Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7 (Second Lesson for this Sunday)
Love stories: We read them, watch them in movies and on TV, and are delighted when they occur in our daily lives. Who doesn’t enjoy going to a wedding? We talk about love and dream about love – and define love as that blissful state where we find release from our troubles and struggles. But what we tend to forget is that we are thinking only about the euphoria of romantic love. What about the love that Jesus actually demands of us? We have a lot more trouble celebrating and living up to that demand.
Where we so often disappoint our Lord is in the small things, the things that we may not even recognize as unloving. How often have we said things such as: “Everyone gets stressed sometimes”, or, “Just think of all the people who are worse off than you”? Then there’s, “You don’t look disabled”, or – and we think this one is safe, but it isn’t - “Give it to God”.
Each and every seemingly innocent comment ignores the pain, or sadness, or suffering of the person to whom we are speaking. How different it would be if we began with, “I care so much for you. How can I be there for you at this time?” Or, if that’s too many words, just “I’m here for you and I love you” says it all.
Jesus offered Himself for us on the cross – and He expects us - not to solve other people’s problems, or point out to them what we see as a reasonable change of outlook or action they might take, – but to offer ourselves to others, in love, as He offered up Himself for us.
Phillip, at the command of an angel of the Lord, is journeying south. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
An Ethiopian eunuch would certainly have been an unusual person to meet on any road, even and including, the road to Jerusalem. He represents the ultimate in outsiders from every possible viewpoint: racially, religiously, sexually, nationally -- from nearly any viewpoint you can imagine. Yet, an angel comes to Philip, and sends him to a place where he would not naturally have gone, to meet someone he had been taught to avoid at all costs.
However, Phillip, himself, is not mainstream person, because he is a Christian. Originally, Christianity was a sect within Judaism, a religion that was recognized by the Romans and tolerated within given limits. But in Phillip’s time, the Christians had been rejected by the Jews, were no longer welcome in the synagogues, and had thus become an outcast sect with no legal protection. So – the two men from very different backgrounds, but both outsiders, meet on the road to Jerusalem.
We know why Phillip is there, but what of the Ethiopian eunuch? We are told, “He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home.” Was he a Jew? We don’t know, though it is unlikely. It may be that he admires the Jewish faith and has thus decided to read some of their scriptures.
Philip is a Jewish convert (to Christianity), a deacon. The Ethiopian, who quite likely is non-Jewish, is a court official. The two men are divided by race, religion, and social class. Yet Philip is instructed “by the Spirit” to approach the Ethiopian. And this is where anything might have occurred, because the first words spoken would set the tone for the encounter.
Phillip approaches the Ethiopian and asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He doesn’t ask, “Can I help you?” – which implies Philip thinks the Ethiopian requires help, and that he, Phillip, has the strength and authority to help him. Instead, Phillip offers himself to the Ethiopian by asking a simple question, an acceptable question that doesn’t imply the Ethiopian is somehow inferior. And The Ethiopian replies, “How can I [understand], unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
Phillip’s words are filled with kindness and concern. The question is personal, not general, taking into consideration what the Ethiopian is doing at the time. There is no judgment, no condescension – only a simple question that leads to an opportunity for Phillip to share the love and joyous Good News of the Gospel.
Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit.”
*Ouch* We sometimes overlook the weight and gravity of the commandments laid on us by Jesus. We are commanded to love God and each other, and this means some hard work for us. Our tendency is to say and do the things that we find comfortable, which is why, instead of offering ourselves to those who come to us for help, we so often respond to another’s needs with words, words that do not help or comfort or support.
Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
We need to be listening to Jesus, because we really do not wish to disappoint Him and disappoint God through our natural self-centeredness. And, yes, it is quite natural to behave in the insensitive ways we do, but we are not called nor commanded by Jesus to act this way. We are called to a holier and more difficult way of life.
The good news is that, through our baptism, we do abide in Him. 1 John assures us,
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because he has given us of His Spirit.
Having the Spirit means we can fulfill our calling and live up to what Jesus wants from us. The struggle for us comes in surrendering to and living in the Spirit. When called on, we tend to immediately react – when what we need to do is respond. Responding means taking a moment to consider what we will say or do. This means that, in the end, whatever we choose as our response will convey the message, “I love and care for you. How may I be of service?”
Sometimes we are afraid of the response we may receive. But we are told: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear... And when we struggle with this, as we all do, we are offered the reassurance that, we love because He first loved us. And He Himself is there with us to support us through any fear we may experience. We need only ask Him for His help.
Sometimes we are angry with a person, or we dislike them, or we feel they have “wronged” us. But Jesus tells us we are to also love them, as He loves us, and to forgive them, as we have been forgiven. As He tells us, My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
We are called to surrender, to the Spirit, to Jesus, to God. This is when we know how proud we are, because we don’t want to give up our fear, our anger, our reactions, our will – as we are commanded to do. This is the time when we need to ask Jesus for His help, to make us plaint, to make us loving people, that love may be perfected among us. When we are willing to do the work, the reward is great.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. And the Love of God will fill our hearts and grant us peace.
Let us pray:
Lord God, heavenly Father, please flourish our hearts with genuine Love that will benefit us and other people. Let our actions, performed in love, glorify Your Name. Let our love be selfless, impartial, truthful, and fruitful! All this we ask in Jesus’ Name, Amen..