Nothing Without Love
What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? It does not mean just to attend the Sunday service with Eucharist. It does not mean just to read the bible. It does not mean just to spend much time for preaching and volunteering. It does not mean just to pray for others. Rather we all Christians know that it means to do all the above with LOVE, as Paul wrote in the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13.1-3)
It sounds natural, but let us take a closer look at what these words exactly mean. We would then discern how shocking it is. It implies that Jesus would not admit my faith unless I have genuine love no matter how I had lived out faithful life with the tongue of angels, prophetic powers, strong faith of removing mountains, and offering all my properties. Paul affirmed that any religious practice is nothing without love. If so, how can we love?
First, I thought the act of loving others should begin from childlike humility. Jesus taught us to be humble like a little child. Moreover, childlike humility is an essential requirement to dwell in the Heaven, as written in the Gospel of Matthew.
My second idea on the act of loving others is simply not to abominate someone who seriously hurts and bothers me. In other words, love is to understand enemies and embrace their weakness. Let me remind you of some episodes in the Gospel of Luke. Disciples of Jesus were denouncing malevolent acts of some people that were fatally harmful to Jesus' authority. For example, they reported an exorcist who did not follow with them but casted out demons in the name of Jesus. Their concern was reasonable since his act might distort the truth of Jesus' gospel. However, Jesus' response to their suggestion was surprising. He replied to them, "Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you" (Luke 9.50). The disgruntled disciples did not bow to necessity, but raised another problem of Samaritans who refused to receive Jesus. They were extremely belligerent with anger and showed hostility against the rude Gentiles, watching for a chance to take cruel revenge without mercy; indeed they asked: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9.54) I inwardly expected Jesus would presumably tell "Be patient. Their vicious acts would cost themselves." Unexpectedly he rebuked his disciples. They were burning with the sense of justice, but they had no love toward Samaritans. In the view of disciples, the Samaritans were disrupters of Jesus' gospel who deserve to be wiped out. But, Jesus was burning with the sense of love; in his view, they were just pitiful people who desperately need the good news of salvation from Messiah. We see a similar episode in the Joseph's story in the Book of Genesis.
However, not to hate others is just a passive aspect of loving. My third idea on true love is not simply to avoid hatred but also to sacrifice myself for enemies. Jesus described, with detailed examples, what loving enemies looked like.
In the worship service today [1], God was tenderly whispering to me, "Love one another as I have loved you." He then helped me to realize keenly how my Christian life has been hollow and hypocritical without love. What do you see whenever looking at the Cross? I see God's unconditional love. I also listen to an inner cry of my soul, "Lord, let me bear my holy cross with great joy so that I can love others as you love me."
References
First, I thought the act of loving others should begin from childlike humility. Jesus taught us to be humble like a little child. Moreover, childlike humility is an essential requirement to dwell in the Heaven, as written in the Gospel of Matthew.
Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18.3-5)What would be the features of childlike humility? I empirically inferred that it may be revealed with five properties such as joyful dependence, open-heartedness, simplicity, complete faith, and obedience. How could we imagine someone who can love others without such personalities? I believe the childlike humility makes us rely on God, and provides a good spiritual foundation for us to love others.
My second idea on the act of loving others is simply not to abominate someone who seriously hurts and bothers me. In other words, love is to understand enemies and embrace their weakness. Let me remind you of some episodes in the Gospel of Luke. Disciples of Jesus were denouncing malevolent acts of some people that were fatally harmful to Jesus' authority. For example, they reported an exorcist who did not follow with them but casted out demons in the name of Jesus. Their concern was reasonable since his act might distort the truth of Jesus' gospel. However, Jesus' response to their suggestion was surprising. He replied to them, "Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you" (Luke 9.50). The disgruntled disciples did not bow to necessity, but raised another problem of Samaritans who refused to receive Jesus. They were extremely belligerent with anger and showed hostility against the rude Gentiles, watching for a chance to take cruel revenge without mercy; indeed they asked: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9.54) I inwardly expected Jesus would presumably tell "Be patient. Their vicious acts would cost themselves." Unexpectedly he rebuked his disciples. They were burning with the sense of justice, but they had no love toward Samaritans. In the view of disciples, the Samaritans were disrupters of Jesus' gospel who deserve to be wiped out. But, Jesus was burning with the sense of love; in his view, they were just pitiful people who desperately need the good news of salvation from Messiah. We see a similar episode in the Joseph's story in the Book of Genesis.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come closer to me.' And they came closer. He said, 'I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Genesis 45.4-8)Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers, but he was forgiving, embracing, and blessing them. His forgiveness and brotherly love were genuine as he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them (Genesis 45.15). He had no hatred, no resentment, no grudge, and no anger, rather he was full of affection, sympathy, compassion, and love toward his brothers. From these verses, we can reconfirm that he could not love his brothers at all had it not been for his childlike humility of trusting God.
However, not to hate others is just a passive aspect of loving. My third idea on true love is not simply to avoid hatred but also to sacrifice myself for enemies. Jesus described, with detailed examples, what loving enemies looked like.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6.27-31)I am filled with great admiration whenever I visualize this image of love. Imagine someone who tries to make a cat's paw of me. He disguises to be poor and pitiful but intends to arouse my sympathy, steal my possessions, and finally destroy my family. I am already feeling out his wicked intention. Now am I ready to give him all that he wants? Jesus asks me to take out everything for him. For it would be the highest perfection of true love. Jesus' crucifixion is the best model of true love. He sacrificed himself for us who mocked, insulted, and hated, as he taught, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (Luke 15:12-13).
In the worship service today [1], God was tenderly whispering to me, "Love one another as I have loved you." He then helped me to realize keenly how my Christian life has been hollow and hypocritical without love. What do you see whenever looking at the Cross? I see God's unconditional love. I also listen to an inner cry of my soul, "Lord, let me bear my holy cross with great joy so that I can love others as you love me."
References
- The Lessons Appointed for Use on the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).
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