This chapter can be divided into three parts:
13:1–3 - all spiritual gifts have no use without love;
13:4–7 - the qualities of love;
13:8–13 - enduring - everlasting character of love.
13:1–3 - intended as criticism. What else can motivate people if not love?
“Language of angels”. Probably a metaphor for ‘speaking in tongues’ and also an intended criticism.
13:2 refers to 12:8–10 - prophecy, knowledge, and faith are mentioned there.
13:3 - What could motivate giving all one had to the poor if not love? (See Mark 10:21–22). One wonder whether Paul had a concrete example in mind. (Was he referring to Barnabas with whom he parted ways with over Mark? - see Acts 4:36 and 15:36–40).
“Giving body to be burned” - another puzzle (See Daniel 3:95 and 2 Mach 7:5).
13:4–7
Love possesses positive and ‘negative’ qualities. Among the positive are:
The first two are often the qualities of God (Rom 2:4; 9:22) and they are also included among the gifts of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
Apostles are act with these two virtues (2 Cor 6:6; 1 Tim 1:16; 2 Tim 3:10; 4:2).
The Christians are also called to act in this way (1 Thess 5:14; Col 3:12–13; Eph 4:2).
The third one is in opposition to those who rejoice seeing or even participating in the acts of injustice (a reference to Jesus’ trial? - see John 19:1–3.5–6).
The last four (1 Cor 13:7) form a kind of poem about love. A Christian is surrounded - from outside - by trials and difficulties, but they are able to overcome everything because within them there is trust in God and hope in final victory (see 1 Cor 9:12; 1 Thess 3:1.5).
The ‘negative’ qualities of love are:
It is interesting that Paul places envy as the first quality that love does not have. Was it a problem among the Corinthians who envied each other charismatic gifts? (1 Cor 3;3; See also Gen 37:3–4 - the envy of the brothers nearly destroyed the family of Jacob).
The next two are rife among the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:6.18–19; 5:2; 2 Cor 12:20).
“Unbecomingly” is also in 1 Cor 7:36 and means to act improperly.
Sixth and seventh - Love enables one to control one’s emotion and also to forgive (Col 3:13).
13:8–13 - The enduring quality of love - Love is everlasting
Paul again compares love to three charismatic gifts: prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. All of the three are partial, they are unable to grasp the whole reality (see 1 Cor 8:2.11).
Two metaphors are used to show the partial effect of the gifts: (1) child compared to mature person; (2) liking through a mirror (Greek idea) versus face to face (see Gen 32:31; Ex 33:11; Deut 5:4; 34:40).
According to Biblical tradition, only Moses saw God face to face (see Numbers 12:8) but when he was facing the people, he had to cover his face (Ex 34:29–31). Now, Christians see the glory of God on the face of Christ “beholding in a mirror” (2 Cor 3:18). The perfect view of that glory will come in the eschatological reality when the perfect comes and the partial “shall be abolished” (1 Cor 13:10; see also 1 John 3:2).
Faith, hope, love.
Faith and hope belong to this world - to this partial reality. When the perfect comes faith and hope will not be needed any more. Only love belongs to both and thus it will remain in the world to come.