Sabbath School Lesson for Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Loving Our Neighbors Read James 2:8, 9, along with Leviticus 19:17, 18 and Matthew 5:43– 45. What crucial message are we being given here? James calls God’s law “the royal law” (James 2:8) because it is the law of the “KING OF KINGS” (Rev. 19:16). The law of His kingdom is given in detail in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), which includes the first of nine references in the New Testament to loving our neighbor.Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43 suggest the way Leviticus 19:18 was understood at the time. For example, the immediately preceding com- mands in Leviticus use apparent synonyms for one’s neighbor: they prohibit hating one’s “brother” (Lev. 19:17) and holding a grudge against one’s fellow Israelite (Lev. 19:18).Most likely, some interpreted these commands to mean it would be fine to be angry with or hate someone who was not an Israelite, because he or she is not specifically mentioned in these Levitical texts. After all, people who were not Israelites were also generally considered to be enemies. We now know that such an attitude existed in the Qumran community, a group of devout Jews who had separated themselves from the rest of the nation. They were taught to hate “the children of darkness” and “the men of perdition” (The Community Rule 1QS 1:10; 9:21, 22), labels which apparently included not only foreigners but even Israelites who had rejected the community’s teachings.“Sin is the greatest of all evils, and it is ours to pity and help the sin- ner. There are many who err, and who feel their shame and their folly. They are hungry for words of encouragement. They look upon their mistakes and errors, until they are driven almost to desperation. These souls we are not to neglect. If we are Christians, we shall not pass by on the other side, keeping as far as possible from the very ones who most need our help. When we see human beings in distress, whether through affliction or through sin, we shall never say, This does not concern me.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 504. Jesus’ life is the greatest example we’ll ever have of selfless love for the undeserving and those who didn’t love back. How can we learn to express such love for those whom we deem undeserving or who don’t love us back? Why, in the end, is complete self- surrender and death to self the only answer?
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:01:02 +0000
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