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By
Rabbi Glenn Harris
Even though the First Century was a time of great
spiritual vitality, not everything was well within
Messiah’s Holy Community of Jews and Gentiles.
Within seventy years of Messiah’s coming, heresy
had already taken root in Messiah's Holy Community
of Jews and Gentiles. It was a synthesis of Messianic
Judaism and Greek philosophical dualism. It taught
that matter was inherently evil, and spirit inherently
good. It was being propagated by respected and
otherwise able teachers who had defected from
the faith. They had become false teachers, claiming
that their unique, superior knowledge about the
spiritual realm would provide salvation for those
who followed them. The heretics boasted of possessing
a “new teaching” and a deeper spiritual knowledge,
but their teaching was deeply flawed. In his first
letter, Yochanan (John) gives a number of tests
to help us determine if we are in the true faith,
and remain part of God’s genuine community.
What
is the greatest single piece of evidence that
we belong to Yeshua? It is our love for one another,
as Yochanan, who was the last of the living emissaries
sent by the Lord, wrote in his first letter: For
this is the message which you have heard from
the beginning, that we should love one another,
not as Kayin (Cain) who was of the evil one, and
killed his brother. And for what reason did he
slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his
brother’s were righteous. Do not marvel, brothers,
if the world hates you. We know that we have passed
out of death into life, because we love the brothers.
He who does not love abides in death (1 John
3:11-14).
What
Is Love?
Plato described love as “a grave mental disease.”
Perhaps he saw it as an annoyance, intruding upon
his philosophical disciplines. But certainly Plato
wasn’t talking as much about love as about infatuation.
Our culture often misapplies the word “love” to
describe what is really infatuation, the emotional
highs and lows of wanting another person’s affection.
That was probably what Thomas Carlyle was thinking
when he spoke of love as, “not altogether
a delirium, yet it has many points in common.”
Delirium? Would genuine love cause us to lose
hold of rationality? Of course not, yet it was
this false idea of what constitutes “love” which
prompted Nietzsche to describe it as, “The state
in which a man sees things most decidedly as they
are not.”
The romantic
definition of “love” definitely has its limits.
Whatever love may be, there are a number of things
it certainly is not. For example, love does not
mean having nice feelings about people. Neither
does love entail doing other people’s jobs for
them or shielding those we care about from the
consequences of their illegal, sinful or
foolish actions. Contrary to Erich Segal’s philosophy
in “Love Story,” love may mean frequently
having to say you’re sorry! Let’s see if we can
improve on that list, by considering some of Rabbi
Paul’s thoughts about love:
Love
Isn’t Jealous
It is not possessive. It is confident, generous,
strong, and not easily threatened by perceived
competition.
Love
Isn’t Arrogant
Boastful or arrogant behavior is usually masking
some form of deep-seated insecurity. It may attempt
to pass itself off as strength or superiority,
but to the discerning, it is apparent that such
a person lacks inner confidence and self-respect.
Love, on the other hand, is confident. Love is
true power and it enables its possessors to carry
themselves quietly, humbly and with dignity.
Love
Doesn’t Act Unbecomingly
Contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal of “love” causing
people to go to extreme (even comedic) lengths
to win the object of their affection, genuine
love is thoughtful, considerate of others, and
wellbehaved. Those who are truly lovers conduct
themselves at all times with wisdom and discretion.
Love
Isn’t Self-Serving
Love is concerned with the wellbeing of the one
loved, not consumed with its own objectives, which
is why a young man who truly loves a young woman
would never pressure her to engage in premarital
sexual activity. The best response to the manipulative
young man who says, “If you loved me you would...”
is “If you loved me, you wouldn’t
pressure me to do something I know is wrong...”
Love is preoccupied with doing what is best for
the other person, not with seeking its own satisfaction.
Love
Doesn’t Keep A List Of Offenses
The person who loves is willing to forgive, and
will not call up past offenses as a means of gaining
emotional leverage in order to have his or her
way. Love seeks justice, not gaining personal
victory at all costs.
