just wanted to have a verbal joust but Jesus went straight for the heart of the matter. He threw his hearers off-balance completely by introducing a hated Samaritan into the parable. This despised Samaritan acts in mercy towards a Jew who has been beaten up by robbers and left for dead. The Jew is his sworn enemy but he acts in the spirit of Jesus' understanding of Lev 19.18 whereas two other Jews have passed by their Jewish countryman and left him to fend for himself.
It would appear that Lev 19.18 teaches Israel that it was not to seek revenge on a kinsman or friend and that Jesus appears to be extending that understanding to include all those that we met by our wayside regardless of their race, station or creed.
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