Did the Messiah "Just Love Everybody"?

We need to talk about this. Right out of the gate, let's turn our attention to John 3:16.

"For YHWH so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but possess everlasting life."

YES. There is no doubt that the Creator does indeed love us. No matter our past, no matter our circumstances now. 

Lately I've been hearing a lot of discussions and seeing articles about how the Messiah "just loved everyone." And while that's true, I take issue with the point that is (typically) being made. That point is often that believers need to be quiet and not say anything about the things that others or society are doing that the Bible calls sin. We are told that saying things is rude and unloving and definitely not what the Messiah would have done. The Messiah gets presented as jovial guy who is never bothered by what others are doing; he hangs out with all sorts of people, never saying anything that could be offensive or hurt anyone's feelings. And I think...are we reading the same Bible?

How much Scripture do you have to skip to think the Messiah did nothing but hug everyone and avoid touchy topics? Yahusha frequently offended others, and didn't hesitate to correct wrong beliefs.

To brush up, the Messiah is the guy who...

-Called a follower Satan.

-Got out a whip, turned over tables, and threw merchants out of the Temple.

-Tarried in going to see his friend who was sick, letting him die, and devastating family who had asked him to come.

-Told us to judge others!

-Caused the death of an entire herd of pigs, to the financial detriment of the farmer.

-Deliberately put things into parables making them hard to understand.

-Totally ruined a Hanukkah party.

-Once told a woman who was serving and feeding him that she wasn't even doing the most important thing.

-Frequently told people to stop sinning.

Many of these stories don't seem so nice and kind and warm and fuzzy do they? How would you feel if you were on the receiving end of any of those interactions? Wouldn't you be upset if he destroyed your whole business and financial livelihood? Or publicly forced you out of a church? Would you be hurt if you were trying to give him good advice and he called you Satan? Or if you asked him to come and heal your dying brother and he deliberately didn't show up? If he called your lifestyle and choices sin and told you to change, would that sting a little?

That last one really gets me. You know what "sin no more" implies? That you're sinning. That you're making choices that aren't acceptable to the Creator. This statement would not be appreciated on a college campus today, or really anywhere for that matter.

Please, please hear me: I am not saying our Messiah wasn't loving or doesn't love everyone. But I do think he needs to be accurately represented. We need to realize that love isn't all compliments and presents, sometimes love looks like saying the hard things and having uncomfortable discussions. Loving someone doesn't mean that you don't confront lies they believe or hold them accountable for the choices they are making. Love doesn't mean that you just sit there and smile while someone says or does whatever they want, to their own detriment.

When you tell someone to stop sinning, are your words condemning or freeing and empowering? If you just hear, "You're doing this wrong," that causes frustration and hurt. But if you hear, "This is how you live your best possible life," that gives direction and shows us what is possible. Love is empowering someone to stop sinning, so that they might be free from the pain and bondage they are in. 

The Messiah does love people and we are called to that as well. Love means sticking up for the truth. To be sure, we need to use wisdom at all times - especially when we are sharing truth with someone. Work to control your tongue and speak words that are beneficial to those who hear them. Pray for wisdom about what to say and when to do that, please. We have all seen too many believers use the word as a weapon to attack someone, when we should be using it to plant seeds of truth and hope. Ask for wisdom and discernment and remember that real love and compassion is sharing the hope and the promises of YHWH and his Messiah with the people we encounter, no matter what we may get called or how we are treated for doing that. Love is being willing to be slandered to share his hope with others. Love doesn't hide behind lies. Love means risking our own comfort so that someone else can catch a glimpse of the fullness that the Creator has for them.

Love like the Messiah!

50 Ways to Love Your Neighbor

What does it mean to love your neighbor? Scripture talks about this concept over and over. The Messiah mentioned these words just following his proclamation that loving YHWH is the most important commandment. 1 John 3:18 says that our love should be more than just words, it should be seen through our actions. Too often the action of this instruction gets lost to good intentions or busyness. Here are some practical ideas on how to show love in your community.

Fifty Ways to Love Your Neighbor:

1. Smile, wave, and say hello. Cultivate a friendly community atmosphere.

2. Look for opportunities to do good, especially to those who share a common faith with you.

3. Take a walk through your neighborhood and pray for the health, safety, and well-being of the residents.

4. Holding a grudge? Choose forgiveness and let go of that.

5. Encourage someone and build them up.

6. Say nice things about your neighbors. Cultivate an atmosphere of kindness over gossip or slander.

7. Visit orphans and widows. Offer support to those without family nearby. That could mean supporting a children's home, visiting a nursing home, becoming a foster family or adopting a child, sponsoring a child, checking in on elderly neighbors, etc.

8. Have things to downsize from your home? Offer them to friends or family, or donate items to a good cause. Thrift stores are an option but donations are also accepted by homeless and women's shelters, schools, ministries, and so on.

9. Support your local farmers. Get vegetables from a produce stand or a nearby farmers market.

10. Bring in a healthy snack to share at work or congregation.

11. Take groceries, a gift card, or a meal to a family in need.

12. Get the door for someone with their hands full.

13. Spread the word about garage sales and local businesses.

14. Volunteer at a charity working in your community.

15. Pay a visit to an elderly neighbor or nursing home.

16. Plant flowers in your yard. They brighten days and feed the bees.

17. Keep your home exterior and yard tidy, and pick up trash when you see it.

18. Be considerate about when you make a lot of noise. 

19. Make conversation with people you see regularly.

20. Ask people questions. This develops relationships and can be the touch of kindness someone needs in their day.

21. Did you get great service somewhere? Offer a tip, leave a positive review online, or speak to a manager or owner about what a great job an employee did.

