“Love One Another, Do Not Be Like Cain…!”

“Love One Another; Do Not Be Like Cain…!”(I Jn,3:11-12).
The command, “Love your neighbour as yourself “ is an old law(Lev.19:18). As mentioned by the synoptic gospels, the Lord Jesus Christ said this is the second most important of all the laws.
The command to love is central to John’s gospel and his letters. Paul gives us a poetic relevance of what love is a9bd what is does, what love is not and what it does not do.
When some stricter Pharisees interpreted this law to mean, “hate your enemies,” Jesus pointed to a contrary understanding. The Lord said, “Love your enemies”(Mt.5:43).
A neighbour is not necessarily one who lives nearby, but anyone with whom we come into contact.
John reminds us that the command that “we should love one another” is from time immemorial. To buttress the point he adds, “Do not be like cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother…Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”
Before that first murder, Cain was angry because his sacrifice was not accepted. God told him, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it”(Gen.4:6). We know what happened. He lured his brother to the field and murdered him.
The big lesson is that we should do the right thing and we will be accepted by God. When we become jealous of others, sin crouches at our door, and when we cannot overcome it, we are pushed to murder.
Murder is not just about driving a knife into somebody. Slander, envy, jealousy, backbiting, character assasination, hate speech insults, etc on somebody is as worst as a bullet shot into the person. But love for one another covers a multitude of sins.
Dear friend, it costs nothing to love, but it costs so much to hate.
The sudden hike in the price of almost commodity in the market without commensurate pay rise is the price we are paying for hate; be it in Ukraine or in homeland!
Everywhere and on a daily basis, bloodshed has become a common phenomena. Death has lost its meaning because it has become commonplace!
May we this day obey this old command as reiterated: “Love one another. Do not be like Cain…”
We are not going to have the better world which we crave for until we love one another and not be like Cain!
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit help me to love others and not to be like Cain in my thoughts, in my words and in my deeds. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.