Eastertide
May 18, 2019
Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35
When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
The Unabridged Merriam-Webster Dictionary* defines the English use of the word love using three and a half pages where it identifies eleven different definitions most of which are further divided into two or more iterations. And additional three pages deals with variations of love. I realize I write a lot about love and further understand that some of my readers do not get what I am trying to say because the definition of love they primarily use does not match the one I am thinking as I write.
The Greek from which the above scripture was translated has at least three definitions of love and the one used throughout our reading today is based on agape or what English speakers often refer to as God’s love. Here are explanations of that word:
agapáō – properly, to prefer, to love; for the believer, preferring to “live through Christ” (1 Jn 4:9,10), i.e. embracing God’s will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power. 25 (agapáō) preeminently refers to what God prefers as He “is love” (1 Jn 4:8,16). See 26 (agapē).
ith the believer, 25 /agapáō (“to love”) means actively doing what the Lord prefers, with Him (by His power and direction). True 25 /agapáō (“loving”) is always defined by God – a “discriminating affection which involves choice and selection” (WS, 477). 1 Jn 4:8,16,17 for example convey how loving (“preferring,” 25 /agapáō) is Christ living His life through the believer**.
The primary emphasis in the Greek word translated love in the above scripture is that it related to goodwill and it is a chosen preference of the way we live as God chooses to love us. Our culture seems to see love as an enticement over which we have no control. Jesus chose to love the wild man of Gennesaret (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20) when no one else wanted to be near. He chose to love the son of the Syrian Phoenician woman (Mark 7:26) though in his religion/culture both she and the boy were unclean. Jesus even loved James and John when they felt privileged and deserved more status than others (Mark 10:35-45) not understanding that following Jesus most likely meant great sacrifice. Who do we choose to love simply because they are another child of God deserving of our goodwill?
Prayer: Grant us the courage to choose to love others as you love us. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/love
**https://biblehub.com/greek/25.htm
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.