Romans 12:9-21 “Outdoing One Another”
I want to start today doing what is known as poetical scansion of the text. The Apostle Paul took great pains to write this part of his letter to the Romans in poetry. We do not see it in our texts in the pew Bibles. The translators decided to render the poetry as prose in English. What Paul wrote in the Greek reads in its original language like a fine piece of poetic literature—it is almost like a song that could be sung in the early churches.
Some Biblical scholars have suggested that this poetry from Saint Paul was to be used in the churches as a memory verse. In other words, Christians were perhaps expected to repeat the words in a prayerful fashion from their own memories. The poetic form helped them to do this. And, if this were the case, then we have to assume that this text was critically important to them and to Saint Paul, himself. Perhaps we should commit this to memory in English!
Let me share with you a transliterated Greek version so perhaps you can hear the poetry in rhyme and alliteration:
E Agape Anipokritos
Ti philadelphia eis
allilous philostorgi
Ti timi allilous
proigoumeni
Ti spoudi mi okniri
To pneumati zeontes
To kurio doulevontes
Ti elpidi chairontes
Ti thlipsi hypomenontes
Ti prosevchi
proskarterountes
Tais chreiais ton agion
kinonountes,
Tin philoskenian diokontes.
I know, “It is all Greek to me.” But, did you hear the rhyming and the repetition of sounds, the regular meter in the verse? This might have been sung or chanted, not just read aloud, in the early church!
Let us look together at verse nine: Some will translate this verse as “Love is not hypocritical.” This is a very literal translation from the Greek that does not take into account the fact that the word “hypocritical” today does not really mean the exact same thing that it did in Paul’s time. “Hypocritical” in Paul’s time, from the Greek “hypokritos,” really meant that something could be questioned as not really true. So, a translation might be that “Love cannot be questioned.” This is very close to the idea “Love is genuine.” What should that mean?
An advertisement appeared in a newspaper: “Man seeks lady with fishing boat with view towards companionship and possible marriage. Please send picture of fishing boat.” That humorous ad sums up for us how a lot of us might look at our love relationships with others. In the back of our minds we may be asking ourselves “What is in it for me?” That is a questioning or hypocritical kind of love. That is not the kind of love Paul is talking about.
I once had a student in one of my English classes, her name was Khaniko, that seemed to always have to check with that other voice in the back of her mind before she responded to any question. I would ask her how her weekend was, and she would just tilt her head to one side and think for anywhere from fifteen seconds to a minute before she would respond: “I do not think I want to tell you.” While she was thinking what her response was going to be, I could almost see in her eyes that she was actually leaving the conversation and taking a gingerly stroll to the back of her mind to ask the real hidden personality what the best response in such a case would be.
I asked her one day why she always paused for so long before answering. She paused before answering again: “I want to make sure in my mind that what I am saying about me is true to who I want you to think that I am.” I asked her why she did not just let me see her for who she was. Again she paused: “I do not think that you would like that other person that is in my head.” That was a very honest answer and was probably the clearest picture I ever really got of Khaniko.
However, to love genuinely is to open up the book of your life to others and to accept all the flaws of who you are and who others are.
What follows in the poem are the ground rules for loving others sincerely in this world. The next three lines tell us to be devoted to one another, to honor others before ourselves and to never stop doing this with great zeal. In other words, just do not say that you are devoted to the ones that you love. Truly show your devotion enthusiastically, passionately, even fervently. Do not just use proper words to imply honor when addressing others, but honor others with your heart and deeds.
Let me share with you a section of writing from The Screwtape Letters by the renowned Christian writer C.S. Lewis. From part 4 of the Letter “The Wisdom of Screwtape on Mutual Annoyance”:
In
civilized life domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things that
would appear quite harmless on paper (the words are not offensive) but
in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in
the face. . .Hence from every quarrel [both people] go away convinced, or very
nearly convinced, that they are quite innocent. You know the kind of thing:
“Simply ask her what time dinner will be and she flies into a temper.” Once
this habit is well established you have the delightful situation of a human
saying things with the express purpose of offending and yet having a grievance
when offence is taken.
In contrast to what C.S. Lewis shares in his writing, we must always show devotion and honor to others with our words, hearts and deeds because we are called to love others sincerely. Sincere love would never have the purpose in mind of causing through tone of voice or opportune timing offense or grievance against the one whom we love. And, when offense is registered, then great sorrow comes to the one who loves sincerely.