Love
Isn’t Selfish
It isn’t about fulfilling my personal ambitions
and desires. It isn’t even necessarily about me
helping you fulfill your ambitions and desires,
since some of the things you may desire may not
be in your best interest. Love seeks the highest
good for others, whether they appreciate it or
not. Love sometimes requires unpleasant tasks
of us. That’s why we occasionally must correct
those we love. Love will do whatever it takes,
irrespective of the cost to itself, to bring about
the best possible end result for another. That’s
why we have such a hard time loving, and it is
why God Himself is the consummate definition of
love. He expressed His love for us in the clearest
possible terms, by sending His Son Yeshua, to
die in our place, to exchange His righteousness
for our sinfulness, and in so doing, to give us
eternal life. But God’s love came at such a cost!
Love
Is From The Beginning
Yochanan tells us that the command to love one
another is not new. It has been heard from the
beginning. One might ask, “the beginning of what?”
The answer is provided for us in the mention of
Kayin, son of Adam and Eve, the third human being
to inhabit the Earth. Hence, Yochanan means from
the beginning of man’s existence on Earth.
Two
Interesting Facts About Love
In the first place, there are approximately 500
references in the Holy Scriptures to the words
“love,” “loves,” “loved” and “loving.” That may
seem like a lot of love, but it is proportionally
very small when you consider that the Bible contains
well over three quarters of a million words. Nevertheless,
however infrequently the word itself may appear,
love for God and for one another is the central
theme of the entire Book. The second interesting
fact concerns where the very first mention of
human love appears in the Bible. It is, of all
places, in Genesis chapter 22, where we read of
the Akedah (binding), where Avraham is
called upon to offer up his son Yitzchak, whom
he loves, as a burnt offering. How remarkable
that the first mention of love in all the Scriptures
concerns great personal sacrifice!
Love
Is Found In Torah
How has this message about love been communicated?
God first gave us this foundational teaching in
the Torah. One might say, “Sure, loving God is
commanded in the Torah, but this thing about loving
your neighbor as yourself - that’s the New Testament,
isn’t it?” Actually, it is first recorded in Vayikra
(Leviticus). In fact, in Vayikra 19:34 we were
even commanded to love the “ger” (stranger, resident
alien) as we love ourselves.
Love
Others, But Expect To Be Hated
In calling us to love one another, Yochanan employs
a stark contrast: ...not as Kayin, who was
of the evil one, and killed his brother. The
message of loving one another has been known from
the beginning; unfortunately, love’s opposite
has also manifested itself from the beginning.
Yochanan calls to mind what happened with Kayin
and Chevel (Abel). Chevel’s offering was accepted
by Adonai, whereas Kayin’s was not. Kayin was
furious over this, and though the Lord offered
him both a warning against sin and an opportunity
to repent, Kayin hardened his heart, and ultimately
became the first murderer - of his own brother!
Now most
of us, though we might admit that our love for
others is far from perfect, are certainly not
murderers. Did Yochanan really need to draw such
a radical dichotomy, and in such absolute terms?
If we believe (and I do) that the Scriptures are
inspired by God, then there is an important reason
we are supposed to see this contrast. He goes
on to ask... And for what reason did he slay
him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s
were righteous. We may live in a world of
philosophical shades of gray, but the spiritual
realm is light versus darkness, and good versus
evil. Moral neutrality really amounts to moral
bankruptcy. This applies even more to the
spiritual realm. There is certainly no such thing
as spiritual neutrality. One is either hot or
cold towards God. Chevel, through no action of
his own, simply by virtue of his virtue, became
the object of his brother’s hatred. There was
no logic or reason to Kayin’s hatred - it was
rooted in spiritual darkness.
The spiritual
realm is governed by its own kind of gravity.
Evil would sooner drag goodness down than allow
itself to be lifted and helped into the light.
