Christianity in Action
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
by Rev. Randy Quinn
Before I read the text:
Some passages of scripture
are so familiar that we don’t always hear them. On those occasions, I
find it helpful to read from a different translation so it isn’t said in
the way I remember it.
At the same time, we find
it comforting to hear familiar words in familiar ways. Somehow it
reminds us that God’s truth is eternal. That’s part of why some people
insist on using the King James translation of the Bible.
The King James translation
was completed in 1611 in response to an edict of the King that an
accurate translation of the Bible be made available in the common
language of the people in England. The translation committee was chosen
by King James and worked with the best tools they had available to them.
While the English language
has changed significantly in the past 400 years, the King James
translation was really the only English translation until the
1950’s and it’s what many of us grew up hearing. So we want to
hear the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer using those
translations rather than a more recent one.
Today’s text, however, is
one that is more familiar to most of us when read from a more recent
translation than it is from the King James translation. So I want to
read it using the translation of 1611, to see if the older English usage
may help us hear it better.
Read text from King
James Version.
“Charity.” That’s the way
the King James translation team decided to translate agape, a
word that is now more often translated “love.” The dilemma is that in
Greek there are several words for the various nuances of the concept of
“love,” of which agape is only one. Curiously, the translation
team was not consistent. There are other places where they chose “love”
over “charity.”
Despite the common use of
this passage at weddings, the truth is that Paul is not talking about
romantic love here. He is not talking about the love between a man and
a woman, a husband and a wife. Instead, he is talking about the
unconditional love of God for us and the reflection of that love in our
lives.
By using a word other than
love in this chapter, the seventeenth century translators help us hear
some of that nuance even if it robs it of some of the poetic form we are
more familiar with. “Love is patient, love is kind” becomes “charity
suffereth long, and is kind” and “the greatest of these is love”
becomes “the greatest of these is charity” (comparing NIV with KJV in
verses 4 and 13).
In modern usage, charity
is often understood with an attitude of condescension, but in 1611,
charity was a high ideal of giving and caring for another person. It is
giving because of who the giver is, not because of who the benefactor
is. A better synonym might be “mercy” rather than “love.”
In essence, Paul is saying
that what gifts we have are not as important as the ways our gifts are
used. In our “Methodist Theology” class on Thursday, we noted that our
denomination has often been more concerned with how our faith is being
lived out than the particular words used to describe it. Paul is
suggesting that our actions are more important than our words.
In that sense, it is very
much like the story of the three hermits that Leo Tolstoy tells. In
that story, there are three hermits who live on an isolated island.
They spent their time in prayer, praying for their own salvation and the
salvation of the world.
When a Bishop was on a
passing ship, he asked to be allowed to visit the hermits. When he met
them he was appalled that they didn’t even know the Lord’s Prayer! So
he spent hours with them teaching them how to pray. One word at a
time. One phrase at a time. Until they had the entire prayer
memorized, each helping the others when they lost their place.
The Bishop was pleased
that they were finally praying correctly, gave them a blessing and
returned to the ship.
As they resumed their
journey, however, the captain noticed something on the sea between the
ship and the island. As time passed, the captain and the Bishop noticed
the object on the sea getting larger – as if approaching the ship. In a
few short minutes, they could see that it was the three hermits walking
on the water.
When they arrived at the
ship, they explained that they had already forgotten the prayer the
Bishop taught them. They came seeking further instruction. Humbled,
the Bishop assured them that the prayers they had been making before
were sufficient and asked them to pray for him – no matter how they
prayed.
Clearly their actions
spoke louder than their words.
When read in context, this
chapter of Paul’s letter is not a grand piece of romantic poetry, but
rather is a very pointed reminder to people who have forgotten the
commandment of Jesus to “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn
13:34). When read in its context, in fact, the focus seems to be on the
part of this chapter that is least often read at weddings, the last
paragraph, beginning at verse 8.
Read again verses 8 –
13.
We all know people who
carry pictures with them. Pictures of their children and
grandchildren. Pictures from their favorite vacation spot. Some people
carry pictures of their dog while others carry photos of their boat.
But those pictures are not
the same as the real thing. A picture may tell a thousand words and it
may help us know what something looks like, but it is not the same as
the real thing.
Paul uses a mirror to
capture that same thought, a “glass” in King James English. Except he
reminds us that when we look in a mirror we ought to be seeing a
reflection of Christ. When Christ lives in us, others will see God’s
love in us. God isn’t necessarily heard in the words we say, but in our
actions.
Several years ago, I read
a study on communication. It said that only about 25% of what we say is
communicated through our words. Over half of what we say is
communicated through body language and tone of voice – of course the
study was done before the advent of Email which may eventually change
the dynamics of speech.
But the truth remains
true, even in Email, that words and deeds are not the same thing. Just
because a website promises to take our name off their “spam” list does
not mean they will. Actions speak louder than words.
We can say we love
someone, but unless there is action to follow it, the words become
hollow and meaningless. It’s the activity that gives meaning to our
faith, too.
That is no less true for
you and me than it is for God.
And the greatest
expression of God’s love may be found right here, today, at the
communion table. Here we meet God face to face, here we see and
experience the love of God that reaches out to us and welcomes us as
beloved children.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
