Love a Stranger?

10/14/2022

Here’s something that just popped into my little noggin that might make sense to someone somewhere.

Let’s picture two people who have never met. They live in a country that has a law that demands people love one another — under penalty of death.

If, say, you and I live in that country but in towns hundreds of miles apart, how exactly do we love one another? We have never met and certainly don’t know one thing about each other. Maybe, if we were neighbors… But what if we were?

Maybe we couldn’t stand each other. Maybe the better we got to know each other, the worse the relationship would become. Maybe we would end up despising one another. Who would come up with such a stupid law in the first place? Were they out of their mind? It is simply impossible to love someone you’ve never met, isn’t it?

Nevertheless, the Bible says the God of Israel did make that law, and the Son of God insisted on people following it. You have probably heard it before, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:37–38 (NIV)

Who does He think he’s talking to?

He’s talking to people that did know Him, the Israelis.

Not a minor point.

What about the rest of us?

• God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
• He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I’m confident that if people met Him and got to know Him — even just a little — they would have no trouble loving Him and obeying that law : “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” James 2:8 (NIV)

The reason that it is important to me is my essays are purposed to clarify Bible words so people can make an educated decision on choosing whether or not to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their first and foremost rescuer, the Son of God.

Start with God. Start with Jesus.