STEEMCHURCH: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

WHAT does Jehovah expect from his servants? Jesus summarized it in a few simple and profound words: the first commandment is to love Jehovah with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30).

This implies doing what God commands and corresponding in this way to the love that he shows us. Those of us who love God do not see this as a burden, but as a delight, It is opportune to focus attention on this commandment, because today selfishness reigns, which is nothing but misguided love.

When Jesus told the Pharisee that the second commandment was to love one's neighbor as oneself, he actually cited a precept that Israel had received and found in Leviticus 19:18. In that same chapter the Jews were commanded not only to consider each Israelite as their neighbor, but also other people. Verse 34 specifies: "The alien resident who resides [...] with you must come to be their natural; and you have to love him as yourself, because you became resident aliens in the land of Egypt. " Therefore, they had to deal with love even to those who were not Jews, especially to the proselytes.

It is not difficult to love our neighbor if we take it as a collective. However, things change when it comes to loving a particular person. In the case of some, the love of neighbor is limited to the donations made to a certain charitable entity. Of course, it is much easier to say that we love our neighbor than to truly love a co-worker who treats us coldly, an unpleasant neighbor or a friend who has failed us.

In this aspect of loving a specific individual we can learn a lot from Jesus, who perfectly reflected the qualities of God. Although he came to Earth to remove the sin of the world, he showed love to concrete human beings: to a sick woman, a leper, a girl ... (Matthew 9: 20-22, Mark 1: 40-42, 7:26, 29, 30; John 1:29). In the same way, our love for our neighbor is revealed in the treatment we give to the people with whom we relate every day.

Never forget that love of neighbor is linked to the love of God. Jesus helped the poor, healed the sick, fed the hungry and taught the crowds.