6th Sunday of Easter If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Its not uncommon to associate the word commands with images of dictatorship. We can tend to think of commandments as obstacles to real freedom, imposed by some angry, powerful tyrant who just wants to be in control. Call them directions, or suggestions, or guidelines if you will, but not commands! It almost feels like an insult. But today, Jesus breaks out of these stereotypes. He casts the commandments in the context of love. He does not insist on any obligation to follow them. Rather, he says that whoever observes his commandments is the one who loves me. So just what commandments will we be following if we love the Lord? When Jesus was questioned about this, he said the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself, (Mt 22:37-39). Even the commands he gives us are rooted in love, not legalism. Of course, when we follow these principles we will naturally keep the traditional Ten Commandments, which give more specific instructions on how to love God and neighbor. As we know from experience, when we truly love someone, we desire to make them happy. When they are content, we are content. So the more we love Jesus, the more we will want to please him. Thus, following his commandments ultimately makes us happy too. Understood in these terms, the commandments dont stifle us, they satisfy us! God doesnt restrict our freedom; he respects it. Ultimately, it is our choice whether or not we will live the life of love that Jesus offers us.
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 15:19:11 +0000
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