“I’m not going to put up with it.” Have you ever said that? There’s seems to be a lot going on in our country nowadays wherein people on either side of the aisle could argue for why they don’t want to put up with the other. There’s no unity in that, but these are polarizing times where people are far more reactionary than logical. Where do you draw the line? What will you not put up with?
“(…) We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:12b)
Now in the context of the chapter, Paul is speaking about not using his right to get financial support from the church, but the point still remains: Paul was willing to put up with anything—financial hardship, days and nights without food, times when he didn’t have enough clothing to keep himself warm—rather than be an obstacle to the Good News. Are you that committed? Are you willing to put up with anything? What if your reaction to someone hurts your witness? Can your anger point them to Christ? Can you put up with anything for the sake of the Gospel?
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
This passage is probably familiar because you’ve been to a wedding before. It’s a beautiful passage and it’s nice to think about it in the context of two people getting married. But what if it was in a different context? It almost certainly wasn’t in the context of two people about to get married when Paul wrote it in his letter to the church in Corinth. In the film, Paul, Apostle of Christ, this passage is used in the context of responding to Roman persecution. Nero’s Rome was burning with hatred for Christians: they would be taken and forced into gladiator games or made to stand on platforms and lit on fire to light the streets at night. In the film, Luke comes to Paul in prison and tells him some of the young men want to fight back against the Romans. Paul’s response to Luke is this passage from 1 Corinthians 13. Read that passage again, not thinking of your spouse or loved one, but thinking of your enemy, and those who persecute you.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44)
Are you patient and kind toward your enemy, those who persecute and attack you? Are you not rude to them? Do you not demand your own way or get irritable? Does your love for your enemy keep no record of wrongs? Does your love for your enemies endure through every circumstance? Can you put up with anything for the sake of the Gospel?
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.