Who should I Love?

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:34)

As a society, we recognize the term love both abstractly and commonly. Personally, I love peanut butter. Every morning for breakfast, I could grab a spoon of peanut butter and spread it on a slice of bread, it will suffice for my morning meal. Peanut butter and banana are my go-to snacks when available. Lastly, I can even eat peanut butter with a bowl of cereal before going to bed. As you can see, I love peanut butter, or rather I favor peanut butter over other food? So, my love for peanut butter is different from the love mentioned in the above verse about loving strangers.

The idea that God and love are analogous is a universal belief. Godly love is an obvious daily occurrence. Especially, when you realize the sacrifice of His only Son on the cross, which is the premise of the ultimate Redemption Plan for humanity. Nevertheless, each of us is obligated to demonstrate the same level of love towards one another, especially to strangers. When my goddaughter heard the Sunday School podcast for this lesson, she shared her interpretation as follows:

We are the generation that must carry the love of Jesus for we are chosen. I feel like this because love is a sense of reaping what we sow! What we plant into this earth must grow! If you plant bad seeds, you grow bad seeds! God calls us for justice so we must become accountable and responsible for what we are doing like starting rumors about another person…I too must love everybody and trust that everybody is somebody because we are all God’s children even before we became our parents’ children.

By Mikaylia

Thanks, Mikaylia for the enlightenment because I would never compare love with planting a seed.

Remember the Ethiopian Eunuch mentioned in the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit guided Philip to his chariot and aided him in understanding the writings of Isaiah. After this enlightenment, Philip baptized the Eunuch, and he became a believer. Currently, you can find churches in Ethiopia dating as far back as the 2nd century, where Ethiopian believers travel miles to worship God at these temples. Therefore, I believe that this newly converted Ethiopian Eunuch continued his journey to Africa, and this sown seed produced more Ethiopian believers. Phillip demonstrated Godly love toward this Eunuch, and because of this love, many others became believers as well.

What is a Eunuch, and can we find such in our modern society today?

A eunuch is a castrated man who serves a purpose other than procreating. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. (Eunuch - Wikipedia) The word eunuch appears a few times in the Bible, suggesting that it was a common practice. Yet, the Savior uses this term after His explanation about marriage and divorce to encourage the dedication of a higher calling as noted below:

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (Matthew 19:12)

There are several possible interpretations of this Scripture. However, I prefer to focus on the function of a eunuch when reading these verses. Whatever reason someone becomes a eunuch, he has no desire to procreate as the primary purpose of relationships. Nevertheless, the Savior states that such a person can become a eunuch for the Kingdom. Today, when a person makes a similar decision to include undergoing medical procedures to stop the reproductive process, he or she is negatively criticized to the point of hatred. When you compare the Biblical eunuch with our LGBTQ community today, how many Philips are willing to demonstrate love by entering their chariot to plant the seed of God's love. Considering that God loves all humans, as believers we must demonstrate that same love to everyone, whether they are willing to procreate or not. Even the Apostle Paul views the society norms differently after his heavenly visitation because he penned this verse to the Galatians: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) Therefore, I believe that the Ethiopian Eunuch became a member of this oneness in Christ after his conversion, despite his inability or unwillingness to procreate.

Who should I Love?