Love

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Love – We are so familiar with this verse that we have forgotten just how unusual it is.  This verse is really a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:5 where the Hebrew word for “love” is ahab.  There is nothing unusual about the word itself.  It is used for love between a man and a woman, for love of special things, for God’s love for His creation and for Man’s love for God.  What is unusual is that “love” is commanded.

Reflect on this for a moment.  We live in a world that views love as an uncontrollable emotion.  We “fall” in love.  It overpowers us.  From this perspective, it is quite impossible to tell someone that they must “love” another person.  If love were based on feelings and emotions, such a command would be ridiculous.  I could no more force myself to alter my emotions toward another person than I could make myself enjoy the taste of sour milk.  Yet God commands us to love Him.  Clearly, the Biblical view of love is not about “never having to say you’re sorry”.

The Greek word used to translate this quotation from Hebrew is agapeseis.  It is an active, present tense imperative.  Do this right now!  This Greek word was in very little use before the New Testament writers adopted it for their purposes.  They gave it a meaning that clearly shows the distinction between this word for love and the Greek’s idea of love as an emotional experience.  Agape love is the love of self-sacrifice.  It is the paradigm of the servant leader.   It has nothing to do with feelings and everything to do with behavior and attitude.  Jesus was often frustrated with the development of his followers.  He was angry at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  He was distraught over the unrepentant behavior of Israel.  But none of those feelings changed his commitment to obedience, sacrifice and action.  Agape love can be commanded because it is about choices I make, commitments I live by and directions I take from God.  It has nothing to do with how I feel.

Once I heard a man say, “Oh, I love God but I just can’t get along with those people.  I can’t help it.  It’s just how I feel.”  He did not understand a thing about agape.  The love of a follower of Jesus does not depend on how I feel but on what I do.  God says, “Act with self sacrifice in every part of your life.  Then you will be loving Me because you will be reflecting how I act toward you.”

Agape love is not a Hallmark card.  It is the hallmark of Christ.