1 Corinthians Chapter 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self–seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Romeo And Juliet VS The Bible
So lets look at how this stacks up to what we have been taught about love.
Love is patient
The play opens in fair Verona and Romeo is proclaiming his unrequited love for the fair maiden Rosaline. Later on that night he is forced to go to a party with his friends and begins to declare his love for a woman whose name he doesn't even know. After risking death to stalk her window they pledge love to each other and get married the next day.
This is the equivalent of the modern day Vegas Wedding. Their hormones and impetuous behavior led to their later death. That could be a literal death or a long drawn out divorce.
Love is Kind
“is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like a thorn.”
Does it sound like this is love that Romeo is describing, or is it something else? Instead it wounds like a school yard fight with a bully.
Love does not Envy, it does not boast
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon
Who is already sick and pale with grief
One of the most famous monologues of the whole play is a series of boastful complements where Romeo is poetically felling of how beautiful Juliet is. How even the moon is envious of her beauty. It really doesn't sound like Romeo is worried too much about Juliet's intelligence or who she really is, just the fact that she is beautiful.
Love is not rude, it is not self–seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong
Juliet to Romeo: Romeo, what's here? Poison? Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?
Tybalt to Romeo: Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: Thou art a villain.
Romeo to Tybalt: Mercutio is dead Either thou, or I, or both must go with him!
There is a constant sling of insults that spread through out the story, everyone is seeking their own self interest even the friar has his own secret agenda. Everyone also is constantly getting in fights and no one is ever interested in forgiveness just revenge and their own justice.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
In the end tragedy falls these two supposed lovers. Because of the continued deceptions by everyone they complicate the situation and have to come up with failed plan after failed plan. Finally Romeo failed to protect his blushing bride, he failed to trust his friends, he gave up hope and killed himself. Not giving a single thought to his family or the furthered tragedy it would cause a city already torn apart. More importantly their supposed love did not last other than to server as a cautionary tale of woe.
Why is Love important?
So we see there are many ways to misconstrue love. Emotions, thoughts and even the people around us can be deceiving. To find out what true love is you have to really dig down beyond those distractions and get to the “heart” of the matter. So why is it so important to find out what love really is?
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. - 1 John 4:8
You see to not know love is to not know God. It is impossible to truly love with out him and even then we are human and not perfect. We will inevitably make mistakes and selfishness and pride will mix in with our love but with God's love comes forgiveness and the opportunity to be forgiven by others.
I pray that we will learn to truly love each other, and as always any questions, concerns or prayer requests feel free to contact me.
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