HOW FAR-REACHING IS YOUR LOVE?

              "You must love your neighbor as yourself." -MATTHEW 22:39


WHEN Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment, he answered:  "You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind."  Then he quoted a second commandment similar to the first:  "You must love your neighbor  as yourself." (Matthew 22:37, 39)  Yes, love of neighbor is a mark of a Christian. Indeed, if we love Jehovah, we must love our neighbor. Why? Because we show our love of God by obeying his Word, and his Word commands us to love our neighbor.  Hence, if we do not love our brothers and sisters, our love of God cannot be genuine. -Romans 13:8; 1 John 2:5; 4:20, 21.

When Jesus said that we should love our neighbor, he was speaking of more than friendship. And he was referring to a love that is different from that which naturally exists within families or between a man and a woman.  He was speaking of the kind of love that Jehovah has for his dedicated servants and that they have for him.  (John 17:26; 1 John 4:11, 19 )  A Jewish scribe-who, as Jesus discerned, was speaking intelligently-agreed with Jesus that love of God should be "with one's whole heart and with one's whole understanding and with one's whole strength." (Mark 12:28-34) He was correct. The love a Christian cultivates both for God and for neighbor involves our emotions and our intellect. It is felt in the heart and is guided by the mind. 

As reported by Luke, when Jesus said that we should love our neighbor,  "a certain man versed in the Law" asked:  "Who really is my neighbor?"  Jesus answered with a parable.  A man was beaten, robbed, and left half dead by the wayside. First a priest and then a Levite walked by.  Both ignored him. Finally, a Samaritan came along, saw the wounded man, and acted with great kindness toward him. Which of these three was a neighbor to the wounded man?  The answer was obvious.  (Luke 10:25-37)  The man versed in the Law may have been shocked to hear Jesus say that a Samaritan could be a better neighbor than a priest and a Levite. Clearly, Jesus was helping that man to love his neighbor in a more far-reaching way.  Christians too love in such a way. Consider all those whom their love embraces. 

Next time: Love Within the Family 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001