Loving Those Who Only Love Us?
One of the criticisms that Jesus leveled toward the religious people of His day was loving only those who loved you back. Consider what he says in Matthew 5:44-48:
Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In essence, what Jesus is telling us is that if we only love those who love us back, then we are no better than those we consider to be our enemies. The Pharisees despised both publicans and Gentiles, yet, their behavior was basically the same as theirs in their regard for their enemies. So, how could they show their enemies that they were any different than they were? They couldn’t! Jesus, however, calls us to a higher standard: loving others as God loves us. He even loves those who don’t love Him back. That is the kind of love that we must show for others.
Sometimes, however, we fail to do this even toward our own brethren. What is the answer? We must repent and love each other as the Lord wants us to love one another. This means spending more time with one another, accepting one another as Christ Jesus has accepted us, and talking to one another about our concerns. When we do this, we will grow in love.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley