Jesus Christ laid much emphasis on love in many of His heartfelt sermons and consistently admonished His disciples to love. Any true disciple would accept Master Jesus’ command to love, but the question is, who should we love? Or what does Jesus want us to love?
1. Loving God
God loves us all, the sinner and the righteous alike. Just as He loves us, He expects us, humans, to love Him too. Actually, He has long commanded that we should love Him, saying, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (De 6:5 NKJV). Jesus referred to this commandment as the first and greatest commandment. Hence, the Bible teaches us to love God first before anything.
However, the unbeliever and sinner cannot love God for he does not know God, nor acknowledge Him. Hence the command to love God is issued to the children of God or the people of God. In this dispensation, we Christians are the people of God and the charge to love God is upon our shoulders. Now, according to Jesus’ teachings, loving God is as simple as keeping His commandments.
2. Loving one’s neighbor
When Jesus was answering the question about the most important commandment, he said loving God is the most important commandment. Followed by loving your neighbor. In this context, your neighbor is everybody, family, friends, and strangers. Loving your neighbor emphasizes the importance of treating others with the same care, respect, and kindness that we would want for ourselves. This principle encourages individuals to consider the well-being and needs of their neighbors, promoting empathy, compassion, and community. By practicing this commandment, individuals can foster harmonious relationships, build stronger communities, and contribute to a more inclusive and caring society. (Mt 22:37-39). Loving your neighbor includes:
i. Loving our families
Jesus once said: ‘He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ (Mt 10:37). By this saying, we learn that we are required to love our families, however, we should not love them more than Jesus. In human society, the strongest love bond occurs in the family.
However, it is not always true to find love in the family for some families are torn apart due to factors such as selfishness, greed for property or money, misunderstanding, etc. which kindle the flames of hatred, envy, strife, etc. leaving no space for love and peace to prevail. Sometimes, the hatred and misunderstanding in the family spill over to the point where family members begin to sue and destroy one another.
You might have a bad mother or a bad father, but as far as love your neighbor as yourself is concerned you have to love him. You might have bad siblings who are greedy, selfish, unloving, etc. but as far as Jesus’ teachings are concerned, we are required to love them. You might be handling children who are naughty and stubborn, but so far as the teachings of Jesus is concerned, you have to love them.
ii. Loving our enemies
Loving one’s enemy is a challenge for many believers because of human nature. The natural man would like to love those who love him and hate those who hate him. In other words, the natural man would like to hate his enemies to pay them back for their hatred.
Jesus knew human weakness and our inclination to love those who love us and hate those who hate us. So He categorically commanded His disciples to love their enemies, where our enemies are those who curse us, those who hate us, those who despitefully use us, and those who persecute us (Mt 5:44). Hear for yourself what He said:
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Mt 5:43-48
iii. Loving one another as Christians
At some point, Jesus knew His time of suffering and death was at hand. And He began to pour out His soul to His disciples. While Jesus and His disciples were reclining at the table during the last supper, knowing that His time was near, Jesus taught His disciples passionately. Among the things He said, He commanded them that, as His disciples, they should love one another:
- A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35
- This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12
- These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17
Jesus Christ once said that a kingdom that is divided among itself cannot stand. For the kingdom of God or Christianity to prevail on this earth, Christians should be united in love. Love should be the bonding factor among Christians or in the church. Where there is no love, hatred, fear, and mistrust prevail. These further drive men to disagree, quarrel, fight, kill, etc. Jesus wanted the bond of love among His disciples so much that He prayed for it, saying:
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26)
Conclusion
Jesus Christ wants us to love God and our neighbor – where neighbor refers to anyone including family, enemies, fellow believers, etc.