Jesus and the Way of Brotherly Love

Friends, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is one with God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

When we choose to live righteous lives according to God’s word, we open our hearts to the majesty, truth and beauty of brotherly love and kindness that Jesus taught and wants us to share with each other. 

Spreading God’s love becomes a spirit-filled activity when we are open to receive his grace. And allow ourselves to grow in spirit. This is the love that is at the heart of Jesus Christ’s message, the love that he demonstrated to others and the love that he wants us to share with everyone we encounter.

Teaching by Example 

Jesus calls us to put brotherly love on the same level as His love for us. Kindness, compassion, forgiveness are part of our Christian nature. It comes naturally when we  are walking and praying with God daily. 

When we look at Luke 19:1-10, the story of how Jesus showed kindness and brotherly love to someone everybody in town hated..and probably with good reason. In the story we see this person Zacchaeus, who was the town tax collector…and also a liar, a cheat and a thief. He made the lives of others in town miserable…nobody in Jericho liked him.

When Jesus was making his way through the town,  Zacchaeus had seen the crowd gathering about Jesus'  and grew curious; he wanted to see what “this Savior” was all about. When he tried to get close to where Jesus was walking, no one would let him through the crowd. So he ran ahead of the people surrounding Jesus and climbed up a tree on the side of the road that Jesus was about to pass by.

When Jesus walked by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I would like to be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and was super excited to have Jesus as a house guest. He was very proud that Jesus had chosen him over one of the others…one of his actual followers. The people were not happy that He had decided to visit Zacchaeus, he’s a “notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

But where the others in Jericho treated the man with scorn, Jesus treated him kindly and with humility and grace. During his visit, Jesus would minister to Zacchaeus and teach him about The Way of Love/The Way of God. 

Before long, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and in the spirit of Brotherly Love vowed to give half his wealth to help those in need, and return four-fold any money he had wrongfully taken from the people.

When the people had heard of the result of Jesus’ kindness, they were overjoyed and probably a little bit ashamed of how they treated Zacchaeus. Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man has shown himself to be a person who loves God. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save those who are lost.” 

In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus told the people, ‘You must love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest law. And second and equally important is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Many people didn’t like Zacchaeus because of who he was and the mean things he did – We will come across many people in our lives that are different than we are, people that wrong us and wound us. But Jesus’ message is clear…be kind anyway. 

He showed us that kindness can be contagious- Jesus’ kindness toward Zacchaeus, causes him to have a change of heart. Zacchaeus then showed kindness to the people he had overcharged in giving them their money back. We are encouraged to treat people the same in the hope that our kindness: a smile, a compliment, holding the door for someone, etc. Every act of kindness that we do will bring about change in a person's life.

5 Ways to Express Brotherly Love 

In order to be effective in our spiritual journey, it’s true that the teachings of Jesus need to be applied in our lives. We often think that we need to do big acts of kindness to make a difference in the world. 

True kindness is often in the small things. Our small acts of kindness may seem insignificant at the time; they may even feel like they have no impact at all. However, being the beacon of divine love and kindness to all, will allow these ripples to make the biggest changes in the lives of others. 

So let’s look at a few small acts of kindness that we can perform whenever:

1- Treat Each Other with Kindness

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) This is what many people refer to as the “Golden Rule,” which simply reminds us to treat people in the manner we would like to be treated ourselves and that there is value in having this kind of respect and caring attitude for one another.  

2 - Value Harmony, Unity, and Friendship

In John 17:21, Jesus prays to God and stresses with importance our being one with Him and with each other: “My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father, that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. 

3 - Be Encouraging to One Another 

We can show the type of love Jesus is known for by encouraging each other rather than putting people down. In Paul’s second letter to the Colossians he reminds the church, “Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” We should strive to have a positive mindset instead of a negative one. By offering our strength, and building each other up rather than weakening and tearing them down by being rude, overly-critical,  selfish or self-centered, we can live our lives in holy communion with others and God. 

4 -  Serve One Another in Love

Jesus showed us this when He was with his disciples and took time to wash their feet before dining with them. Galatians 5:13-14 tells us, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

5 -  Forgive One Another

Sometimes, this is the most difficult one of them all, It’s just natural to hold on to a hurt. But there is a higher law that God has called us to as divine children.—That’s the law of love. And the law of love calls us to go against our natural tendency to hold  grudges and forgive.

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) 

Love is the Greatest Gift

Jesus showed us that brotherly love can strengthen us in many ways. Showing others kindness, encouragement and forgiveness helps to open our hearts and extend God’s love to those who may need it, so that they may see His presence shining through our words and deeds. 

Brotherly love is the love of God, sharing it brings us into a closer relationship with God. It enlivens our spirit, nourishes our soul and magnifies His Kingdom on Earth.