#Dance Me to the End of Love

“…having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”1

“…He loves them unto the end (or: the goal and attained destiny; the finished, purposed product; the accomplished and completed work; the consummation; or: = to the uttermost).”2

Leonard Cohen wrote the lyrics and music to the song, “Dance Me to the End of Love.” Though he was a Buddhist, he often wrote lyrics that were profoundly Christian. "Dance Me to the End of Love" is a song of married love, from courtship to death, passing through wedding, children and old age. Solomon’s Song to his Shulamite bride comes to mind as the poetic story of love unfolds. The phrase, “Dance me to the end of love” is the chorus, so it repeats and summarizes that which goes before.

Jonathan Mitchell’s expanded version of John 13:1 opens the many shades of the word telos which is the word usually translated “end.” Jesus loved His disciples to the very end of His life. But He also loved them to the goal…, the finished, purposed product; the accomplished and completed work; the consummation…to the uttermost…”2

Cohen’s song is a ballad of married love. Jesus’ love song is also a song of consummation. Later in John He says:

“...that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, …that they may be one, just as We are one…I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity…and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”3

We, the Bride of the Lamb, are, in Jesus, joined to Him in a spiritual union even more real than that of human marriage. It is a continual dance of love. We cry, with Leonard the unbeliever, “Dance me to the end of love.” Our desire is not just to an earthly spouse, but to our heavenly One.

Telos not only means to the end, to the consummation, but “to the uttermost.” Here, I believe, is the deepest meaning of John’s thought. Jesus loved them “to the uttermost.” His measure of uttermost is just this, He loved them in just that way and to the extent of His Father’s love for Him. What greater love is there than the Father’s love for the Son? There is no greater love.

His love invites us into the dance of His death, which is the utmost demonstration of that love. It is the Father’s love in giving His Son; It is the Son’s love in giving Himself…”for His friends.”

He dances us to the end of, to the utmost of, His love.

Mr. Cohen, you were on to something, though you only saw it in terms of the limited love of this world. Now that you have passed through that veil, you know.4 You left the world a song which pointed to a destination you yourself never reached while alive. Your pointer was true, however, as far as it went.

Come dance the dance of consummation, the uttermost dance of Father and Son’s love for each other and for us.

“Herein is love,

not that we loved God, but that he loved us,

and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us,

we ought also to love one another.”5

11/27/17

?