The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-03-03
New Commandment
Lesson for March S, 1861

i Many men manage to think
themselves much better than
they are, because they have only
the Ten Commandments for a
standard. And they understand
that famed code only in a strict
literal fashion - which as Jesus
| showed us, is no way to take the
Ten Commandments. How long is
it since you made a craven i'm
| age? Which of the women read
ing this column ever coveted a
neighbours wife? Robinson Cru
| soc and Dan1 Boone. in their re-
spective wilderness. had no trou-
BILE about coveting what was their
neighbor'S - they had no neigh
bors.
The Eleventh Commandment
Jesus added another Command
ment, you know. which in an i'm
portant way is not like the rest
of those laws. It is not just an
other law. additional to the Ten
Commandments. It is not a P.S.
tackled on. You might better say
that the Eleventh Commandment
had been in Gods mind always.
The eleventh int rpr e S the
others, it summarizes the others.
Jesus himself said of love of God
and man, that on these two COM
mandments "hang all the law
and the Prophets.
Measuring ourselves against
this law. we do not stack up so
well. This is particularly true
when we hear Jesus saying to the
group in the Upper Room:
that you love one another
even as 1 have loved you." For
We know what that "as have
loved you" means. Jesus died for
those men. and for us. Love, sac
rifice, even to the gate of death
that is the measure of his love;
how often of ours?
What Does Love Mean?
Mark Twain said, and is often
quoted. that the parts of the
Bible he didn't understand never
bothered him. It was the parts
he did understand that disturbed
him. Most Of us, and this in
cludeS people who are not Chris
tlans at all, would like very much
to live in a world dominated by
love. We understand the meaning
of love. at a distance. That is to
say, we all want to be loved. We
want somebody who will care
about us. We want some one to
look out for our interests, we
want a "fan," somebody that be-
lieves in us. somebody who will
60 out of his way to help us.
When it comes to the pinch, right
down in the bottom of our selfish
hearts each of us hopes that if
there are only four life pre-
servers for five shipwrecked
people. the other four will all in
sist that whoever browns, it must
not be Me. II we are driving
along a road and suddenly a col
ision looms. don't we hope the
other man will obigingly drive
into the ditch or wrap himself
f, around a tree, rather than run
into US?
Yes. I'VE know what love
MEANS" We want other persons
70 have it for us. It is only
when 1t is demanded of us that
We grow hazy and hesitant. Love,
we say to ourselves well.
you know what a vague sort of
word that is. hard to pin down
After all. doesn't it mean
wishing people well?
Is 1t Possible?
No. my friend. 1t won't do. You
show you understand the mean
ing of love when it is something
you want showered on you. 1t is
only when you arc asked to
sprinkle little bit of it on
others that you pretend you don t
understand. and offer all these
feeble substitutes.
You show something else, too:
how difficult it is to have genuine
love Some observers of human
nature would say at this point:
Difficult? = Impossible!D You
complain good deal because
the kind Of love you would like to
have. is so scarce. 1t is scarce
because there are too many
people like yourself and in
deed all of us are more or less
alike in this. In fact, it is so
difficult that many thinkers
throw up their hands, so to
speak. they give up the problem.
If what is needed is love. and if
the required quality Of love is so
hard to find for remember all
the time it is love at Christ s
level and on his standard that is
in question: shouldn't we Just not
aim so high? That would be like
saying to an airplane: Because
you cannot reach the moon. you
shall not leave the ground! Even
the impossible" ideal draws us
closer to God.
BASED on outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu-
cation, National Council Of the
Churches Of Christ in the U. s. A.
Released by Community Press
! SerVicA.l