Jesus says to love our neighbours, and includes enemies in his definition. In this week’s story Jesus confronted the reality that Samaritans and Jews were neighbours yet enemies, and said that his followers need to love and serve one another beyond such divisions.
Elsewhere, he says it quite clearly: love your enemy. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. My favourite part is where he says, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
Loving your friends is nothing special, but loving your enemies is special indeed. It’s hard, it’s messy, it feels very risky, compromising and vulnerable. But when we avoid loving our neighbours and enemies, we live in isolation, fear of the unknown and misunderstandings.
One mayor told a church leader: “The majority of issues that our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbours.”
It’s hard to know what to say, do, when life gets messy, and especially when our love isn’t returned. It’s easy to just give up and say Jesus’ command is too hard to follow.
But that can be explained simply enough. We haven’t got enough practice loving those closest to us, who aren’t our enemies, in order to be ready for loving our enemies. Loving our friendly, similar neighbours is good training for the big leagues.
So – start by just finding out – Who is my neighbour?
Download the attached Block Map. You are in the middle of the grid, and think of the other squares in the grid as your neighbours across the street, beside and behind your home. Or if it’s more appropriate, think of it as your workplace, and the squares as neighbouring cubicles. Then write in each square:
Their Name(s)
One Fact About Them
Something Deeper – A hope, dream, fear, challenge, etc.
Try and complete the grid as much as possible, and discuss with your group.
We meet for coffee every Wednesday night at Starbucks in the Chapters Store in Ajax, in Durham Region just East of Toronto. Maybe we’ll see you there?
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Yesterday we studied Peter’s speech after healing a man. At the end, he said people shouldn’t look to him, or to the healed man, for answers. Where should they have looked?
He wanted them to look at Jesus. That’s where the man, and the crowd will find healing, power, and hope. Us, too! We’ll find the one we’ve been waiting for, even though humans killed him, he rose again and undid that and every other wrong. Yes, he was speaking to local Jews at the time he made these accusations, but by its presence in scripture, and all our participation in sin, he was also speaking to every human being on earth.
With an opportunity to speak to thousands, Peter made a direct accusation. This may make us uncomfortable, and it probably made his first hearers even more so. But thankfully he doesn’t stop there, but gives them some comfort, that this was all possible due to their ignorance. As Jesus died, he said, “Forgive them, they know not what they do” and Peter reminds them of that.
They didn’t know that Jesus whom they killed was actually their Messiah, but he was. Peter lets them know this is the one they’d been waiting for, who would bring together all the best of their history in one Messiah. He says Jesus was the:
Suffering servant
Moses-like Prophet
Davidic king
Seed of Abraham
The people in Jerusalem at that time put him to death, but we all made it necessary. Through our own sin or rebellion against God, our sin, we’ve all had our part in Jesus’ death.
But that also means we can all share in his resurrection.
His resurrection led to the forgiveness of sins for all people, freely offered. If we call on his name, where true power is to be found, we’ll find our ultimate healing just like that man.
His takeaway message? Repent and turn to God. The physical healing this crippled man experienced is just like the spiritual healing you can experience.
He describes three blessings:
Sins will be wiped or blotted out.
Times of refreshing, we can see it in this leaping man who previously couldn’t walk.
The promised Christ, Jesus will be back to bring his kingdom fully to earth as it is in heaven.
Challenge: Find one way today to point to Jesus, instead of yourself. i.e. Don’t take the credit for something important today, but tell someone you thank God for it instead.
Download the attached Block Map. You are in the middle of the grid, and think of the other squares in the grid as your neighbours across the street, beside and behind your home. Or if it’s more appropriate, think of it as your workplace, and the squares as neighbouring cubicles. Then write in each square: