Irony at a Wedding

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” “Love never fails.”

It is almost impossible to attend a wedding without hearing portions of Ephesians 5 or 1 Corinthians 13 read during the ceremony. And for good reason; these are both beautiful passages that describe the boundlessness of love and wonderment of marriage. Yet, I wonder how many sitting in the congregation, watching two lovers commit their lives to each other, are aware of the irony of those passages in that setting.

For you see, the same man who wrote those words is the very same guy who said not to marry. I give you 1 Corinthians 7:

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion (verses 8-9).

Now the existence of this passage in no way invalidates marriage (for marriage is an institution of God dating back to Genesis as even Paul himself refers to), nor does it make Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13 any less true. But with knowledge of this passage in mind, doesn’t it change a bit the way you hear “love is patient, love is kind” when you are at a wedding?

Currently Listening To:

Jake

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Vicious Cycle