It's funny because I was just thinking a few days ago about writing something about love when I saw the recent flurry of "love blogs."   Love is an interesting subject because I think most people never really think about what genuine love is all about.  We get caught up in the emotion of love but is that truly what love is? 

We say we love our truck, or our dog.  I love ice cream and warm days.  Then we use that same word to say "I love you Honey."  So what exactly is love?  Is it a feeling? Just an emotion?  Is it a committment?  Is it an action?  God says to love our neighbors and our enemies.  Huh?  Can we love them the same way we do our spouse or even that ice cream we love so much? 

In the bible we have an example of true genuine love.  Many know it as the story of the Good Samaritan.  It goes like this: 

"25 A certain lawyer stood up and tempted him saying, "Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  26 He said to him, "What is written in the law?  How do you read it?"  27 And he answered saying "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself."  28 And he answered him, "You have answered right; this do and you shall live."  29 But he willing to justify himself said to Jesus, "and who is my neighbor?"  30 Jesus answered said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  32 And likewise a Levite when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33  But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came where he was and when he saw him had compassion on him. 34  And went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  35 And on the next day when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host and said to him, Take care of him and whatsoever you spend when I come again I will repay you. 36  Which now of these three do you think was the neighbor to him that fell among the thieves?"  37 And he said, "He that showed mercy on him."  Then said Jesus to him, "Go and do you likewise. "   Luke 10. 

The lawyer, who is an interpreter of the law, asked a question to trap Jesus. Notice his motive.  It's clear.  He wants eternal life and is trying to figure out exactly who he needs to love to get there.  His motive is rotten to the core.  He's trying to figure out what he needs to do to earn eternal life. Who exactly does he need to love?  So he rattles off the law in  v27.  Jesus said ok, go do it and you will earn salvation..  Now even the redeemed know and admit that they do not love God nor our fellow man like we should.  We fall short.  So we all stand condemned.  This law shows us our need.  It's the goal we are to attain but it's a high standard to meet. 

So this lawyer attempts to make it look like he was doing all this.  Notice he didn't ask what love is but who is his neighbor.  He's trying to find out who exactly qualifies as his neighbor.  He wants the dividing line.  He wants to be selective, partial in his love categorizing who to love and not to love.   We like to pick and choose don't we? 

So Jesus tells this story.  The certain man would be Jewish going down to Jerico.  There is more than meets the eye here.  Jerusalem is a high CIty of God while Jericho is known as an accursed city.  There is more on the judgment of Jerico than on Sodom even.  This is a picture of a fall.  Look at what the fall of man did to us.  It left us stripped, wounded and half dead.  It's a condition we are all in.  We came into this world as spiritually needy, half dead and not born right with God.  We need someone to help us to be made well here.  So three men start down this road each with a chance to save a soul. 

The first is a priest.  A Priest in the OT was a mediator between God and the people.  He was supposed to be in the business of helping people with their relationship with God.  By chance he went by.  By chance?   When he saw his own kin by flesh (fellow Jew) he made a conscience choice not to care for his fellow man. 

Then we have the Levite who passes by as well but notice he "looked at him" before doing so.  Levites were involved in service and sacrifice.  Their job description or calling would entail getting their hands bloody in helping people day to day.   They were set apart by God in the OT for this service to Him. 

These men had a higher calling so I guess it shows that not all people with a higher calling are motivated by love.  Just because one is religious doesn't mean that they are living a life that reflects Jesus. 

Notice v33..."but."  There are alot of "buts" that separate one from heaven and hell.  "The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life."   But....a Samaritan stops by.  He stops.  Notice he was on a mission.  He was taking a trip perhaps for business.  He had a point in his going by. 

I think the "by chance" was put there on purpose.  None of these three men planned on this encounter.  To the priest and the Levite this was just an unfortunate situation. The Samaritan saw this as a providential appointment and kept it.    Feeling sorry for someone and doing nothing is only showing pity but feeling sorry and doing something about it shows compassion. Love is compassion in action.   What do you think his beast was dong before this?  I would say carrying the Good Samaritan.  So he even gave up his comfort to help.

When Jesus questioned the man about which one showed love in v36 the man answered correctly.   But notice he wouldn't even say the name Samaritan.  Remember the Jews despised the Samaritans. 

Notice that the majority in this story,  2/3,  didn't choose to show love and didn't see the opportunity to do so.  Love is a premeditated conscience choice one makes.  The Samaritan got involved.  Love requires sacrifice on our part.  He labored, he got bloody and dirty and gave what he had to help this stranger.  He eased man's burden and stuck around for the long term comittment it took. He sacrificed his time and money for a complete stranger. 

Here is a perfect picture of love and compassion.  If this Samaritan, who is an enemy to the Jews could show love in this way, why can't we love our spouse?  Why can't we love our neighbors?  Our fellow workers? 

Now our culture says that beauty is connected with love.  Love at first sight.  We need to have a physical attraction going on in order to love another. But then again, look at the Hollywood Divorces.  I mean have you seen how beautiful Christy Brinkly and Shania Twain are?  How beautiful was this bloody man on the side of the road? 

Chemistry is another reason for love. "We just connected" or "it was chemistry"  we say.  How much chemistry do you suppose this Samaritan and this unconscience Jew had going on?   I don't see any chemistry.

How about conversation?  We say,  "we just don't talk to each other anymore."  How much conversation was going on here do you suppose? I'm thinking it was pretty one sided in this case.  

How about our needs?  Don't we say, "my needs are not being met?"  Again, I would say in this story we see the Samaritan's needs not being met.  He met the needs of another 100% with nothing in return. 

Christ is teaching us that our neighbor is anyone we come into contact with providentially.  Love has nothing to do with our conversation, our needs, or chemistry.  Love is expecting nothing in return.  It's not conditional.

John gave us the definition of love.  He said it's not us who loved God but God who loved us and gave us his son to clean us up.  He loved us when we had a need, when we were unlovely and half dead and he did so unconditionally. He showed compassion with action.

We are to love, not in words, but in deed.  Love is that selfless action that can be used even for our worse enemies.  Think about the person in your life who is as close to an enemy as can be.   Think about their car on the side of the road with steam coming up out of it.  They have a need.  You have a choice in meeting that need or just looking and passing by.   You have a choice in doing for another without your needs being met. This is a perfect example of love at its best. Compassion in action regardless of emotion. 

True emotions follow right actions.   The emotions follow the actions.  It's not the other way around as the culture tells us. 

It's true that by love one can make an enemy a friend.  Try it sometime.