Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Sent: Sat, 3 May 2008 08:00:36 -0500
To: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Subject: Morning Manna May 4-BP: I Jn. 2:7-14; RBTTY: Lk. 22:47-71; I Kings 16-18
May 4 “Darkness Dwellers”
“But he that hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knows not where he goes, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.”
I John 2:11
Both cannot co-exist in the heart; one must reign and the other must retreat.
Light and darkness. Right and wrong. Truth and error. Love and hatred.
When Jesus “No man can serve two masters—for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other” (Mt. 6:24a), we know He was talking about “God and mammon/the world” (v.24b).
However, this same type love-hate analogy also applies to today’s Manna. . .for John clearly states “he that hates (Grk. ‘miseo’—‘to detest, despise, love less, persecute, hold in contempt, etc.’) his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knows not where he goes, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.”
There’s no escaping his message, is there?
No. We may try; but, ultimately the words ring out loud-and-clear, demanding a decision. We either love someone or we don’t. And, even if we gloss over our hatred with words like “Well, I’m not terribly fond of him” or “Loving him/her doesn’t mean I have to be around them,” the verdict’s still the same:
“Guilty as charged, darkness-dweller!”
Hatred and darkness go together, even as “light and love” go together (I Jn. 2:10). And, you can usually tell where a person dwells by the reaction you get from them when you read these words to them and apply them (Jn. 3:18-21; 15:18-23).
No one likes being told they’re full of hate. They certainly don’t like being told their ways are wrong and they’re a “murderer” because of their loveless ways. But, again, the seething hostility you incur when you tell them—instead of brokenhearted repentance—clearly shows who they are and where they dwell.
Oh, dear Pilgrim, is there anyone you’d refuse to share a meal with in your home? Is there anyone you’d turn away if they were homeless and needing a place to stay for the night? For sure, we should be “as wise as serpents” (Mt. 10:16a) in these days of escalating evil; however, this still doesn’t mean we should use that as an excuse for being ungracious or inhospitable and only loving “our kind” (Heb. 13:2).
And, it certainly doesn’t mean we can harbor prejudice in our heart toward another person and still claim to be one of Christ’s disciples. A thousand times no!! If Jesus told the chief priests and elders that “the tax collectors and prostitutes will go into the
Thanks,
Mr. Lynn M. Smith
Department Business Administrator
Department of Economics
204C McElhinney Hall
(713) 743-3802 (office)
(713) 743-3798 (fax)
LSmith20@central.uh.edu (email)
http://www.class.uh.edu/econ/ (department website)
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