Love in Action

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” 1 John 3:18

Jesus told a story about a Jewish man who was attacked by bandits, beat up and left for dead. Two of his fellow Jews, a priest and a temple assistant, came along, but they both refused to help him. The priest went out of his way, crossing to the other side of the road to avoid helping the man. The temple assistant walked over and look at him before moving on. If the third man hadn’t helped the Jewish man, he would have surely died. The man was a Samaritan. 

The Jews and the Samaritans were at odds. Sometimes the Jewish people would walk all the way around Samaria to avoid coming in contact with the people there. But this man demonstrated the love of God by cleaning and bandaging the Jewish man’s wounds, taking him to an inn where he could be cared for, and paying the bill - no matter cost. 

In his first letter, John writes, “Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” Even though the Samaritan man could have been considered an enemy of the Jewish man, he showed the truth about love by his actions. 

Love looks past its own needs and desires and genuinely considers the needs of others.   

I heard someone say recently that if the parable had been told today, the priest might have looked at the man and said, “You need my help, but I don’t need you.” Love never begs the question, “What’s in it for me?” 

Jesus demonstrated perfect love by giving up the glory of heaven and the worship of angels to be born as a man and die an unthinkable death for you and for me. Jesus’ love was genuinely demonstrated in action, and our love should be no less. Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.