day 11

1 John 2:7-8

It is amazing that the Christian faith is so centered on love for others. In our day many would like to change this focus to the love of oneself as being the first love. The Bible gives us a different direction and that is that the love of God should be the first-place focus of love. It should then move to the love of others. The love of oneself is assumed.

The Old and New testaments are full of examples of how loving God and loving others, has always been the way for God’s people to live. St. John later on says that which we have heard from the beginning is to love one another, 1 John 3:11. Love is the main motivator for the kingdom people of God. I have had the pleasure, during my lifetime, of meeting many believers. Some of them say that they are liberal and others say that they are conservative. When I went to seminary it was very important to be seen as conservative or liberal. What I found quite disturbing was that in spite of each group’s insistence upon having a correct interpretation of God’s word neither group was especially motivated by genuine self-sacrificing love. For the most part they seemed preoccupied with looking down upon each other and talking behind the other group’s back. I think that in this case they have missed the main point of the faith.

This message of love is not a Christian thing but something that is strongly rooted in our Jewish roots. It is not uncommon to run into people who, mistakenly, say that the Old Testament is only full of violence and an angry God. The case for love as the basis of relationship with God is firmly stated first in the Jewish Bible or Old Testament. It can be seen in verses like Deuteronomy 11:1, 13; 19:9; 30:6, 16, just to name a few places.

When Jesus comes onto the scene he reiterates this. He does not abolish the law but fulfills it. He gives the clear and correct interpretation of God’s Torah, his words of instruction for life. He becomes the physical representation of what life in harmony with God’s Torah looks like. That life is marked by crazy love (to one’s enemies and to people whom society looks down upon (Samaritans)), righteousness, justice and mercy. While at the same time that Jesus is bringing to light that which is from the beginning he is also bringing something new.

The only new commandment that Jesus gave is to love each other as he has loved us. That is experiencing and knowing about the love of God should strongly motivate us to genuinely love others, John 13:34; 15:12, 16-18. Jesus is the light of the world, John 8:12. He is the illumination, by which, those who wander darkness can find their way out into the light. He is the glory of the invisible God who lives in an unapproachable light. When the light of God’s face shines upon us we experience goodness, Psalm 4:6. God has promised to make the darkness light before those who are blind, Isaiah 42:16 and thus lead them where they need to go. For it is God’s word which lights up the path that we walk on, Psalm 119:105. God is light that is the absence of darkness, John 1:5. As the light of God fills up our innermost parts the darkness has not choice but to retreat. If the darkness in verse 8 is understood in the middle voice it would mean that the darkness I fading away of its own accord. This is how darkness works. It can only be present as long as there is no light.

In Christ is the true light. This light is reflected in the life of the believers and manifested by their love for others. This becomes the basis for St. John other test for being a true follower of Jesus Christ. We have been commanded to love as Jesus has loved us. I hope that this day will be marked by a genuine love to the people that I meet.

Peace