Loving God and Others Midrashim
(Deuteronomy 7:6-11 with John 3:16, 5:20-24, 14:21; Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:18 with Luke 6:31, 10:25-37)
1. The World is changing. It used to be that the world’s tallest buildings were all in the U.S.; but not for quite some time.
2. DUBAI (AFP) – "Once-bustling Dubai will open the world’s tallest skyscraper on Monday, boasting new limits in design and construction…
"Bill Baker, a structural and civil engineer and partner in Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), which designed the tower, said Burj Dubai has set a new benchmark.
"We thought that it would be slightly taller than the existing tallest tower of Taipei 101. (Emaar) kept on asking us to go higher but we didn’t know how high we could go," he said.
"We were able to tune the building like we tune a music instrument. As we went higher and higher and higher, we discovered that by doing that process... we were able to reach heights much higher than we ever thought we could.
"We learned quite a bit from Burj Dubai. I would think we could easily do a one kilometer (tower). We are optimistic about the ability to go even higher."
The 160-floor tower, containing …11.55 million cubic feet of concrete and 31,400 tons of steel, can be seen from as far as… 59 miles away."
3. American Christians have learned or are learning how to practice their faith in a more diverse culture. The Jews in Jesus’ day had worse challenges, having to adjust to Roman rule and gentile oppression.
4. No matter what the culture or era, Christians must figure out what it means to love God and love others. God demands this of us.
Main Idea: The Two Great Commandments -- loving God and loving others -- cannot be separated. Yet they can be contemplated because they are aimed in two directions.
I. VERTICAL Love (Deuteronomy 7:6-11, John 3:16, 36, 14:21, I John 3:1)
A. God chose Israel by TRANSFERRING Love (Deut. 7:6-11)
1. God’s GENERAL love for all mankind (6)
2. God’s SPECIAL love for Israel (7-8)
3. Israel to RESPOND to His love by obedience (9b)
4. God’s love scorned means WRATH (10-11)
B. God loves us by TRANSFERRING His love for the Son (John 5:20-24)
That’s one reason why the believer is said to be "In Christ" or "In the beloved."
1. God’s general love for the WORLD (John 3:16)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16)
2. God’s special love for His OWN (I John 3:1)
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
3. RETURN love by obedience (John 14:21)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (John 14:21
4. Reject Jesus: experience God’s WRATH (cf. John 3:36)
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him."
The Two Great Commandments -- loving God and loving others -- cannot be separated. Yet they can be contemplated because they are aimed in two directions.
II. Horizontal Love (Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Luke 6:31, 10:25-37)
"When a man learned that an elderly woman could no longer buy her medicine and pay her rent, he came to her rescue. He took her into his home and treated her as if she were his mother. He gave her a bedroom, prepared the food for her meals, bought her medicine, and transported her whenever she needed medical attention. He continued to care for her when she could no longer do much for herself. I was amazed when I learned that this good man was a zealous atheist!" Our Daily Bread
The love God expects of us is to be motivated by our love for Jesus Christ; it is the love of response, we love because He first loved us. Other people who do not know the Lord can be compassionate and loving, but why we love is what makes us unique.
A. According to MOSES (Lev. 19:18, Deut. 10:18-19)
Leviticus 19:18, "’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
Deuteronomy 10:18-19, "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt."
1. Love your NEIGHBOR
2. Love ALIENS
B. According to JESUS (Luke 6:31, 10:25-37)
1. Love your NEIGHBOR
Luke 6:31, the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Hillel: "What is painful to you, do not do unto others". (Talmud, tracate Shabbat 31a; Midrash Avot de Rabbi Natan). Akiva states "Whatever you hate to have done unto you, do not do to your neighbor; wherefore do not hurt him; do not speak ill of him; do not reveal his secrets to others; let his honor and his property be as dear to thee as thine own" (Midrash Avot deRabbi Natan).
Note: Many of Jesus conflicts with "the Pharisees" were with the School of Shammai; Jesus almost always agreed with Hillel (except on divorce). From the Jewish Encyclopedia:
"…the Shammaites proposed to prevent all communication between Jew and Gentile, by prohibiting the Jews from buying any article of food or drink from their heathen neighbors. "
In contrast, the School of Hillel promoted peace and compassion. The School of Shammai was so strict and harsh that they trapped some followers of Hillel and had them killed.
The Talmud and modern Judaism descended from the School of Hillel.
2. Love ALIENS (Luke 10:25-37)
How are we when it comes to loving aliens? Different nationality, different race. Or how about the mosque that is going to be built in Kokomo -- how do we process that? The point is that every human being deserves to be treated as a human being.
C. How love DIFFERS
1. Unconditional GENERAL love (duty)
Showing respect for a person is a great way to show love:
Franklin Graham regrets it now, but in his youth he was wild and rebellious. One day he went roaring up to his dad’s house on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to ask for some money. Dressed in his leathers, dusty and bearded, he burst into his father’s living room—and walked right into a meeting of Billy’s executive board.
Without hesitation, Billy Graham identified Franklin as his son. Then he proudly introduced him to every member of the board. Billy did not apologize for his son or show any shame or guilt. Franklin wrote later in his autobiography, Rebel With a Cause, that the love and respect his father gave him that day never left him, even during his rebellious years. Our Daily Bread
2. Conditional SPECIAL love
The Two Great Commandments -- loving God and loving others -- cannot be separated. Yet they can be contemplated because they are aimed in two directions.
