First Corinthians Chapter 13
Originally posted Tuesday July 22, 2008
First Corinthians Chapter 13
The Gift of Love
The
beauty and charm of this passage is well attested by how often it is used in
weddings and quoted in sermons. There is little need to comment on the details
for to do so would detract from its unique power to move our souls. Yet,
it is important that we understand what Paul means by love. The Greek
language has four words for love, each corresponding to a particular aspect
of love. There is filial love of the parent for the child; there is the love
which is at the heart of true friendship; there is erotic love as a powerful
complement to the bonds of human relationships; and then there is agape' which
is the subject of Paul's idea of the greatest of all gifts. This is the
unconditional love which is at the heart of Christianity. It is the love Jesus
spoke of when he said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you should
love one another, just as I have loved you." It also is the love at the
center of the commandment to love one's neighbor as one's self. This
is the love without which we are nothing, no matter our wealth, our
charitable gifts, social or political power, status or knowledge. Such a love
destroys the walls of separation, builds bridges across the divide of hate,
prejudice, and a host of "isms." It is not passive. It is not
expressed in empty words. It is the royal love of which the prophets speak
- the hesed, the loving
kindness of God. This love sees the need of the other and of the earth and is
compelled to care and to act on behalf of the other and the world. This love
seeks the best for others, sometimes calling our own lives into
question, requiring our sacrifice as the only adequate way of love's expression.
This was the way of Jesus. We are invited to make it our own.
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