Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 2: 9-11

When Jesus spoke His final words to the disciples, He could have focused on issues of specific doctrines or moral teachings. He could have given a long list of things to do and another list of acts to avoid, but what He did left no room for real debate.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another”

(John 13:34).

In his epistle, John reminds us light and darkness, love and hate – have nothing to do with one another. It’s impossible to hate (loathe, despise, detest) someone and love them in the way that Christ loved us.  He loved us and died a sacrificial death for us, but are we willing to sacrifice our personal comfort for others? Do we sometimes insist on doing things our own way, even if it could cause someone else to stumble?

John presents quite a contrast, doesn’t he? Hatred blinds us and since we do can’t see where we are going in the dark, not only will we stumble, we will drag others down as well.

At this point in time, blind hatred seems to be at an all-time high. Some seem to feed on hatred of the other person who doesn’t see everything the same way. But what does love look like?

Paul provided a clear-eyed example in his first letter to the Corinthians –

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

That’s what is expected of us. Are we loving our brother?