Love versus Law
There often is this discussion at my Christ on Campus group about trying to follow all of the laws (commandments) in the bible. Somewhere in our religious education, we have filled the minds of our young people that in order to be a good Christian you have to do a whole list of things right. I had one of them tell me that their pastor said one Sunday that if they continued doing what they were doing, they would go to hell (which presented a completely different topic for discussion.) Why are we so fixated as a religious community to not only follow the laws ourselves to a “T”, but to be quick to make sure that everyone else is following the same laws that we are?
I think the reality is we resort back to following laws because it is what we know. It is something that we can wrap our human minds around. It gives us a checklist that is tangible. But what do we make of Jesus’ teachings? Jesus was asked this important question about what commandment is the greatest commandment of all. Basically the question is, I don’t think I can keep all 600 commandments all of the time, so which one should I really make sure I follow? Jesus’ response was probably a surprise to the questioner. But if we read Jesus’ teachings, his response should not be a surprise to us. Jesus responds that the most important commandment is love. Love for our God, love for our neighbor (everyone). So how can we reconcile this? All we have been taught is to follow the rules, and then Jesus comes and flips everything upside down. How does it relate?
I think there may be an easier way of thinking about this. Drawing from my education background, I think this illustration may help. Imagine you are one of those students in class that, for whatever reason, tends to spend more time in in-school detention than in the actual classroom. Why would you want to stay in the classroom, the classes are boring, and all the teachers do is nit-pick everything about you? Then, after all of these years, you actually get a teacher that you think is pretty cool. At first you really are not too worried about the actual subject, but you really like the teacher and you can tell that the teacher truly cares about its students. Then you realize, you actually like being in that class. So you start doing what you need to do in the other classes in order to make sure that you are not in detention when it is time for your favorite class. Now imagine if you could have every class with this teacher who respects and cares for you as much as you like being in the teacher’s class. You would probably start making sure you change your behavior to the point where you did not miss class anymore. This transformation takes place due to respect, affection, and love.
For some of us, rules work just because we do not want to face any consequences. It may not be because we particularly like the teacher or the subject. We may not even learn anything. But we just do not want to be sent anywhere bad, so we follow the rules. But I think Jesus was going beyond the consequences. I think He was talking about a way of life. We have our Teacher who is compassionate and truly cares and loves all of us. Rather than just following these rules or laws or commandments that we do not really know the backgrounds of some of them, just that we were told in Sunday school that we were suppose to follow them, Jesus says that we should love. We should cherish being able to experience God through loving his children, and that we should long to always be in the presence of God. This transformation takes place in us to where we do what we need to do to experience God as much as possible. Love, for God and our neighbors, consumes us to the point to where the rules take care of themselves. If rule following brings you closer to the presence of God and His calling for us, then by all means continue. However, if the rules just do not seem to fit with what you read of Jesus’ teachings, try to follow His greatest commandment and start loving. I bet the rest will follow.
I think the reality is we resort back to following laws because it is what we know. It is something that we can wrap our human minds around. It gives us a checklist that is tangible. But what do we make of Jesus’ teachings? Jesus was asked this important question about what commandment is the greatest commandment of all. Basically the question is, I don’t think I can keep all 600 commandments all of the time, so which one should I really make sure I follow? Jesus’ response was probably a surprise to the questioner. But if we read Jesus’ teachings, his response should not be a surprise to us. Jesus responds that the most important commandment is love. Love for our God, love for our neighbor (everyone). So how can we reconcile this? All we have been taught is to follow the rules, and then Jesus comes and flips everything upside down. How does it relate?
I think there may be an easier way of thinking about this. Drawing from my education background, I think this illustration may help. Imagine you are one of those students in class that, for whatever reason, tends to spend more time in in-school detention than in the actual classroom. Why would you want to stay in the classroom, the classes are boring, and all the teachers do is nit-pick everything about you? Then, after all of these years, you actually get a teacher that you think is pretty cool. At first you really are not too worried about the actual subject, but you really like the teacher and you can tell that the teacher truly cares about its students. Then you realize, you actually like being in that class. So you start doing what you need to do in the other classes in order to make sure that you are not in detention when it is time for your favorite class. Now imagine if you could have every class with this teacher who respects and cares for you as much as you like being in the teacher’s class. You would probably start making sure you change your behavior to the point where you did not miss class anymore. This transformation takes place due to respect, affection, and love.
For some of us, rules work just because we do not want to face any consequences. It may not be because we particularly like the teacher or the subject. We may not even learn anything. But we just do not want to be sent anywhere bad, so we follow the rules. But I think Jesus was going beyond the consequences. I think He was talking about a way of life. We have our Teacher who is compassionate and truly cares and loves all of us. Rather than just following these rules or laws or commandments that we do not really know the backgrounds of some of them, just that we were told in Sunday school that we were suppose to follow them, Jesus says that we should love. We should cherish being able to experience God through loving his children, and that we should long to always be in the presence of God. This transformation takes place in us to where we do what we need to do to experience God as much as possible. Love, for God and our neighbors, consumes us to the point to where the rules take care of themselves. If rule following brings you closer to the presence of God and His calling for us, then by all means continue. However, if the rules just do not seem to fit with what you read of Jesus’ teachings, try to follow His greatest commandment and start loving. I bet the rest will follow.
posted by Jeff at 6:56 PM
1 Comments:
well, i couldn't agree with you more on this one. I myself have been that guy who thinks about if i do this then i will go to jail and thats a place i dont want to be. Instead of thinking, this isn't what jesus would want me to do. Plus i have to say i really don't like to hear about these so-called teachers of the bible telling young kids, " if you don't change your ways your going to hell." Wow, nothing like going totally aganist the very word they are preaching on sunday. I have thought about how preachers, pastors.. ect try to teach the word to the younger crowd. Seems to me like they try to scare it into them. Then they seem obligated to go to church, mkae those choices, change the way they view life itself. Which bring you back to the fact that the younger crowd's "faith" is one of fear of hell instead of glory of heaven!
Very well blog !!
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