The next part of the poem from Saint Paul is a couplet reminding us specifically where such love comes from. Literally translated: “The Spirit enlivens us to love and the Lord enslaves us to love.” These two together are the source of our love. The Holy Spirit animates our love. The Holy Spirit is the force that makes the love move between us and other people. And, the Lord is the one who humbles us to the love and holds us to it. There is truly a sense of being subservient to the Lord in this love.
You all know the story of the marionette name Pinocchio who is crafted out of wood but then is given real life. When it comes to loving others sincerely, we are like Pinocchio. The Holy Spirit makes us alive to that love; however, unlike Pinocchio, the strings are still attached. We are beneath the Lord. We may want to go and do this or that and get ourselves into trouble, but the Lord still has ultimate control over our lives. We must learn to love others as the Lord desires us to do, which will be a struggle of wills at time, or we will most likely become self-entangled in our own wants and desires. Our ability to love others is dependent on the hand of God above us directing us and guiding us in that love! Really, loving others is surrendering to the Will of God, being willing and humble servants of the Master.
The next two lines in the poem tell us to be joyful in hope and to be patient in affliction. Yes! The meaning of the Greek here is to indeed be joyful, be blessed, and be happy that you have The Hope in your life. Be constant; hold your place; do not digress when the road becomes slippery. Carry on as always when faced with affliction. The English idiom comes to mind: “Never let them see you flinch.” Yes, have that love that is unflinching and filled with joy.
Verses 14-21 are still in poetic form but the style changes so that each time an idea is mentioned, the line following it mirrors the idea. This parallel form in semantics is used to strengthen even more the command to love sincerely. What is said is not just said once, but is reinforced with an echo. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” “Rejoice with those who rejoice!” “Mourn with those who mourn.” Be a blessing on another’s life. That is what this is saying. Even if someone is dragging you down and causing you great misery, your call is to love that person sincerely and to bless his or her life. Your call is to create harmony with one another. You are to be God’s grace working in others’ lives. You are to be instruments of God’s redeeming grace. Redeem that other person for God! “If he is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink.”
There is a kind of play on words in the Greek that is happening in verse sixteen that Saint Paul put in. It says in our Bibles, be willing to associate with “the lowly.” There has been confusion on how to translate this because the actual term in Greek refers to one who is being led out to be accused or even executed. The verb in Greek is απαγω. And, this sounds very similar for the verb “to love”: αγαπω. The two consonants just switch places. The only other place in the Bible where this word is used is in Galatians 2:13, where Barnabas is accused by Paul of being led astray in hypocrisy. So, it is a very negative term that is associated with the idea of being accused and convicted of something. So, we are to love those who are accused and convicted, who may be led to execution. We are to love, let us say, somebody like Jesus who was accused, convicted, and executed.
If you think of Jesus on the Cross, and imagine yourself there in that moment when he is in so much pain and suffering before his own death, and then read the last lines of Scripture for this morning remembering even to love the one who is led out to be executed, then you see that in loving sincerely lies the key to our own redemption. The crucifixion of the Son of God is the greatest evil. Yet, you are able to love the one who is led out to be executed. You are able to love Jesus in that moment. In this, good triumphs over the greatest evil.
In verse twenty, I just want to remind us all that the word “enemy” here from the Greek “ekthros” is just the person outside of your circle of family and friends and is not your foe or adversary. He is simply the stranger or one you do not know yet. And, heaping burning coals on his head was a blessing. This was done when someone’s hearth fire went out. They would carry the coals of another’s fire on a clay plate on their heads back to their own hearth. This was much easier than starting a new fire from scratch. Sharing the flame is always easier. (The imagery even reminds us of the Pentecost when flames appeared above the people’s heads.)
To conclude, the victory of the Lord for life over death and our own redemption to the eternal life rests with this idea of loving others sincerely. The triumph of good over evil in this world rests with this idea of loving others sincerely. I can see why Saint Paul took the time and effort to make these words stand out in his Letter to the Romans. I can see why these words might have been memorized outright as a poem or a song that could be repeated anytime anywhere. Christian brothers and sisters, this is our call this morning to love with hope and zeal, to allow the Spirit to enliven the love in our hearts and serve the Lord in love, to never flinch but be filled with joy, and to constantly thank God for His love for us that we may be redeemed. Amen.