Through a Glass Darkly

Proust and Paul

In the last book of In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust discusses his relationship with his readers. He states that he doesn’t write directly to them, as if what he writes will be ingested just as written. He recognizes that each reader will interpret his work differently. Thus, Proust identifies his work as a mirror or magnifying glass, a tool for the reader to absorb and relate it to their own life, perhaps even transforming themselves in the process. By reading the ideas of someone else, we examine our own ideas. We don’t just take from their work, we put ourselves into it, walk in it, then walk out, taking with us a better understanding of ourselves.

My view of the Bible is somewhat similar. I like to tell folks to see themselves in the story, where they fit in, what their role in God’s unfolding plan for His people is. Our world is so different now, it is hard to put ourselves into Proust’s Early 20th Century Parisian society, and even harder to see ourselves in Biblical times. Further, at different times in our lives, we will interpret what we read in different ways. Even when time seems to stand still, such as during this pandemic, our stories continue.

Contrary to the individualistic way most people see themselves, as God’s people our stories are intertwined like the tales of Scheherazade, one person’s story blending into the next person’s. Social distancing may make us feel isolated, but it has drawn our stories closer together through shared turmoil. I just finished In Search of Lost Time, and it took me almost four years to read it. How much the world has changed since then! In some ways, it seems almost as distant as the time of Proust. Covid-19 has changed our world immensely, and has changed us, too.

Paul makes a similar illustration to Proust’s in 1 Corinthians 13, his great chapter on love. He writes:

For at the moment all that we can see are puzzling reflections, in a mirror (“through a glass darkly”, “in a mirror dimly”, “reflections in a mirror, mere riddles”); then, face to face. I know in part, for now; but then I’ll know completely, through and through, even as I’m completely known. So, now, faith, hope, and love remain, these three; and, of them, love is the greatest. (Vv. 12-13, The Bible for Everyone)

The path we are called to follow in Christ is one of love and humility. We work towards personal maturity and a better understanding of God’s ways, as we put our own stories into the Biblical stories, looking at our present lives through the lens of Scripture, seeking ever-increasing levels of holiness and compassion. In his translation, N.T. Wright labels this passage as “Love: the bridge to God’s future”:

The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Chapter 13:8-13)

Love never fails. But prophecies will be abolished; tongues will stop; and knowledge, too, be done away. We know, you see, in part; we prophesy in part; but, with perfection, the partial is abolished. As a child, I spoke, and thought, and reasoned like a child; when I grew up, I threw off childish ways.

Just when this is, and if Paul means it as an individual or corporately, is unclear at first. While the word for “perfect” that Paul uses can mean “mature” it can also mean “complete”, or “end”. That Paul is referring to a “spiritually mature person” seems to be a good interpretation. But when I think of looking through “a glass darkly” as in older translations or “puzzling reflections in a mirror” in Wright’s translation, Paul seems to be talking about himself, and by extension, ourselves. Or is he just using himself as an illustration of something greater, the End Times, perhaps? Certainly, when Jesus returns and makes all things new we will no longer being looking through a glass darkly, but see as if “face to face,” finally understanding fully. Not that what we now understand is false, perhaps distorted, but rather is incomplete, mere pieces of the puzzle. We are not seeing shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave cast by puppets, we can only see what we are able to see with human, fallible, mortal eyes. Someday we will be able to see with eternal eyes. Not omniscient, but with complete understanding, the veil between mortal and eternal removed.

Whenever this passage comes to mind, though, I tend to interpret it as referring to the outside world, not inside me. Someday I will have a better understanding about how God and the world works, and I will have answers to all of the difficult questions, such as why bad things happen to good people. Even though Paul may not seem to say this, it seems like a good application of the passage.

Further, by better understanding ourselves, we can better understand others and our world. So maybe making a distinction here between inner and outer things is unnecessary. It’s another occasion, when given the choice between two things, either/or, we choose “both.” In saying “I”, Paul invites us to enter into the story, imagining what we might be like one day. Paul is definitely talking about “growing up” and putting off childish things. We can’t help but yearn for that, too. We shall fully know, and understand how God works, as we have been “fully known”, presumably by God. But:

Prophecies will be abolished; tongues will stop; and knowledge, too,be done away.

