It is not a debt we care to own up to as
loving neighbor as yourself is not as sweet as it sounds. First of all we
hardly love ourselves although we like ourselves well enough to fulfill desires
as if they were needs. We almost always neglect the “neighbor” as defined by
the parable of the Good Samaritan and avoid contact with them when we can. We
don’t even fully love those who love us and withhold a certain amount of
capital in reserve fearful that full commitment may mean bankruptcy. That’s the
truth. Fear drives the process and love demands more than anyone is willing to
pay. If it came easy we’d be better at it and the Bible wouldn’t have to talk
about it so much. But as it is we are reluctant to love fully, especially when
it means we have to sacrifice time or energy or pay real dollars on the debt.
There are some who recklessly disregard conventional wisdom and even if they
had a rainy day fund would have spent it long ago on the needs of others. We
call them saints and most of them are dead or in prison or live in ways the
rest of us do not care to live, thank you, very much. They do inspire us,
though, don’t they? Maybe enough to put ourselves on a payment plan to pay down
the debt of love we can never repay. For the Jesus who inspires saints to live
with and love neighbors not like themselves died to save us all and pay the
debt of love the law demanded.
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