Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:11–13
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Questions
- What does Paul mean when he says, “agree with each other”?
- What is the purpose of reminding the Corinthians that God is “the God of love and peace”
- Why does Paul suggest they Corinthians kiss one another?
Background
Related Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-2:4; Matthew 28:16-20
Chrysostom: Who is there who can equal Paul? He was despised, spat upon, ridiculed, mocked as mean and contemptible, accused of being a braggart. But although he sees the need for making a show of his power, he puts it off and prays that it will not be necessary. He does not want his claims to be proved. On the contrary, he would rather that the situation be cleared up in advance so that such proof will be unnecessary. [1]
Ambrosiaster: The joy referred to here will come when the Corinthians mend their ways, after which it will be possible for them to mature in faith. But before that there will be consolation, enabling them to abandon the pleasure of the present in favor of hope for things to come. The peace of God is one thing, but the peace of the world is another. People in the world have peace, but it works to their damnation. The peace of Christ is free from sins, and therefore it is pleasing to God. A person who has peace will also have love, and the God of both will protect him forever. [2]
Chrysostom: How can Paul expect them to rejoice after he has said this kind of thing to them? It is for this very reason that he says it. For if they follow what he commands, there will be nothing to prevent them from rejoicing. Nothing is more comforting than a pure conscience[3]
Chrysostom: What is a holy kiss? It is one that is not hypocritical, like the kiss of Judas. The kiss is given in order to stimulate love and instill the right attitude in us toward each other. When we return after an absence, we kiss each other, for our souls hasten to bond together. But there is something else which might be said about this. We are the temple of Christ, and when we kiss each other we are kissing the porch and entrance of the temple. [4]
I also recommend this week’s episode of Bible Project Podcast
Reflection
It is always revealing to read the conclusions to Paul’s letters, because he revisits some of his primary themes and can help us understand what we should have picked up earlier. And in this letter Paul focuses on: order, peace, and affection. As we read through 1 & 2 Corinthians we come to understand that the Corinthian church is infected by self-centeredness, and greed. These characteristics lead to conflict and division among the members.
To understand the issues with Corinth let’s take a minute to think back to the opening chapter of the Bible. Genesis 1 provides a picture of creation that highlights how God brings order amid chaos. That chapter depicts chaos as the sea and God continually pushes the sea aside to bring order to the cosmos. At the end of the narrative God gives humanity a charge to subdue and govern the creation God has made. These words echo God’s work; humanity is given the responsibility to create order where chaos dwells. The Bible is telling us that our responsibility is to bring order to this world as God’s representatives on Earth.
Jesus makes this explicit in many passages but especially in the last words to the disciples in Matthew. Jesus’ charge to his followers literally to continue his work. Just as Jesus made them apprentices to his work of bringing God’s order to the world, they were to find others to apprentice to themselves for the same purpose. Jesus proclaimed God’s kingdom had come to Earth. What does that mean? It means, that wherever on Earth we find the kind of order that God desires there is God’s kingdom. And we, as Jesus’ apprentices, are meant to be cultivating that order in our lives and world. At the same time, we are also meant to be helping other apprentices do the same. Since this is true, we then must ask ourselves what order within creation looks like.
The primary attribute of order in this world is love. This is precisely why when Paul is summing up the themes order, peace, and affection. Peace and affection are signs that love is in a person’s life. When we love another person, we are at peace with that individual and we are affectionate to that person. Paul is is telling the Corinthians to abandon their self-centeredness and greed and begin treating the congregation with the same love and affection you would a family. But I do not think Paul is as naive as to think that all families are healthy loving families. Instead, he says that he prays for the Corinthians to grow spiritually and focus on God. And while they are doing this, they are focusing on bringing peace to their congregation. Paul is wise enough to know that even two people who love each other immensely can have serious disagreements about how to bring order into their world. The process of bringing order can create its own disorder. So, while we all want to grow spiritually and express that we love one another, we are to do practical little things to help grow the love and order of the cosmos. We are to live at peace and bring peace. This means not making mountains out of molehills, being ready to forgive, approaching conflict from a desire to see the best in the other person and to bring out the best in yourself and your opponent. It also means showing the kind of affection you show your family to those in the church who have become your family. Bringing order to our world means that we recognize that we are all individual pieces of a mosaic. Pieces that are different colors, materials, shapes and sizes, and we are all trying to fit together in a pattern that brings the most honor to God. Just like with a mosaic, God is piecing us together and it is our commitment to love and peace that helps bind us together, and we must do the things that create strong bounds. And just as the artist takes more care to create bounds with those materials that are least likely to bond together, we need to be most intentional in bonding where it is difficult. It is our love for one another that brings order to the chaos of our world. When we commit to loving as God does, we bring order to this world and fulfill God’s first purpose for humanity.
[1] Gerald Lewis Bray, ed., 1–2 Corinthians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 314.
[2] Gerald Lewis Bray, ed., 1–2 Corinthians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 315.
[3] Gerald Lewis Bray, ed., 1–2 Corinthians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 315.
[4] Gerald Lewis Bray, ed., 1–2 Corinthians, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 315.
Squinting in the Light 
Leave a comment