Love Does Not Insist on Its’ Own Way

Airports and Airplanes

People are fascinatingly observant at airports. Everybody is keyed in to micro cues and mannerisms around the gate, in the boarding process, or, even more noticeably, the deboarding process. Everybody is striving, in some way, to hurry without being rude. To avoid offense while getting a good spot in line, you have to know which boarding group was just called and which small pockets of people go together.

Most of us are even able to laugh at ourselves when we feel this pressure. It’s funny, and largely innocent. But airports provide an opportunity to mediate on one of Paul’s most interesting descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love Does Not Insist On Its’ Own Way

Paul is far less subtle than most English translations let on. He quotes himself, nearly verbatim, from chapter 10:24 where he rebukes the Corinthian squabbling over food offered to idols. Some Corinthians were troubled at the thought of eating food previously offered to pagan deities, and others laughed at their sensitivity. Paul carefully explains that there’s likely little to no harm in eating food offered to an idol so long as the partaker understands the emptiness of pagan worship. But, there is great harm in offending a brothers’ conscience over the matter. He concludes the matter with these words:

Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor (1 Corinthians 10:24, ESV)

That little phrase, “Let no one seek his own good” is very similar to the phrase, “it does not insist on its own way” here in chapter 13. Its the opposite of Christlikeness in Philippians 2, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4, ESV)

The Contrast

That gives us a very clear contrast to see to the heart of the matter. On the one hand, we have the self-absorbed Corinthian who’s blind to the needs of others. Even though he may do great deeds of compassion (1 Cor 13:3), there’s a loveless way that still insists on his own advantage. At the end of his compassion is his own advantage, maybe something like his reputation, the growth of his following, or the success of his earthly ministry.

Then, there’s Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, didn’t count equality with God a thing to be held on to, but made himself nothing in human likeness. Obeying the glory of God all the way to death on a cross. All of it for your benefit. Insisting upon God’s way, for your interests and not his own.

Discerning the nuance can be a complicated dance of the heart’s motivations, but the effort bears good fruit for Christlikeness. Even waiting in line at an airport gives you a chance to check and see if you can let another go first for little to no reason at all — save the simple, glorious, sublime reward of being more like Jesus.

You should sing a hymn to drive it home.

I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom, But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart His death has paid my ransom. (Stuart Townend, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”)