In the days that followed Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on that Easter morning, the disciples, no doubt, spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on their time with Jesus. Things that He said to them that were once overshadowed by the events of the moment began to make a great deal of sense to them in light of the empty tomb. For example, in our gospel lesson for this morning Jesus gives His disciples a new command. He tells them “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”[1] At the time, these words were likely overshadowed by the events of the moment, namely the strange behavior of Judas at their last Passover supper and the prediction of Peter’s denial. However, in the light of the empty tomb these words made a great deal of sense.
In the light of the empty tomb the disciples were able to reflect on the love that Jesus had for them. They were able to recall His perfect obedience to the law. Without fail Jesus loved the Lord His God with all His heart and with all His souls and with all His mind. Without fail Jesus loved His neighbor; even the hard to love Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the law were loved by Him as He loved Himself. When the disciples recalled Jesus’ perfect obedience to the law, they saw love. They saw love because they understood the motivation of Jesus’ perfect obedience. Jesus kept the law perfectly in their place. Jesus knew that they could not do what the law demands, He knew the disciples would always fall short of the glory of God and so He did it for them, He kept the law perfectly in their place so that they would not fall short.
In the light of the empty tomb the disciples were able to see Jesus sacrifice on the cross for what it was. No longer did they view the crucifixion as a senseless act of violence committed against an innocent victim. Rather, they saw it as an act of love. They saw the sinless Son of God suffer in their place. They saw Him lay down His life as the atoning sacrifice for their sins. They saw Him do what needed to be done in order to redeem the people that God so loved.
In the light of the empty tomb the disciples were able to understand the significance of what Jesus had done for them. They peered into His empty tomb and realized the permanence of the occasion. Jesus was not now in the tomb nor would he ever be. Sin, death, and the devil had been overcome by Jesus and the disciples understood since these forces were not able to bring an end to Jesus, they would not be able to bring an end to them. What Jesus had done for them would last.
In the days that followed Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on that Easter morning the disciples were able to reflect on how Jesus had loved them. As a result, they wanted to obey what Jesus had commanded them. They wanted to love one another as Jesus had loved them.
In the years that followed Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on that Easter morning, the disciples sought to teach what they had learned about loving one another with all of Jesus’ disciples. They discovered it was a difficult lesson to teach. The problem was very few people seemed to understand what it meant to love. Take, for example, the disciples in the city of Corinth.
Corinth was the leading city in Greece. It was a thriving commercial center along a trade route. Corinth was a big city and it had big city problems. Sexual immorality, drunkenness, and corruption filled the streets. Sadly, these big city problems found their way into the church. The Corinthian Christians struggled with sexual immorality, drunkenness, and corruption every bit as much as their pagan neighbors did. In the chapter before the one we are going to examine today, the Corinthian Christians are fighting over spiritual gifts. They considered some spiritual gifts more valuable than others and, at the expense of their fellow Christians, they sought the most valuable gifts of the Spirit for themselves.
Paul sets out to teach the Corinthian Christians a better way to treat each other. As we are about to see, there are three parts to Paul’s lesson. In the first part of his lesson Paul is going to discuss the importance of motivation. In the second part he is going to talk about the need for action. In the final part he is going to talk about having a lasting impact on others.
Part one of Paul’s lesson is found in verses 1-3 of 1 Corinthians 13. There Paul writes, “1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Here Paul points out the importance of motivation. Before Paul talks to them about the way they treat each other he wants them to understand the why. Why we do what we do is, in many ways, more important than what we do. Our most amazing achievements and our greatest sacrifices mean nothing, and they gain us nothing if they are not motivated by love. And not just any kind of love. The word for love that Paul used here is ἀγάπη. As you may know, the Greeks had different words for different kinds of love. There was a word for erotic love that sought pleasure. There was a word for familial love that sought comfort. There was a word for brotherly love that sought companionship. But ἀγάπη love is different. ἀγάπη love seeks nothing for itself. ἀγάπη love is more interested in pouring itself out than it is filling itself up. ἀγάπη love identifies the needs of others and then seeks to fulfill those needs.
In our dealings with each other, we must be motivated by ἀγάπη love. ἀγάπη is the kind of love Jesus had for us when He saw how far we had fallen short of the glory of God and sought to bridge the gap with His perfect obedience to the law. If, in the light of the empty tomb, we want to treat each other the way Jesus treated us, then we must love them as He has loved us.
Having pointed out the importance of motivation, Paul continues with the second part of his lesson. In verses 4-7 Paul writes, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Here Paul stresses the need for action. Among many people there is this misconception about what love is. Some view love as a mysterious force that acts upon us. Others view love as an erratic emotion that we are powerless to control. Still others view love as a fickle feeling that comes and goes. But that is not how Paul describes love. Paul describes love as an action, a verb, a thing that we do. In our dealings with each other Paul encourages patience, the kind that comes from not having an overinflated opinion of yourself. He encourages politeness, the kind that is considerate of the feelings of others. He encourages pardoning, the kind that doesn’t flare up every time we get our boxers in a bunch and is willing to forget about the times when others do. He encourages piety, the kind that seeks a God pleasing alternative to any and every situation. He encourages poise, the kind that assumes the best about everyone and everything.
In our dealings with one another, it is not well wishes and sympathetic sentiments that are needed, it is action. Jesus’ actions; His suffering and sacrifice are what saved us from our sins. If, in the light of the empty tomb, we want to treat people the way Jesus treated us, then we must love them as He has loved us.
Having pointed out the importance of motivation and stressed the need for action, Paul concludes his lesson in verses 8-13. There Paul writes, “8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Here Paul tells us what we must do if we want to have a lasting impact on the lives of others. Those spiritual gifts that the Corinthian Christians were fighting over served their purpose for a time, but that time has passed. There is no need for prophesying or speaking in tongues, we have the Word of God written out for us. Likewise, today there is a need for teaching and preaching, but there will come a day when this time will pass. There will be no need for such things when we find ourselves face to face with the Almighty. Many of the things that seem so very important to us here and now won’t matter in eternity. But you know what will? Love. Christian loves last forever. Christian love has the power to make an impact on people here and now and forever in eternity.
In our dealings with one another the greatest thing we can do for each other is love them. Jesus has loved us and as a result sin, death, and the devil have no power over us; neither today, nor tomorrow nor for the eternity yet to come. If in the light of the empty tomb, we want to treat people the way Jesus treated us, we must love them as He has loved us.
If, in the light of the empty tomb, you want to treat people the way Jesus has treated you, you must love them. For it is love that brings value to your motivation, it is love that leads you to action, and it is love that will have a lasting impact on people. Jesus told his disciples “all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”[2] Let us go and show the world that we are disciples of Jesus. Let us love one another. Amen
[1] John 13:34-35
[2] John 13:35