I’m a rule follower; it’s easier to live that way. I appreciate the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments give me a set of rules to follow, what to do and what not to do: “Thou shall” and Thou shall not.” They work for rule followers like me.
But now we have this new commandment from Jesus. No “Thou shalls” and no “Thou shall nots,” just love.
And now we have some decisions to make. We will encounter gray areas and personal feelings. Can we love when it’s hard? Can we love when someone hurts us? Can we love when someone has broken one of the Ten Commandments? Can we love when mistakes are made? Can we love when others are different than we are? If we can love when it’s hard, live with human error, overlook mistakes, accept differences and forgive, then Jesus tells us that, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (verse 34) Jesus is asking us to use all our heart, all our understanding and all our strength to look beyond our neighbour’s humanity and to love.
Jesus doesn’t give easy jobs.
God, fill us with love and help us to live the greatest Commandment, love. Amen. —