The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. 1 Corinthians 16:19-24
Since forgeries abounded in the days of the apostles, Paul underlines the fact that the last five verses of 1 Corinthians are salutations written by his own hand. This not only certified that the letter was indeed from him, but imbued the letter with special import as the tracings of his own hand.
The word ‘Maranatha’ is Aramaic and means ‘our Lord cometh’. ‘Maranatha’ appears only once in the entire Bible, and is often used by Christians as a cordial salutation. While the other salutations surrounding verse 22 are wholly joyful, the salutation of ‘Maranatha’ is, upon contextual examination, one of great solemnity.
In Paul’s day, the world at large (and particularly the Jews) did not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Earlier on in the same letter, Paul informs us that some who claimed to be under the spirit of inspiration (most certainly the Jews), were declaring Jesus to be ‘anathema’ or accursed; a deceiver under the sentence of divine wrath:
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed [greek: anathema]. 1 Corinthians 12:3
It is likely that the verse under investigation – ‘If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha’ – was directed at these blasphemers who were using their influence to deceive. By calling Jesus anathema, they in fact anathematised themselves from God.
Due to its connection to the word ‘anathema’, the word ‘maranatha’ implies an acceptance of, and even a desire for the judgment or ‘anathema’ that will be handed down to the wicked when ‘our Lord cometh’. ‘Maranatha’ is therefore a most solemn and even sombre word to write or say. Paul’s use of the word expresses a similar sentiment to that conveyed by the antediluvian Enoch who said to his own perverse generation:
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed… Jude 1:14-15.
Both Enoch and Paul approved of and even sought for the coming of the righteous judgment of God. This was not because they took pleasure in the demise of the ungodly, but because their righteous souls longed for the cessation of both deception and the suffering of innocents, which they witnessed daily.
Lord, we love Thee. And whether the world loves Thee or not, ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:20).
Christopher Sparks