Hesed

If we carry one another's burdens, we will have fulfilled the whole law.

But first, we must have experienced the lovingkindness of others, of our God, who daily bears our burdens.  "Lovingkindness" in Hebrew is chesed (or hesed); we have no real equivalent in English.  

Yesterday, I was listening briefly to someone on the radio whose theme was "a generous world is a better world."  I wish I could have heard the whole broadcast, but caught only a portion of it, in which his 16-year-old son was telling his story.  Tim had grown up watching and listening to his father, who lived generously to strangers and friends alike, so he decided when he entered high school to overcome his tendency to make life about himself.  On the first day of high school, he saw a boy in his class who was shorter than average and who seemed to be afraid and alone.  Usually Tim would have ignored such a kid in favor of hanging out with his own friends, but on this day, he decided to overcome his natural tendency, so went over to make friends with the lonely kid.  Tim reported that by the end of the first week of school, his own friends were accepting and including the short kid, and they remained friends the rest of high school.  

Reading the Gospels, we find Yahweh moving among His people, gathering the outcasts and bearing their burdens, even to the shame of being crucified with the criminals.  Jesus shows us the face of God when He stoops to write in the dust the sins of those who condemn the woman caught in adultery, saying to them, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."  Lovingkindness/ hesed.

When He speaks to the lonely woman at the well---"Give me a drink."

When He heals the leper who cannot eat and drink with others, who cannot enter the temple to worship with others;

When He heals the woman with the issue of blood who cannot be a part of society for 17 years;

When He says to Matthew, the hated tax collector, "Follow Me."

When He sits at table with tax collectors and sinners, bearing their burden of being the outcasts and looked-down-upon.  Lovingkindness/ hesed.

The man on the radio whose name I do not know was advocating that we "live generously" every day.  It's a new concept for most of us, but one I am willing to try.   When we look at the great saints throughout history, this is what we find in a nutshell -- those who lived generously, not worrying about their reputations, their convenience, their egos.  One of the tennis shoe brand names -- Nike-- has a motto: Just do it!

Somehow, that seems to wrap up the whole law of our God -- just do it: live generously, and you will fulfill the whole law of Christ!