22. Pay someone a sincere compliment.

23. Make it a point to welcome the new person at work.

24. Send a note of encouragement to someone.

25. Celebrate someone else's good news.

26. Write an uplifting Scripture in sidewalk chalk on your driveway to encourage those who walk by.

27. Offer an evening of free babysitting to parents who could use a break.

28. Start an informal community watch group in your neighborhood to keep things safe.

29. Are the neighborhood kids playing in the street? Talk to their parents about your concerns for their safety.

30. Send a card or care package to someone away at college, stationed overseas, or serving as a missionary.

31. Offer to help an elderly or disabled neighbor with yard work.

32. Thank a teacher, pastor, coach, fire fighter, coworker, volunteer, etc. for how the impact they have made in your life.

33. Host a potluck to get to know neighbors better.

34. See someone who is being treated unfairly? Stand up for them.

35. Make it a point to include a shy or unpopular person in conversation and events.

36. Shop locally before heading to a box store or ordering online. Visit locally owned restaurants before heading to a chain.

37. Pray for insight on how to best show the Father's love to the people in your life.

38. Offer to pray with a friend when they share a need or concern.

39. Share your resources or knowledge with someone who could use a hand on a project.

40. Drive safely!

41. Invite someone you don't know very well for dinner or over for coffee.

42. Treat strangers and foreigners with kindness and respect, whether that's a refugee or someone who just moved from the next town.

43. Did you attend a community theater production or watch a high school basketball game? Offer sincere compliments or encouragement to those involved.

44. Share info about nearby job openings for those in need of employment.

45. Invite someone to join you for congregation or Bible study.

46. Set up a place for free stuff at your office or congregation, or host a clothing swap.

47. Use your social media to share truth and encouragement.

48. If a friend or neighbor loaned you something return it within a reasonable time frame, in good condition, with a thank you.

49. When you talk to others, speak the truth to them.

50. Offer mercy to those who wrong you. Pray for them and remember that everyone has bad days.

There are so many ways to love your neighbor! Sometimes what a person needs is an uplifting conversation, other times bringing a meal over speaks volumes. What are some ways that you have felt loved by your community?

The Bible's Definition of Love (2 John 6 - New Testament)

Here we examine what the Bible means by the word love. We will see that it's more than just feelings towards someone, and through the correct understanding of this fruit of the Spirit we will better understand Bible verses like John 3:16 and other Scriptures on love.

What is love? This question has been asked by nearly everyone, from great poets and philosophers to modern pop musicians to young children. I know for a long time I thought love was a warm and fuzzy feeling that you would get when you really liked something or someone.

So I'd read Bible verses and think they meant things like this:

God liked the world so much that he gave his only son for it. (John 3:16)

Let all you do be done feeling like you really like it. (1 Corinthians 16:4)

Let the morning bring word of your unfailing good feelings towards me. (Psalm 143:8)

We like him because he first liked us. (1 John 4:9)

Be patient, bearing with one another with good feelings. (Ephesians 4:2)

Like your neighbor as much as you like yourself. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39)

I could go on because there are plenty of verses that talk about love in the Bible, in the Old Testament and new, but I'm sure you get the idea because I think we have all been there. We have all realized that plenty of our neighbors, we don't like at all, let alone as much as ourselves. Maybe you've felt guilty because you just don't like praise and worship music as much as you like pop songs. Or wondered how on earth you can have nothing but giddy feelings about God in all of your heart and mind.

Interestingly the Bible gives us a definition of love in 2 John 6:

"Love is this: that we should live according to his commands."

If we take our idea of love, those feelings of fondness or liking something, that doesn't really fit here. Liking something a lot is living by commands? What kind of sense does that make? How did commandments get involved with feelings? The Bible is saying that real love is seen through actions, because the Bible is saying that love is something greater than a feeling, no matter how strong that feeling might be.

N.T. Wright says that when you see the word love in the Bible, it's shorthand for covenant faithfulness. I think that's the most concise explanation of 2 John 6 or the Biblical meaning of love. My mental connection of 'love' with 'feelings' can often cloud my understanding of many Biblical passages, but when you read "covenant faithfulness" in place of love, you can understand Bible verses in deeper ways.

Because God was so faithful to the covenant, he sent his only son. (John 3:16)

Let all you do be done in faithfulness to the covenant. (1 Corinthians 16:4)

Let the morning bring word of your unfailing faithfulness to me. (Psalm 143:8)

We can be faithful to him because he was first faithful to us. (1 John 4:9)

Be patient, bearing with one another with covenant faithfulness. (Ephesians 4:2)

Nothing can ever separate us from God's covenant faithfulness. (Romans 8:38)

This concept also sheds extra light unto 2 John 6, in that it directly links love and commandment keeping through covenant faithfulness. When we keep Biblical commandments, that is how we can be faithful to our covenant with YHWH. This fits with what the Messiah said in John 14:15 that if we love him we would keep his commandments.

"Love is this: that we should live according to his commands."

We should take note here that when Jesus talked about the greatest commandments ("Love YHWH with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself."), he was not giving anyone a new idea. Many Christians think that in the Old Testament God was cold and distant and harsh, then Jesus came around and changed the narrative to love. This is not true. When the Messiah said these things he was directly quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 (part of the famous Hear O Israel or shema prayer) and Leviticus 19:18. God has always been love.

As his children, we are also called to love. Sometimes we will experience the feelings of love (and I believe that God genuinely does like us and have good feelings about us!), but when you're not full of the warm and fuzzies you are not some sort of failure. You can make the choice to continue being faithful to the God of creation. We do that by keeping his commands.

Related posts:

Is it Possible to Keep Biblical Law?
Understanding Acts 15
Keeping the Commandments Because We Love Messiah