We all know the two things in life according to Jesus = Love God / Love people
But really, what does it mean to love people?
Let brotherly love continue. (2) Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (3) Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (4) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (5) Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (6) So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (7) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:1-8
Hebrews make the argument that following Christ further forward is the best way even when we get tired, scared or distracted and don't want to. If we stop to consider Jesus, we should move forward in our faith in him. Essentially, we follow his example. That should affect how we relate to people around us. So here are some areas of advice from the preacher:
- be hospitable - actually take people in when they come to you, receive them
- be considerate - actually reach out to those who could use some support
- be appropriate - love is not random; there are right and wrong ways to express it
- be grounded - acting in love requires a reliable foundation; God, not personal gain
- be teachable - others are good at love and should be followed; none more than Jesus himself
Hospitable - (13:2) How you treat a guest expresses their value. Abe did not know who his guest were, so he gave them the best. The essence of the admonition is to give people the benefit of the doubt and receive them as if they ought to be well received. Whether they are exceptional, like Abe's guests, or ordinary, like most of our guests, consider Jesus' warning in Matthew 25-
I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no
drink, (43) I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did
not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' (44)
Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' (45)
Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it
to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' (46) And these will
go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life." Matthew 25:42-46
Practically, we are to receive people with genuine generosity of spirit. From the heart, choose to think well of people. This is not being naïve, it is being hopeful. Our hope is that people are created in God's image and that God is good. Even fallen man is called to be redeemed and renewed, so we should receive with faith. Our faith is in action when we speak to, give to, respond to other people with genuine belief that all is potentially redeemable by God. For cynics, like my historic tendency, struggle with this. Consider Jesus, and then try again.
Considerate – Reacting lovingly to people who come to you is hard enough. Now the preacher says we need to be proactive. Specifically, he challenges people to seek out others in need. The historical reasons were practical; they really had brothers in prison that needed help. Also, the readers were afraid of following Jesus, partly out of fear that they would end up in prison. Well, all the more reason to have a community that deals with that problem!
We too, whether we know imprisoned people or not, do have a calling to intentionally reach out to people who could use some love. The motivation should be pure and simple: God is overcoming evil with good, I am following God as my Lord, and therefore I seek to overcome evil with good. So, if people are not able to reach out because they are held back, by their own wrongdoing or the wrongdoing of others, we should see them as worth our energy, worth our love. After all, we are connected with them. Particularly if they are brothers who are in bondage, but even if they aren't, we are seeking to make a growing community of redeemed people committed to the grace of God as the hope for humanity and all of creation.
Appropriate – so how do we show love to others? The most dramatic form of love is romantic (polite way of saying sexual) love. Certain cults capitalize on the craving to experience love by sanctioning 'free love' (and they mean sex). The unbound acceptance is, well, seductive in one sense, disturbing in another. The disturbing part is the awareness that romantic love is not first and foremost physical. It is first about covenant belonging, deep connection. God has made that connection special by limiting it to one man with one woman for one mutual life. Two problems are mentioned:
πόρνος por'-nos From πέρνημι
pernēmi (to sell; akin to the base of G4097); a (male) prostitute (as venal), that is, (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine): - fornicator, whoremonger.
The first is just sex for sex sake. The issue is not marriage, it is misuse of the body (and the would be unnoticed misuse of the soul).
That is the problem with porn (and where the name comes from!). The idea is that soulless use of the body for sexual pleasure works, but only for the body, and at the expense of the soul. The heart rate accelerates with pornos (via internet, movies, or actually with someone in person), and there is the tantalizing hope of the soul being satisfied too. But that is the tragic failure of sex out of bounds. It is not that it is shocking, as if God were naïve, it is that it is ignorant. Pornos fails to understand complete satisfaction and keeps thinking if it just varies the techniques or partners, it will work better next time.
The other problem is adultery. Once a covenant of marriage is sealed, and romantic love (sexual) has its place, it assumes lifelong security. These warnings should be given before marriage. "Hey young people, choose wisely. Make sure as you can that you and the one you are going to marry really have the maturity to make a covenant that lasts for better or for worse. Not all faithful marriages are great, but all truly great marriages are faithful!! (I know this could be debated, but I would enter such a debate with strong confidence )
Grounded – When you are grounded in God's love for you, you are not as vulnerable to the fear of rejection or lost advantage. Simply put, we often love for selfish reasons. People who can help us are easier to love than people who can't. People who can make you rich? Lovely…
Be free to love without being subject to people's ability to give or take away things you value. The only real way to do this is to love what cannot be taken away: God and that which is hidden in God.
Teachable – How do I do this? Find people who are doing it relatively well and learn from them. Some of the best teachers live on in their writings. Other teachers are right around you. Surprisingly, you should count yourself as a teacher, and if not yet, grow up so you can teach others. How do we teach and learn from teachers? Pay attention to the 'why's and 'how's of human relationships. Watch for people who are good at loving through their hospitality, consideration, appropriateness and groundedness.
And remember, Jesus is the standard, and the standard doesn't change.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
