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*What Our Lord Saw from the Cross, by James Tissot.
Breathing Underwater
How was your week? There are times when we feel like we
breathe underwater – overwhelmed and struggling just to keep up. For me, last
Thursday was one of those days. I worked hard, but I very unmotivated,
unproductive, and unfulfilled. My “To do list” kept growing. Sermon ideas were
not coming together. The visitation list was long. Reports were due. I did not
have enough time with my children. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t catch
up. So, I went out for a run. Running usually gives me joy and a sense of accomplishment.
But that day, even running betrayed me. My body felt heavy. My ankle hurt. I
felt cold and hungry. I wanted to stop. I almost called Joyce to pick me up. I
barely finished. It was a low day. But early the next morning, God lifted my
heart as I meditated on today’s scripture – 1 Corinthians 13.
Problems Analyzed (13:1-3)
We know 1 Corinthians 13 as the love
chapter. It is often read at weddings. And that is beautiful. But the original
situation was very different. When Paul wrote this letter, the Corinthian
church was in serious trouble. They were divided over their favorite leaders.
They tolerated serious sexual sin. They were proud and competing over spiritual
gifts. So their worship became chaotic. In short, Corinthian church was messy. It
was falling apart.
In this particular context, Paul goes
straight to the heart of the problem: They lacked love. They were smart,
eloquent, rich, but they didn’t love each other. They had spiritual enthusiasm
and gifts, but they didn’t love each other. They engaged community service and
involvement, but they didn’t love each other. That’s why the Corinthian church
was struggling. And when we think about it, most problems in life come from the
same place – a lack of love. We desperately need more love.
The Love that We Need (13:4-7)
After diagnosing the problem, Paul
gives the cure. The love we need is Agape love – a love that is patient
and kind, a love that is not self-seeking, a love that forgives, a love that
always protects, always trusts, always endures. This Agape love is
perfectly shown in Jesus Christ.
The artist James Tissot helps us see
this through his painting What Our Lord Saw from the Cross.[1]
Instead of looking at Christ on the cross, we see what Christ saw from the
cross. We see soldiers gambling for his clothes. We see religious leaders
mocking him. We see a curious and ignorant crowd. We see grieving women and
other disciples.
From the cross, Jesus himself was
suffering beyond words. Yet he was not focused on himself. He didn’t just see
the crowd. Instead, he saw each and every individual face. He saw his torturers
and prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Love keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus
saw the thief and said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Love is
kind. He saw his mother and his beloved disciple and said, “Woman, here is
your son… Here is your mother.” Love is not self-seeking. From Christ’s
own view, the cross is not just suffering. It is Agape love. Jesus saw
the broken world below him. And he chose to stay. Love bears all
things, endures all things.
Love Begets Love
Christ’s love compels us. We may have
natural love for our family and friends, but Agape love does not come
from us. It is a gift. When we come to the cross and trust Christ crucified,
Christ’s love is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans
5:5). We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Let me share a story that shows how
Christ’s love changes us. Many of you may know the story told in the book and
film End of the Spear. In 1956, five young missionaries flew into the
jungles of Ecuador to reach the Waorani people, a tribe known for violence and
isolation. These men loved Jesus deeply. They believed Christ’s love was for
everyone, even those who had never heard his name. After making several friendly
contacts, they landed on a sandbar to meet the tribe. But something went
terribly wrong. All five men were speared to death. When the news came back to
the United States, it felt like a tragedy. A failure. Five young lives lost.
Families broken. Children left without fathers. It seemed like their sacrifice
had accomplished nothing. What a waste.
But the story did not end there. Instead
of turning away in anger, the wives of these men did something surprising. They
stayed. Some of them even went back to live among the very people who had
killed their husbands. The tribe chief later asked, “Why?” The wives answered,
“Because Christ loved us first. We wanted to show you there is a new way of
life in him.” That’s Agape love – the love that suffers, the love that
forgives, the love that stays. Over time, something remarkable happened. The
killers became friends. The tribe laid down their violence. Many came to faith
in Christ. Love begets love.
The Love That Will Never Let Me Go
(13:8-13)
For me, the most powerful and
encouraging words in this passage are found in verse 8: “Love never fails.”
What does this mean? It means Christ’s love will prevail no matter what.
It means our victory does not depend on our performance, but on the
finished work of Christ.
The other day I watched the women’s
3000-meter short track relay final at the Winter Olympics. I felt nervous. I
wondered, Will they make it? Will they win? For most of the race, the
Korean team was in the third place. It looked uncertain. But with two laps to
go, they surged ahead and won the gold. Later that day, I watched the race
again with my children. The second time felt very different. I was calm. I was
confident. Even when they were behind, I was not worried. Because I already knew
the ending.
This is our life in Christ. Today,
life may feel like a live broadcast. We may feel tired. Discouraged. Uncertain.
Afraid. But God tells us the truth: Christ’s love will prevail. We
already have the final victory. One day, God will make all things right. And we
will stand complete and blameless before him. That’s way Paul could speak with
hope and stay positive in the middle of a troubled church. And that’s why we
can be “eternal optimists” no matter what. Our calling is not to do
great things for God, but it’s to do small things with great love – with
Christ’s love.
“Who will separate us from Christ’s
love? Nothing – not death or life, not angels or demons, not our fears for
today or our worries for tomorrow, not even the powers of hell – absolutely
nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” (Romans 8:38-39) Amen.
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