People involved in wrongdoing would much rather
have you join them in their wrong (and, in so
doing, forfeit your right to say anything about
it) than make the effort to come clean and forsake
their sin. It is so much easier to pull others
down than to pull oneself up. Like a black hole
in the recesses of space, darkness not only doesn’t
want to come into the light, it wants to pull
whatever light there is into its darkness.
Yochanan
writes these things because he sees the first
two brother as archetypes of the unbelieving world
and its hatred for the community of Yeshua’s followers.
To the extent that you live your life in a manner
that pleases God, you daily remind those around
you that they are not right with Him. If
you have ever had to confront someone about a
wrongdoing, or if you have ever been outspoken
for the cause of Yeshua, you know that it can
be easy to make enemies. It may not be your desire
to make enemies, but if you are publicly identifying
with Yeshua and believe in standing up for what
is right, you will quickly find out who is with
you and who is against you; and those who are
against you are sometimes really against you!
Those
in darkness might accuse those in the light of
being intolerant, but the fact is, darkness can
be quite intolerant itself. Anyone who has
ever, for conscience’ sake, politely declined
an invitation to join co-workers in a couple of
rounds of drinks after work, can tell you that
they soon found themselves unwelcome in that circle
of people. As children of God, we never threaten,
but are perceived as a threat. We may be accused
of bigotry, arrogance, intolerance, narrow-mindedness;
some may even consider us dangerous; and dangerous
we are - not to society, but to society’s twisted
values and absence of virtue.
Passing
From Death To Life
If we are loathed by those who loathe Yeshua,
it must be obvious that we belong to Him. However,
it is not the extent of unbelievers’ distaste
for us, but rather our love for one another, that
demonstrates that we truly belong to God.
We know that we have passed out of death into
life, because we love the brothers. By love
Yochanan does not mean warm, fuzzy feelings, but
rather commitment to the physical, moral, spiritual
and emotional well-being of the Kehilah - the
assembly of God’s people. This was an immensely
comforting verse to me as a new believer in Yeshua.
Long before I knew the Scriptures, before I understood
God’s grace, before I realized that salvation
had nothing to do with how well I performed, I
knew one thing - I loved my spiritual brothers.
That was, according to Yochanan, the surest proof
of belonging to God - love for His people; and
if there was one thing I knew, it was that I genuinely
loved my new-found family in Messiah. I wanted
to be where they were. My ears would perk up whenever
I heard people discussing the Bible in a restaurant
or some other public place, and I would always
ask to join them. My heart was full of joy just
to be with others who loved Yeshua. Maybe I loved
them all the more because Yeshua was my first
love, and I had not lost that first love.
Tradition
records that Yochanan, in his later years, would
rise up in the midst of the congregation, spread
out his hands and say, “Brothers, love one another.”
So often did he do this, that once he was questioned
by a young believer, “Why do you always say the
same thing, that we should love one another?”
“My child,” he responded, “if we can master this
one thing, all else will follow.”
Do you
love your brothers and sisters in the Faith? What
is the quality of your love? Yochanan is not asking
whether you have nice feelings about them, but
whether you are committed to the well-being of
your brothers and sisters in Messiah. Are you?
Is your love measurable and observable? Ask yourself,
“when was the last time I went out of my way for
the sake of a brother or sister in Messiah?” Does
your love have as its source the love of Yeshua
in your innermost being? Does it come naturally?
Genuine, unselfish love for others is not natural
to the man or woman who has not had a change of
nature. If you have not yet allowed Adonai
to circumcise your heart, if you have not yet
recognized Yeshua as your Messiah and sin-bearer,
I urge you not to put it off so much as one day.
And when you yield to Him, He will change you,
and your love will be evident! And we must love,
for he who does not love abides in death.
Although a statement such as this may be intellectually
unfashionable and politically incorrect, it’s
true nevertheless. Our eternal destination is
either heaven or hell. Our lives will either be
characterized by light or by darkness, by truth
or by error, by love or by hate. May God grant
us the capacity to earnestly love one another,
in accordance with this ancient and unchanging
mandate.
Shalom
and Love!
Rabbi Glenn Harris |
