How We Value Our Neighbor

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-45 NLT

“If only Casey could get a whack at that.” Words of excitement were yelled and anticipation swelled as the mighty Casey took the mound for the Mudville Nine. Only Casey at the bat could bring home a win on that lazy day in Mudville. As Casey boldly and confidently took his turn at bat, the ball was thrown down the middle but not what he wanted. “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said. From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm waves on a stern and distant shore; “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand; and it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.” (poem, Casey at the Bat)

Nothing has changed much since Ernest Lawrence Thayer penned his classic poem in 1888. Crowds have been lashing out at umpires, referees, and judges since time immemorial, especially when their team loses. You could make excuses for the outrage at an NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB game but at 11 and under games? The Deptford, NJ Little League had enough of over-zealous parents yelling and cussing at the umps. Their solution? Fans who mistreat the officiating crew get to do it themselves. “Any spectator deemed in violation would be banned from the complex until three umpiring assignments were completed. If not, the person would be barred from any Deptford youth sports facilities for a year.”

Barry Mano founder of the National Association of Sports Officials said he “has watched fan conduct become far worse than he could have imagined.” “Sports is simply life with the volume turned up. We’ve become louder and brasher. We always want a second opinion on things. That’s where the culture has gone.  I don’t think we’re as civil as we used to be toward each other, and it plays out in the sporting venues.” (from an article by Dan Gelston, AP sports writer)

We celebrate that God placed an extraordinary value on us as individuals but shouldn’t we place the same level of value on others? When Jesus was asked which is the first commandment, He replied, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) If Jesus had stopped there, that would have been understandable but he didn’t. He said, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (22:39)

“We’ve become louder and brasher” may be a true statement for culture at large, but surely not for those who identify as followers of Jesus. Can you imagine the impact on America if the church took to heart the second half of Jesus’ commandment? Can you imagine the impact globally if all Christians took to heart the second half of Jesus’ commandment?

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” leads to the increased level of bullying in schools that have been on the increase in recent years? Twenty-eight percent of students in American schools have experienced some form of bullying. Though most will get past these years, unfortunately, many will face years of depression, anxiety, and even suicide. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” contributes to the divisiveness currently ripping apart the political and cultural framework of the United States and other nations? “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Eph 4:29 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” blinds us to the physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial needs of those we encounter daily? “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” (Gal 6:2-3 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” keeps us from truly impacting our world? “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Phil 2:3-4 NLT)

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” –Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship

For Amy Carmichael, loving her neighbor looked like 55 years as a missionary in India, never returning to her home country of Ireland, yet in those years she provided a sanctuary of hope for hundreds of children who were trapped in sexual slavery.

For Candy Lightner, loving her neighbor looked like taking the tragic death of her 13-year-old daughter at the hands of a drunk driver to form Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) to focus on the countless deaths of neighbors at the hands of drunk drivers and enact changes to state driving laws.

For Martin Luther King, Jr, loving his neighbor looked like mobilizing others to rally against racial injustice and inspire a vision of change.

What does “love your neighbor” look like for you?

Living out loving our neighbor will look different for each person. There is no one way to love our neighbor but each person’s gifts, abilities and influence will be used by God to change the trajectory of lives for good. God can use whatever way to create a tsunami of change to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

God is great!