There are many traditional Scripture passages that are used at Easter to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John the Beloved. Each is a beautiful passage full of meaning and passion.
For this Easter week, however, I would like to share the story of Easter from 1 Corinthians 13, commonly known as The Love Chapter. Because the entirety of Scripture is a means of pointing the nation of Israel and Gentiles like you and me to Jesus, the story of Easter can be found in many places. Let’s see how beautifully it fits into this famous passage.
1 Corinthians 13:
4 ~ Love is patient ~ In the fullness of time, and not one moment before, God sent Jesus to earth on a mission. Had I been God, my patience would have been exhausted about two minutes after Eve bit into the fruit. Not God! God’s love was and is patient, not wanting anyone to perish. He could have ditched all two of his creations and started over at that point, but He did not.
4 ~ Love is kind ~ All throughout His ministry there were times when Jesus could have chosen the un-kind way ~ The Pharisees who certainly deserved no kindness, the multitudes pulling at Him, the lame, the blind, the sick, and the lost demanding His attention. Yet, He was always kind. He was kind to the woman caught in adultery. He was kind to Judas, for heaven’s sake. He was kind to Judas the entire three years of His earthly ministry. Jesus is kind to you and me.
4 ~ Love does not boast; it is not arrogant ~ He was the SON. OF. GOD. for pity sake!! He had every right to be boastful. There had never been anyone like Him. He was royalty of the highest order, yet He took the attitude of a servant. He was beaten and stripped naked by men whom He had created. He was crucified like a common criminal. He could have pulled rank, but He did not.
5 ~ Love is not rude; it does not insist on its own way ~ Jesus said that He did nothing of His own accord. He did only what the Father instructed Him to do. You and I (probably more I than you) would have gone into control freak mode and decided that I had a better way to redeem humanity. Better yet, I would have decided that humans were not worth the price. Yet, Jesus never did. He was always obedient to the Father.
7 ~ Love bears all things ~ Jesus bore every stinkin’ sin that I have ever committed on Himself as He hung on that cross. Every hateful word I have spoken, every sexual sin I committed, every greedy desire, every prideful attitude, every lie I have ever told. Jesus bore it all because of love.
7 ~ Love endures all things ~ Not only did He endure having all the sins of all the people in the world heaped upon Him, Jesus endured being separated from His Father. The turning away of the Father, while Jesus hung on the cross, was the ultimate rejection. It was the worst break-up in history, and Jesus knew it would happen. He endured it anyway.
7 ~ Love hopes all things ~ Hope. The hope of the resurrection that would, once and for all, defeat eternal death for all who would believe in Jesus. The hope of heaven. The hope of restoration. The hope of purity and holiness for anyone and everyone who will believe. Hope for you. Hope for me.
8 ~ Love never ends ~ The love that Jesus displayed on the cross is a love that never ends. It is a love that offers eternal life to all who will believe. It is a love that heals and restores and elevates and renews. That same love will bring us forth from the grave one day, clothed in holiness and purity. That is the love in which we will be enveloped for all eternity…..if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the payment for our sin.
Love is…..Easter. Love is…..Jesus. Do you know Jesus today?
SDG/FCA!
This post contains affiliate links.
One way you can share the message of Easter is by sponsoring a child through Compassion International’s Child Sponsorship Program. There is a child who shares your birthday who needs to hear about Jesus. Would you say ‘yes’ to sponsorship today?
