This chapter has an overarching theme of how to love (or hate) our neighbors. Just a reminder, Jesus says that every person we encounter in this world is ‘our neighbor’, not just those who live nearby.
“What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court… Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest… your ill repute have no end. Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you. A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.” (v7b-10, 17-18 abr)
This seems like pretty practical advice to me:
– don’t sue your neighbor; settle disputes privately, out of court
– don’t blab your neighbor’s secrets, use some discretion
– don’t overstay your welcome or impose yourself at your neighbor’s place
– don’t lie regarding your neighbor, or lie to them for that matter
Why don’t we want to do these things? Because they’ll encourage our neighbor to hate us. Why is that a bad thing you may ask? Because the second greatest commandment after loving the Lord our God with our entire being, is to love our neighbor as Jesus would love them. Jesus fully engaged every person He could, listened to their story (even though He already knew it), and showed them compassion. If we’re sabotaging our relationships with our neighbors, we’re not loving them.
I encourage us to be intentional in interactions with our neighbors. We can purposefully listen well, be hospitable (invite them over, versus inviting ourselves over), pray over them (with their permission), take a reasonable interest in their personal lives, and engage them as human beings. These examples will let our neighbor know that we (and God) care about them – we won’t need to explicitly say ‘I care about you’, our Christlike words and actions will imply that.
Father God, our Compassionate and Loving Lord, Your kindness and care are beyond description. May we learn to be extensions of Jesus’ love for us, sharing that blessing with our neighbors. May we honor and glorify You with our words and actions, being shining examples of Christlike love in this world. To You be all praise, honor, and glory , forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training