1 Corinthians 13 says that if you do not have love you are a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal. It says that knowledge without love is worth nothing, and that even the person who has faith – but not love – will gain nothing.
In his book, Leviathan, British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes describes the nature of man as he sees it. He boils people down to their core carnality and comes to the conclusion that left on their own, the life of man is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes’ solution to a world in chaos is a massive government with complete control to keep men from acting on their base impulses – a leviathan, if you will. In many ways this bleak outlook on life mirrors this morning’s passage. Both Hobbes and the Apostle Paul take a hard look at humanity’s default setting of self-centered living. Paul knows that even people blessed with spiritual gifts are prone to glory in the gifts and not the giver of the gifts. He also knows that this type of living, in a very real way, will leave the person empty. The Apostle diagnoses the same problem but prescribes a completely different solution to the hopelessness and loneliness that comes with a “me” centered life. His answer is love. Love can be the leviathan in our lives that compels us to good works. There is power in love. Libraries are full of books that discuss love, but as a fan of terse declarative sentences (this sentence not being an example of one), my favorite sentence of the chapter is found in verse eight and contains three simple words.
“Love never ends.”
There is comfort in that thought. In a world where everything, like grass, withers and fades away – love remains.
What but love could cause a group of professionals to take a week of hard-earned vacation from their very demanding jobs and pay to travel to a country that is not their country to work long, stressful days for free. The Roman philosopher Cicero (I know what you’re thinking, “Stop with all this philosopher talk already,” but bear with me) said, “The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter.” This idea is on full display this week. As this week’s photographer, I’ve taken pictures of many faces. What I see in the eyes of doctors, nurses, techs, translators, pharmacist, and patients is love. Intense eyes under a furrowed brow, determined to do all in their power to help a patient, show love. Moist eyes, sympathizing with the anguish of a painful surgery, show love. Bright eyes, laughing with a recovering patient, show love. Even the eyes of the people who have taken their time to read my meandering posts show love for this week’s mission. Closed eyes on bowed heads show love.
I look forward to the day when the eyes of the faithful look upon the person of our affection. In verse 12 of today’s passage Paul conveys this very idea better than I could hope to when he says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
-Joel Bacon 4/5/17