Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, October 18, 2019 

(Early) Shabbat Shalom,

Today I want to make comment (in the top portion of the RR) on one verse of Scripture from today’s reading.

1 Corinthians 13:13 But now these three remain— faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.  

How did love get to be the greatest?  When the kingdom of God comes to earth in all it’s fullness, there will be no need for the other two, faith and hope.  

Why would we need faith?  We will have Yeshua on earth, Who is the reality of all things.  We you have the reality, you no longer need faith.  The same is true of hope.  When Yeshua comes, we will no longer have to hope for anything.  

The greatest of these is love because we will always have the capacity to give and receive love.  Probably in greater measure when the kingdom of God is our present reality on earth.

Rabbi Trail:  Paul is so diplomatically gifted.  I don’t know anyone who does this.  He makes it sound like such a compliment… 1 Corinthians 14:16 Otherwise if you give thanks and praise in the spirit, how will one filling the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he has no idea what you’re saying?

This makes me laugh as I think of so many questions.  Did you catch that?  “…one filling the place of the ungifted…”  Who is in that place?  Where is that place?  Is it in the corner?  Do you have to wear a certain pointed cap to fill that place?  Is that what we are, Paul, place fillers?   

I would rather Paul have referred to us as the “not yet gifted.”  One last question, “May I be excused from the place of the ungifted?”  But then again, are any of us really ungifted?  

Okay, before you send me your comments, I know he’s talking about those unable to interpret a tongue.  Paul’s point here is that most of us do not have that anointing.

Ephesians 4:8 Therefore it says, “When He went up on high, He led captive a troop of captives and gave gifts to his people.”  This is quoting Psalm 68:19(18).  

If us say, “I am not gifted,” we are calling God a liar.  All of God’s people are gifted.  That leads me to the thought that introduces 1 Corinthians 13.  

1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And still I show you a far better way:

Turns out, that “far better way” is love.

Week 42
Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13 But now these three remain— faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

206   10/14    Monday:         1 Corinthians 5-6

207   10/15    Tuesday:        1 Corinthians 7-8

208   10/16    Wednesday:  1 Corinthians 9-10

209   10/17    Thursday:      1 Corinthians 11-12

* 210 10/18    Friday:           1 Corinthians 13-14

Question of the day:  What do we ever really know about love?  

Answer:  The whole world is chasing love.  Reminds me of the Johnny Lee song from 1980.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MnU6p3sGSw 

Actually, Paul gives us a pretty good description in 1 Corinthians 13.  He starts with a breakdown of what love is (7 things) and what love is not (8 things).  Then Paul says it all at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13:8a Love never fails—.  

Here are a couple of my parting thoughts.  Love is always self-sacrificing.  “For God so loved the world…” that He died on the cross.  God suffered and died for us (that’s perfect love) so that He could be resurrected.  He made the way (and He is the way) for us to follow Him in the resurrection.

We should all pursue perfect love.  This is in keeping with our assignment as ambassadors for Messiah.  Perfect love starts at home, with those closest to us.  We are all changing… from glory to glory, but that doesn’t come to us until we read the last verse of 2 Corinthians 3 next Wednesday.