Jesus summarised all of God’s law in one word expressed in two ways: love. We are to firstly love God with everything in us and then to love our neighbour as ourselves. In our church we summarise these two expressions simply as Loving Up (loving God) and Loving Out (loving others).

A life of love always starts with the love of God. If we have encountered His love and experienced His forgiveness a new capacity to love is unlocked within us.

In the Gospel of Luke chapter 7 a woman with a reputation as an “immoral” person had one of these life-transforming encounters with the love of God. In fact, she came to love Jesus so deeply that she gate-crashed a dinner party He was attending that she might wash his feet (feet got dusty back then, so servants would wash guests feet) with expensive perfume and tears of gratitude and then dry them with her hair!

While others looked dimly upon her indiscretion, Jesus corrects the onlookers because they have not understood the depth of love that she has experienced in Him. While those around her looked down on her and no doubt sought to distance themselves from her and her sin (sexual immorality), Jesus not only welcomed her in His presence but promised a future unstained by sin.

This profound acceptance by God was so overwhelming that once she realised Jesus came to rescue her from her sin rather than condemn her for it, her heart couldn’t help but overflow with an uncommon, indiscreet love.

Likewise, when we realise the depth of love God has for us, it sparks a whole new kind of love for those around us. Many Christians, including myself, can attest to sensing that God’s love for others has “filled their hearts”. His extravagant love starts to free us to love others in the same way this woman loved Jesus - extravagantly.

The story of the Good Samaritan is another one of these stories. After being snubbed by people you would expect to be kind, a man who has been mugged, robbed and beaten by criminals is generously cared for by a Samaritan man who was from a people group who were notoriously disliked by his people. Not only did he pay attention to his immediate needs, but he generously provided for his recovery and healing. His heart was overwhelmed by God's love and this gave him the capacity to love and overcome ethnic barriers and social norms.

It is this kind of life - a life marked by unconditional love for God and neighbour - that God is calling us to. He’s not twisting our arm into it, but inviting us into a whirlwind of loving UP and loving OUT.
Free to forgive

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."”
Luke 7:36-50

Digging Deeper: Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34, 15:9, 12-13