When Love Moves Us To Compassion

Defining the Love in Luke 10:25-37:

Part 2 of 3 in the Love Your Neighbor Series

As most of you know, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. What are your plans? A night out with friends? A date with your beloved? A special evening with your kids? Coffee and dessert with your neighbors? Netflix and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? (Hey, don’t judge.)

Time and perspective have mellowed me and I’ve grown to appreciate the chance to not only remember Saint Valentine but also to find creative ways to celebrate those I love.

In the spirit of this occasion, let’s define ‘love’, as seen in Luke 10:25-37. Last week we determined the meaning of neighbor. You can read that post here.

In this text, we find agape love, the kindness of God toward all people. Agape meets the needs of others regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, successes, failures, abilities, etc. It’s the kind of love that seeks the good of others as it reflects the love we have for ourselves.

But what does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves? This verse implies that the followers of Christ were already loving themselves. But how do we do that? Is that selfish? Actually, no.

For clarity, let’s back up to the first command: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.’ We cannot love our neighbors as ourselves until we receive (by grace) God’s love for us and respond with love toward Him.

But how do we love this personal God who has no needs? By trusting Him.

His love frees us to accept, by faith, the agape love revealed to mankind from Genesis to Revelation:

…I have loved you with an everlasting love

…I didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for you

…Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends

…I demonstrate My love for you in that while you were still sinning, I died for you

…Just as the Father loves Me, so I love you; abide in my love

…Nothing can separate you from My love

…I didn’t come to condemn you but to rescue you

…and on and on and on.

Scripture is full of examples that point to a Love that confuses the brilliant, angers the proud, and pursues the prodigal.

His love is endless, not bound by our success or failure, our ‘good’ deeds or those that shame us into hiding.

His love never wavers with our questions, never dims with our doubts.

His love was strong enough to endure the deadly bite of forbidden fruit and gracious enough to provide a redemptive way out of our darkness.

If I cannot trust this selfless love, how can I possibly love my neighbor as myself?

Simply put: I can’t. I’m too full of self-loathing and self-preservation to create space for sustainable compassion toward others.

How can I possibly bring the healing work of Christ to a wounded, needy world when I’m consumed with my own wounds and needs? Again: I can’t.

The late author and beautifully honest human, Brennan Manning, put it this way,

“The ability to love oneself is the root and foundation of our ability to love others and to love God. I can tolerate in others only what I can accept in myself.”

To love our neighbors as ourselves, we must accept God’s unconditional love for us, and respond with trust in His grace to make us new. We can be released from self-hatred and free to love Him and our neighbors, and we can see others as worthy because we’ve accepted His truth that we are worthy.

Jesus then tells the story of the good Samaritan to explain agape love. Ironically, the two religious men were poor examples on how to love our neighbors. They went out of their way to avoid the needs of a dying man.

I wonder if we’re prone to be like priests and Levites when we intentionally drive away from ‘those’ people in ‘that’ part of town.

When we politely wave to our lonely neighbor but don’t take the time to include him in our lives.

When we only consider buying homes in ‘safe’ neighborhoods with clubhouses and gates with passcodes.

When we choose homeschool or private school because ‘that public school is terrible’ and I want my kids to be ‘safe’.

When we send a shoebox across the ocean to a child trapped in poverty but we’re unwilling to connect with those in town who are also trapped in poverty.

When we volunteer at a soup kitchen but never take the time to get to know or welcome into our homes the ones who cannot afford their next meal.

When our social gatherings are limited to those who resemble our culture, skin tone, abilities, personality, and life choices.

Have our decisions been subtle ways to avoid rather than love our neighbors in need?

Have we traded proximity for a false sense of security?

Does our lifestyle reflect our faith in God or fear of man?

Jesus then gave the example of one who loved his neighbor as himself. The Samaritan cared very little for his personal safety or whether his deeds would be noticed by another traveler. He didn’t just glance at his fellow human and offer empty condolences, “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I send you good thoughts and prayers. Be well.”

Nope. He welcomed the *perceived* interruption, physical discomfort, financial loss, potential harm, and public judgment. This Samaritan–a social outcast rejected by the Jews–responded with mercy and restored dignity to a naked, bloodied human. The one hated by religious folks used his own resources to care for a dying man. He modeled the command to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Let us accept the perfect, sufficient love of God. May it open our eyes us to see others and love them as we love ourselves. And may we confess our fear and self-preservation and become restorers of dignity in our neighborhoods–and beyond.

When have you struggled to accept God’s love for you? How have you seen agape love at work in your life? How are you extending mercy and restoring dignity to your neighbors?

Next week, we’ll pull these posts together and determine our role in light of this command.

1. Discover the Neighbor in Luke 10:25-37

2. Define Love in Luke 10:25-37

3. Determine our Role in light of Luke 10:25-37