This is a great video from The Bible Project that explains how the word “love” is translated in our scriptures. We lose so much in translation. Translation of other languages and just trying to figure out what someone means. It’s even difficult to communicate our ideas and feelings to another person when we share a common language. And it’s difficult to love our enemy when we understand their intent. Can we have compassion on those who do us wrong?
Taking into account the meanings of the Aramaic word for “Love” — it still comes across that the Lord expects us to have compassion on these people that we may not like, or who may be causing us trials. It seems the expert in law (lawyer) was trying to get around this meaning of loving your neighbor, as the scriptures say, he stood up to test the Lord and that he (the lawyer) wanted to justify himself:
One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law? Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “You have answered correctly, Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10: 28)
My initial thought on “love your neighbor” was to ask, “well, who is my neighbor?” — I guess I am like the lawyer, looking for a loophole. Dang. The only way to keep this commandment, “to love your neighbor” is to ask the Lord for help. We are just too human otherwise. We need to ask for His help, as Neill Marriott explains how she did it here:
One memorable night a relative and I disagreed about a political issue. She briskly and thoroughly took my comments apart, proving me wrong within earshot of family members. I felt foolish and uninformed—and I probably was. That night as I knelt to pray, I hurried to explain to Heavenly Father how difficult this relative was! I talked on and on. Perhaps I paused in my complaining and the Holy Ghost had a chance to get my attention, because, to my surprise, I next heard myself say, “You probably want me to love her.” Love her? I prayed on, saying something like, “How can I love her? I don’t think I even like her. My heart is hard; my feelings are hurt. I can’t do it.”
Then, surely with help from the Spirit, I had a new thought as I said, “But You love her, Heavenly Father. Would You give me a portion of Your love for her—so I can love her too?” My hard feelings softened, my heart started to change, and I began to see this person differently. I began to sense her real value that Heavenly Father saw. Isaiah writes, “The Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.”
Over time the gap between us sweetly closed. But even if she had not accepted my changed heart, I had learned that Heavenly Father will help us love even those we may think are unlovable, if we plead for His aid. The Savior’s Atonement is a conduit for the constant flow of charity from our Father in Heaven. We must choose to abide in this love in order to have charity for all. (Abiding in God and Repairing the Breach, Neill F. Marriott)
I also enjoyed this commentary on the word, love and it’s Aramaic meaning: Love your Neighbor
