The Simplest, Yet Hardest Command

[hldude33]

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“The Simplest, Yet Hardest Command”
John 15:2 NIV
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

This passage came up the past week as the verse of the day in the Bible app. Each time I come across this passage, I am reminded of two things. First, it’s one of the most simple commands to understand. You don’t need a college or seminary degree to understand what it means. Second, even though it’s a simple command, it must be one of the hardest commands to live out in our lives.

I often find myself wondering why it seems so difficult to love some people. I want to love others with a genuine love of Christ. I want them to see Him in me and through me. However, I’m often finding it hard to love people who are way different than me. Instead of taking the perspective and attitude that I can love on people and learn so much from them in how they are different, I find myself feeling like I want to stick with small talk and go to talk to others I get along with better.

I know I’m not alone in this feeling. As I consider this, I’m remembering 2 different quotes I’ve seen in the past from TobyMac. One is “Love Difficult People. You’re one of them.” The other quote is “When Jesus said love your neighbor, He knew your neighbor would act, look, believe and love differently than you. It’s kind of the whole point.”

Those 2 quotes are so very powerful and they should stick in our minds every day when we encounter others who we won’t feel as comfortable talking to. We are commanded to love others, especially those who are different from us. I tend to often forget God wants me to learn from others that are different from me. I often want to shy away from getting into conversations that make me a bit uncomfortable.

We all need to remember the people Jesus came into contact with on a daily basis. He got his hands dirty talking to people who were way different and He interacted with them to show the love of God. God calls us to live this command out and reach out to people in any ways we can to show His love.

Funny thing is, even if we talk to people who are different from us, that doesn’t mean we have to agree with what they say or what they do. We can respectfully disagree and still show the love of God. However, I am not good at conversations where I disagree with people. I’ve just never been good at those discussions. I need to remember that I can learn from them and they can learn from me. Showing love and respect is the key.

Jesus told us to love others. No one is excluded from that command.

 

[Aunty Jane]

The Simplest, Yet Hardest Command”
John 15:2 NIV
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

I am surprised that no one has commented on this post….because understanding what Jesus said is so important!
But before we can understand what he said, we must first know what kind of love Jesus spoke about.

In the Greek language there are four different words for “love”…the one word we use for all four kinds in English translations.
Understanding the meaning of those four words helps us to see what Jesus meant.

Koine Greek, (the language of Jesus’ day) mainly employs forms of the words…. a·gaʹpe, phi·liʹa, stor·geʹ and eʹros, but a·gaʹpe appears more frequently than the other terms.

Of the noun a·gaʹpe and the verb a·ga·paʹo, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words says….. “Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son, I John 4:9, 10. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects, Rom. 5:8. It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself, cp. Deut. 7:7, 8.”—1981, Vol. 3, p. 21.

Regarding the verb phi·leʹo, Vine comments: “[It] is to be distinguished from agapao in this, that phileo more nearly represents tender affection. . . . Again, to love (phileo) life, from an undue desire to preserve it, forgetful of the real object of living, meets with the Lord’s reproof, John 12:25. On the contrary, to love life (agapao) as used in I Pet. 3:10, is to consult the true interests of living. Here the word phileo would be quite inappropriate.”—Vol. 3, pp. 21, 22.

To understand the simple difference in these words, read John 21:15 where Jesus asks Peter a question….
“So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You knowthat I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

There are two different words used for “love” in that verse. The first is “agape”, but the second is “philea”.
“Agape” is known by the unselfish actions it prompts…..whereas ”philea” is more about tender affection, or having a loving attachment to someone. Peter confirmed that his “love” for Christ was more than the principle of love, but based on tender affection for him.

Agape does not necessarily mean that we must have affection for the person but that our love for them is based on the love that God has shown for all mankind in offering his son to redeem them.…this is an offer made to even gross sinners who may have the heart to completely turn their lives around, if they are exposed to the truth of God’s word……like many former criminals have…and like the most famous sinner who held sway over God’s people as their most wicked king…Manasseh. When he repented, God forgave him. In the resurrection, he will be among the “righteous”. (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15)

So we can see that the use of these Greek terms is different in each place, reflecting a deeper understanding of the terms that the single word in English fails to convey.

Eros is the 4th word and means romantic or sexual love….the kind that “love songs” are written about. But this love is not even mentioned in the Christian Scriptures…..it does not hold the same importance as the more principled and noble kinds of love.

So in short, understanding that the Greek words are not fully conveyed in our English Scripture, should lead us to some interesting research to find out which kind of love Jesus meant…..and appropriately it is a·gaʹpe or it’s derivative.

This is the love that can have affection attached to it, but not necessarily. It is a love based on principle, so this is the kind of love we can have for even our enemies…the kind that does not allow hatred or prejudice to creep into our treatment of them. (Matt 5:44-45) We can love them in the sense of not allowing ourselves to hate them or to exercise ill will against them.

So getting back to your OP, the “love” that seems to be difficult, is not so difficult when you know how to apply it. You can “love” everyone as Christ loved them, and while they were sinners, he gave his life for them. This is what prompts true Christians to go out in the search and rescue mission that he gave to all of his disciples (Matt 28:19-20; Matt24:14)…..we love people enough to sacrifice our time, energy and resourses to take the message of God’s Kingdom out to all who will listen….this is the way we show our love to even those who reject what we say. (Matt 10:11-14)

 

[Gottservant]

I had to force myself to read this!

I thought about being smart and saying "the last commandment is the hardest" - but that doesn't answer the unction of the Holy Spirit that we should be taking this seriously.

I think that as the days wear on, we will be more aware of this - it's good that you brought it up and you should!

 

[Adrift]

It is also a difficult mind frame when killing people on the battlefield. We only think of the brothers who died yesterday, and, in that moment, it fills me with a hot-tempered hatred. Years later, with gray hair, I replay those scenes and try again. It's still difficult.