When will all of this take place? At the end times? When we are carried into glory individually before then? If we reach “perfection” before we die, as some believe is possible? Some say we are in this time already, that the things we read about in the Bible belong to a different time, while others say this is not the case. Whichever view you take, we are still to live in the power of the Spirit, for, as Paul reminds us:

So, now, faith, hope, and love remain, these three; and, of them,love is the greatest. 1 Cor 13:13

What we have discussed previously comes at the end of Paul’s great chapter on Love. In the previous chapter, he explains that some people are called to certain roles within the church, and are given spiritual gifts for fulfilling their tasks, such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc. He tells us to seek these higher gifts, but then proclaims: Now I’m going to show you a better way, a much better way. (1 Cor 12:31) And then writes:

The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Chapter 13:1-7):

13 If I speak in human languages, or even in those of angels, but do not have love, then I’ve become a clanging gong or else a clashing cymbal. 2 And if I should have prophetic gifts, and know all mysteries, all knowledge, too; have faith, to move the mountains, but have no love—I’m nothing. 3 If I give all my possessions to the poor, and, for pride’s sake, my very body, but do not have love, it’s useless to me. 4 Love’s great-hearted; love is kind, knows no jealousy, makes no fuss, is not puffed up, 5 no shameless ways, doesn’t force its rightful claim, doesn’t rage or bear a grudge,6 doesn’t cheer at others’ harm, rejoices, rather, in the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, love hopes all things, endures all things.

I would also add, there is much more to this than a nice passage to quote at weddings, which is definitely not the context in which Paul writes it. Certainly some have been blessed with marriages that enrich their spiritual growth, but Paul doesn’t even hint at that. In fact, his use of “love” is somewhat vague, in regards to whom or what that love is directed, or where that love comes from, whether from God or from within. But love is to be our prime driving force. Only love will get us through the good times and the bad, help us to deal with difficult people, and overcome bad situations. Love enables us to be humble, in the sense of not being overly proud. Love enables us to have a right relationship with God and with one another. Love is patient, forgiving, and acts with kindness. We do this now, not waiting for the 2nd Coming or “the perfect.” We act as if we are there already, modeling our behavior after Jesus. We keep growing, even when times stands still. We take the sometimes difficult steps love requires.

The Resilient Leader: How Adversity Can Change You and Your Ministry for the Better Humility: What It Takes to Learn

A good principle to follow in any conflict or crisis is this: the first one to the cross wins! If we are humble, God can work good in us even when others may have intended evil. He can cause all things to work together for our good—even adversity. We need only humble ourselves, learn, and grow. Doing so will make us resilient.

When Paul says that “love believes all things”, he does not mean it is gullible. The word for “believe” that he uses is πιστεύω, which generally means “to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’” (Louw-Nida Lexicon). It is the word generally used when discussing having faith in Jesus. Love, God’s love for us and our love for Him, allows us to believe in Him and the future He has for us. Love gives us hope, love enables us to endure trials and tribulation. It allows us to carry on when the path is rough and unclear, dark and puzzling. Love will carry us home to God. That is why it is “the greatest of these”: it is from love that faith and hope flow. It is from love that our lives should flow.

In Proust, much time is spent in pursuing love, but it is a childish love. The hurt little boy wants a good-night hug from his mom, but she is too busy. This scar remains into adulthood. Marcel pursues Albertine, but it is not love, it is possession. He seeks to know where she is at all times out of fear of her betraying him with someone else. His is a worldly love, a love that is not centered on his beloved, but upon his own wants and needs. He wants to lock her away and only let her out when he wants her. This love is not for the real person, but the person in the mind of the pursuer, an ideal that ignores the weaknesses of the actual person and is unforgiving when they do not live up to that ideal. It is a “love” that will never lead to maturity. If Proust truly wishes me to learn something from his writing, he provides a “negative” learning experience, for I don’t want to love in that way. Of course, it is fiction, so we don’t really know if this is what he believes or if it is a construct. But I will follow the example of Jesus instead, and examine my heart through the lens presented in his book, the Bible.

In Christ, we enjoy the love that gives everything away. The love that sacrifices for others, that puts the self second. The love that will someday make the dark glass clear and perfect. It is the love that died on a cross so that we might have eternal life and reach perfection in Christ.

As we seek to see things more clearly, as we mature spiritually, love should be the foundation of our endeavors. As we seek to be “perfect” in the Wesleyan sense, we do so through obtaining perfect love. And the only way there is through the love of Jesus. We love because He first loved us. We are to love as He loves us. We are not measured by our gifts, even our spiritual gifts, or by what we do. We are measured by our love.

If Proust were here today, I would have to tell him that reading the Bible and trying to understand the world and myself through it’s lens has influenced me far more than In Search of Lost Time did, but I have been reading the Bible for much longer, and have too many unread books on my list to read Proust again. We don’t just read the Bible once and move on, we keep reading it, applying it, feeding on it. It says different things at different points in our lives. In some ways, I don’t remember who I was when I started reading Proust, but the Bible has made me who I am, and will keep leading me into greater levels of maturity, wholeness, and holiness.