Love Is All You Need
A reflection from 2 John
And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments… —2 John 5-6
Love… what is it? I love my wife. I love my kids. I love trout fishing. I love lasagna. We use the same word, but clearly it means different things in each statement. In 2 John, we have a clear definition of love: “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments” (v. 6).
We often associate love for God with obedience to God. After all, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). But it’s also true that keeping his commandments is the best way to love other people. The way of Jesus is the way of love.
In Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “amare est velle alicui bonum (to love is to will the good of another).” I love my wife and desire her good. The best thing I can do to work for good in her life is to be like Jesus as a husband. I love my kids and desire their good. The best thing I can do for their good is to be a dad who follows the way of Jesus. I love my congregation and pray for their good. The most important thing they need from me is not my preaching, vision, leadership, or coaching. What they need most is a pastor who lives the way of Jesus, like Jesus, for Jesus, and with Jesus.
That’s what my coworkers need. That’s what my neighbors need. That’s what my kids’ teachers, our elected leaders, and my extended family need. What our society needs most is Christians who are like Christ.
John Lennon famously wrote, “All you need is love, love is all you need.” He was right, although he’d be chagrined to know why. All we need is to will and work for the good of others by being the best disciples of Jesus we can be. Sadly, in rejecting Jesus, Lennon rejected the very thing he sought most in the world: love.
Agreed!