“Do everything in love.” An unexpected directive at the conclusion of an intense ancient letter. When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter (or rather, the first letter that we know of) to the gentile congregation at Corinth, he covered the whole spectrum. He profoundly emphasized the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to the Greeks a distant figure of Jewish background. He touched on prophetic elements. He severely corrected the congregation for tolerating a continuing situation involving intimate relations forbidden by Old Testament law. And in the midst of this intensity, he dictated an incredible piece of literature, which we know commonly as the “love chapter.”
A complex man, living in complex times. Perhaps a bit like today. Here’s a related thought. Biblical scholar Ben Witherington made an excellent point when he wrote: “A word of caution is in order. We are captives to the sources we have.” In this same volume, he also rightly noted: “There is no such thing as uninterpreted history…every historical account is written from some point of view.”
In the Bible and other sources contemporary and ancient, often as in life today, we have somebody’s recorded point of view. We have the answers. What we don’t often know is this: what were the questions?
The Bible preserves some tantalizing, just-out-of-reach thoughts. It speaks in the Old Testament –Isaiah and Jeremiah, for instance – and in Acts in the New Testament of something called “The Way.”
What was that “Way”? Have we fallen into the pit that Witherington warns of? Have we misinterpreted critical historical accounts? Do we see current events through a warped lens of distorted antiquity?
The prophet Jeremiah gave ancient Judah an interesting command:
“This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16, New International Version)
What relevance does this have for us today? In this world’s increasingly synthesized and globalized society, I suspect many might deploy that “crossroads” metaphor rather emphatically. Here we are. Where are we going?
This blog, Seeking the Way, does not aspire to the pretentious. It will hopefully present and discuss both the secular and the sacred in a fashion that helps the author (at least) define some of the questions. And if things go in a fortunate fashion, perhaps even try to match up a few with the answers.
Will there be interpreted history? You bet. But hopefully it will be grounded in truth.
So back to Paul. What’s the framework here? Paul emphasized that if he didn’t do things in love, then as he said, “I am nothing” (I Corinthians 13:2, NIV). So as this blog begins, we’ll start there: “Do everything in love” (I Corinthians 16:14, NIV).
Fortuna favet fortibus.