Perfect Love

READ

Everyone knows today’s passage from weddings, but Paul wasn't writing poetry for brides and grooms – he was giving a reality check to a dysfunctional church. The Corinthians were proud of their spiritual gifts but lacking in spiritual maturity. In response, Paul held up Jesus as the perfect example of love, showing them what Christian community should actually look like.

Let’s take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 13:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poorand give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 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 the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a 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. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love.

REFLECT

When Paul writes, "Love is patient, love is kind," he's not describing an abstract virtue – he's describing Jesus Himself. Every characteristic of love in this passage is perfectly embodied in Christ. This reveals Jesus as Love Incarnate, not just someone who loves, but Love itself walking among us.

"Love is patient" – Think of Jesus with His slow-to-understand disciples. How many times did they miss the point? How often did Peter put his foot in his mouth? Yet Jesus never rolled His eyes, never gave up on them, never said, "I'm done with you people." He patiently taught, corrected, and loved them into maturity.

"Love is kind" – Jesus' kindness wasn't selective. He was kind to children when disciples tried to shoo them away. He was kind to a Samaritan woman with a complicated past. He was kind to a thief dying next to Him. His kindness wasn't based on whether people deserved it but on who He was.

"It does not envy" – Jesus never competed with others or resented their success. When John the Baptist's disciples were worried about Jesus getting more attention, Jesus praised John lavishly (Matthew 11:11). When His disciples argued about who was greatest, Jesus washed their feet. He was secure enough in His identity to celebrate others without feeling threatened.

"It does not boast, it is not proud" – The Creator of the universe never name-dropped His credentials. He didn't arrive with fanfare but in a stable. He didn't demand recognition but served in obscurity for thirty years. When praised, He deflected glory to the Father. True love doesn't need to advertise itself.

"It does not dishonor others" – Jesus never shamed people publicly or used their failures against them. Even when correcting the Pharisees, He was addressing their harmful behavior, not attacking their worth. When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Him, He protected her dignity while addressing her sin.

"It is not self-seeking" – Everything Jesus did was for others. His miracles weren't to show off but to meet needs. His teachings weren't to build a platform but to reveal truth. His death wasn't forced but chosen – "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:18). Perfect love seeks the good of others above self.

"It is not easily angered" – Jesus had righteous anger against injustice and religious hypocrisy, but personal slights didn't faze Him. When rejected, mocked, or betrayed, He didn't lash out. He absorbed the anger of others without passing it on. His emotional responses were always about protecting others, never defending Himself.

"It keeps no record of wrongs" – Jesus didn't hold grudges. Peter denied Him three times, yet Jesus specifically sent word to Peter after the resurrection. Thomas doubted, yet Jesus gently invited him to touch His wounds. Saul persecuted Christians, yet Jesus called him to be an apostle. Jesus' love doesn't keep score.

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth" – Jesus couldn't ignore sin because He loved too much to leave people trapped in destruction. But He addressed sin to liberate, not condemn. When He spoke hard truths, it was surgical, not brutal – designed to heal, not harm.

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" – This is Jesus on the cross. Protecting us from God's wrath, trusting the Father's plan when it made no sense, hoping in resurrection when death seemed final, persevering through ultimate suffering because love doesn't quit.

Paul's point to the Corinthians was clear: You can speak in tongues, prophesy, and work miracles, but without love – without Jesus' character – you're just making noise. Christian community isn't about impressive gifts; it's about Jesus-like love.

This passage holds up a mirror to our churches and relationships. Are we patient with difficult people? Kind to those who can't return favors? Free from envy when others succeed? Humble about our achievements? Do we honor others' dignity, seek their good above our own, forgive quickly, and persevere when love gets costly?

The beautiful truth is that we don't love this way through willpower but through Jesus' presence in us. As we abide in Him, His love flows through us. We become channels of His patience, kindness, humility, and hope. This is what makes Christian community different – not our perfection, but His love perfecting us.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• Which characteristic of Jesus' love from 1 Corinthians 13 do you most need Him to develop in you right now?

• In what practical ways can you demonstrate Jesus-like love to someone difficult in your life this week?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Jesus, You are perfect Love, and we fall so short of Your example. Fill us with Your Spirit so Your love can flow through us to others. Make us patient when we want to be harsh, kind when we want to be cold, humble when we want to boast. Transform our communities to look more like You – full of grace, truth, and sacrificial love. Amen.