The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31)
The second important command is to love our neighbor. Loving God sounds obscure but loving our neighbor is practical. Here an inquisitive question may arise as to what action follows love. It may be said that that sharing food in starving, taking care in sickness and helping in times of trouble is love.
However, the major problem is the question of practicing real love for our neighbor. The content says to love your neighbor as yourself. Such a degree of love is impossible for most of the people and not easy even for people of great discipline. In case of a neighbor who is attacked by a rare disease needs a huge amount of money. They do not have money. Then should I provide them medical fee by selling my house? If I get sick, I may sell my house.
Why did Jesus suggest this impossible command as the second most important commandment? I would divide this love into two. First, Jesus might not give us an impossible teaching. This verse has high possibility of being a religious confession that came from the early Christian community’s life. It means that the early Christians accepted loving God and neighbor as the core theme of Christian ethic. Second, it may rather refer to the limitation of human love and the need of God’s favor than an ethical norm. In other word, it signifies that human should ask God’s favor for he does not have the power to love.
A theologian, Friedrich Gogarten says, “Man can practice what God demands only when God enables him to do it.” (Der Mensch zwischen Gott und Welt, 1956, p. 426). Lord, have mercy on us and grant us the power of love!
The second important command is to love our neighbor. Loving God sounds obscure but loving our neighbor is practical. Here an inquisitive question may arise as to what action follows love. It may be said that that sharing food in starving, taking care in sickness and helping in times of trouble is love.
However, the major problem is the question of practicing real love for our neighbor. The content says to love your neighbor as yourself. Such a degree of love is impossible for most of the people and not easy even for people of great discipline. In case of a neighbor who is attacked by a rare disease needs a huge amount of money. They do not have money. Then should I provide them medical fee by selling my house? If I get sick, I may sell my house.
Why did Jesus suggest this impossible command as the second most important commandment? I would divide this love into two. First, Jesus might not give us an impossible teaching. This verse has high possibility of being a religious confession that came from the early Christian community’s life. It means that the early Christians accepted loving God and neighbor as the core theme of Christian ethic. Second, it may rather refer to the limitation of human love and the need of God’s favor than an ethical norm. In other word, it signifies that human should ask God’s favor for he does not have the power to love.
A theologian, Friedrich Gogarten says, “Man can practice what God demands only when God enables him to do it.” (Der Mensch zwischen Gott und Welt, 1956, p. 426). Lord, have mercy on us and grant us the power of love!
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