Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18 NABRE
Leviticus is attributed to Moses as author. It is a book of rules given to the Hebrew people while in the desert. The name is about the Lord calling the people to Himself and He makes them a Holy Nation. The rules and laws in Leviticus exist so the people know the way to stay holy for God and what to do if one strays from God through sin. This rule concerns how to treat one another, people who are in community together, the community of the Hebrew nation. God wants us to be just to one another, meaning we respect the other person, we respect their rights, we seek harmony which promotes equity with regard to the other person and toward the common good. The just person often mentioned in the scriptures is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of their conduct. We should always judge our neighbor in righteousness. Christians aren’t familiar with all the specific rules handed down to the Hebrew people, but they are included as disciples following Jesus command to love God and love others.
I don’t think we do a very good job in these United States following the loving call of Jesus. We rarely demonstrate love for neighbor, in fact it seems more likely we’ll criticize our neighbor than say something beautiful to them. Often it happens in the context of social media, where we don’t target someone specifically, we are not that righteous, instead we pass an image or a quote that speaks to our agenda and allows us to thumb our nose at an entire group of people we don’t respect. I suspect this behavior makes it a challenge for others to see Jesus in us.
Do you love others? Can you say something beautiful to someone you disagree with?
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