91 - The Most Excellent Way

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

This most beautiful description of love is often read as one of the scripture lessons in weddings in church.  What could be a better way to define the relationship between two people who pledge to live their lives together?

But a couple of things should be noted about this reading before filing it under "romantic, emotional" love.

The word for love used in this passage is agape.  This is the word used by Jesus when the Pharisees challenged him to name the greatest law, and he answered:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Likewise in John, as Jesus is giving final instructions to his disciples, he commands them:

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Jesus is talking about unconditional, self-sacrificial love, asking that his disciples love each other and the world as God loves us.

Love from Theological Virtues by Raphael

It's also important to know the context of Paul singing the praises of agape love.  As is the case in most of his letters, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth to help them deal with issues they are facing.  Just before this passage Paul talks about how many people with many different gifts make up the Body of Christ.  These gifts include "utterance of wisdom" and "utterance of knowledge" and faith and healing and prophecy, and the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues.  And he reminds us we all need each other.

As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’

And

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

The "still more excellent way" he shows us is that we should love one another, over and above any other gifts we have been given.

This is the way of following Christ.