Lesson of Love

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

The apostolic church learned a lesson that bears repeating and teaching in every generation. They were slow to learn this: that God’s love is for all of His creation. He loves all mankind! One must remember the special feeling of being called God’s chosen people. To be sure, the Jewish community that adopted these self-righteous attitudes over the centuries contributed to an arrogance that must not have felt like love to other nations, tribes, and people. How difficult must it have been for the Jews to hear the Parable of the Good Samaritan! To be commanded to go and do likewise. The Jewish people in Jesus’ time would walk a day out of their way to avoid going through Samaria. “Since the return of the Jews to their homeland after the exile, there had been open hostility between Jews and Samaritans” (Stamps 1991,1577). The parable was a lesson about love, mercy, and compassion. “Jesus was speaking of a compassion that knows no ethnical boundaries” (Stamps 1991, 1580). Samaritans, Romans, Greeks, and others are not ‘unclean’; they are not ‘inferior’, but they are all the children of God, and He “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). One must not advocate that “God is love” as if that is all that He is. For He is also holy, just, righteous etc. Yet He did say, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Francis of Assisi encouraged others to preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words. “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them…and there was great joy in the city” (Acts 8:5, 8). Today, the church will do well to be guided by love, mercy, and concern for this lost and dying world. Such a focus will serve the church well as a lighthouse for the world around it.

nations on Wildwood Assembly

Lesson of Love