1 John 4:7-21
God's LOVE and Our Love
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God;but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
John 13:34-35
Jesus Gives His Disciples a New Command
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Mark 12:28-34
The Greatest Commandment
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
St. John wrote much about love...He is called the Disciple of Love...He was taught much about love from His Teacher...He learned from Jesus that we should love everyone in a neighborly way...St. John writes let us love one another, for love comes from God....Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God...Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is LOVE...This is how God showed His LOVE among us: He sent his One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him...This is love: not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins...Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another...No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His LOVE is made complete in us...This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us His Spirit...And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world...If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they live in God...And so we know and can rely on the LOVE God has for us...God is LOVE...Therefore, LOVE is the most powerful force in the universe...Love flows from the Spirit of God...Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them...This is how love is made complete in and among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus...Love makes us like Jesus...
And Love helps us in times of fear...We live and therefore we sometimes fear...But their is this Perfect LOVE that God has...It is the goal of the believer to have this kind of LOVE...There is no fear in this kind of LOVE...And Perfect LOVE drives out fear, because fear has to do with worry, threats, and punishment...Fear gives us thoughts of dread, while love gives us inspiring, caring, happy and pleasing thoughts...Fear brings us down and wears on us...Love uplifts us, and brings us peace and joy...If your thoughts and emotions are completely immersed in love, you fear very little...The one who fears is not made perfect in God's LOVE...We love because God first LOVED us...Whoever claims to love God yet hates his neighbor is not following the commands of Jesus...Jesus teaches us to love God, and to also love our neighbor...For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen...Jesus, in telling us of the Great Commandments, has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister...We are to love our neighbors...
When and if we have the love of God on our minds first and foremost, we are inspired...We are inspired to love others, and to love our neighbors...This teaching of loving our neighbor was fundamental in Jesus' teachings...When He was ask by a teacher about the Law of Moses, which is the most important commandment, Jesus answered this way...“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One...Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’...The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’...There is no commandment greater than these.”...“Well said, Teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is One and there is no other but Him...To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”...When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”...Because of Jesus' authority that seemed to emanate around Him and His knowledge of God, from then on after answering this question on the commandments no one dared ask Him any more questions...
Jesus connects the love story, and the story of neighborly love with His Parable of the Good Samaritan...Jesus illustrates to us what it takes to be a good neighbor and what it means to love our neighbor...The Parable tells us about one who was beaten and was left half dead by robbers...And there are those who do not want to help for one reason or another the one who is hurt...So the injured one is ignored by many who pass by...Many do not see this beaten man, this man in need a neighbor...An unlikely person, a Samaritan, is the one who helps the injured one...The Samaritan takes many steps, and has to go very much out of his personal way to help the one who was beaten up...The Samaritan is even out money in paying to get help to the one the robbers have beaten up...This stranger, with no ties to the beaten man is the one who helps him...He is helped by the one who had mercy on him...The neighbor is the one who shows mercy...
Being merciful seems easy, yet the simple task is a difficult one when He tells us...Jesus tells us to, “Go and do likewise.”...