We heard a very familiar text in today’s gospel. It is about the commandment that Jesus gave. It is actually not a new commandment. It is the old commandment of the Jews. “First: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Therefore you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your സ്ട്രെങ്ത്. Second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, and there is no greater commandment than these two.”
But Jesus called this commandment a new commandment. The listeners understood it also as a new commandment. The reason is that the listeners did not have practiced the old commandment. It was not conceivable for them to love their fellow human beings selflessly. But they loved people who could provide something in return. That is why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “If you only love those who love you, what merits do you expect in return?” Even sinners love those who love them. …But you should love your enemies and do good and lend, even when you cannot hope for anything in return.
In the book of Leviticus 19:18 we read: “You shall not take revenge on the children of your people, nor bear any grudge against them. You should love your neighbor as yourself.“
The understanding of one’s neighbors in the Old Testament is very different from the understanding of Jesus. In the Old Testament the term neighbor was interpreted differently than it was originally intended and from that Jesus interpreted it.
In the Old Testament, the neighbor is the relative, friend, neighbor or lover compared to the stranger or fellow citizen.
In the Old Testament, however, mercy should be shown towards enemies, strangers, the poor and the marginalized. But that was not enough in Jesus’ opinion. That is why Jesus explained the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is described as a model of love for one’s neighbor and love for one’s enemies.
For Jesus, love is much more than tolerance and a help or a support. Charity in the spirit of Jesus means accepting and recognizing people who think differently, live differently, who hold a different world view, a different faith, a different way of life and different values. We should love them just as we love ourselves.
St. John wrote in his gospel the teachings of Jesus in Asia Minor about love for one’s neighbor 60 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It was a time when Christians were being persecuted. In the midst of persecution, John advised his fellow Christians to love their fellow human beings. Although the Christians were persecuted he did not tell them to hate the persecuted nor to defend themselves against them, but to help, to do good, and to sacrifice or forego some things for the benefit of their fellow human beings.
This view of John is comparable to the words of Jesus at the beginning of today’s Gospel, where he tells his disciples that the Son of Man will be glorified through suffering.
Jesus meant that he does a lot of good through his life and through the message of charity. Jesus now invites his disciples to follow his example. This means that in order to be able to do good, Christians should be prepared to forego some things in life. Jesus was willing even to lay down his life. Therefore the Christians should also be willing to forego at least something in life and love our neighbors in order to be able to follow Jesus’ example and be glorified in the same way.
If we were to follow this new commandment of love today, I think that it would also be like a new commandment for us, as it was for the Jews and for the Christians of that time, although we have been hearing and reading about it for years because we often do not understand this commandment exactly or we neglect this commandment or misinterpret it and misconceptualize it.
In this regard, we must ask the question, what is love for me, who are my neighbors and who can I love? Whether the neighbors for me are just relatives and friends, or whether the neighbor can be anyone who needs my help, like the good Samaritan in the parable of Jesus.
Fr. Joseph pandiappallil MCBS