This Jesus who is aware that he is God s Son is also very human and not afraid to show emotion. He is clearly in possession of himself and his divine powers, yet he seems also to be growing in his understanding of how best to use them to fulfill his mission. It was written in Greed less than a hundred years before the birth of Jesus. Wisdom is presented as the only real response to the adversity and poverty that the readers had to face in their daily lives. The point of this passage is that death cannot be part of God s plan because God does not act only to see his work end in corruption.
Death therefore comes through human sin.
Those who bind themselves to evil strangle the life that is God s gift in them. This song is the thanksgiving of a person who has recovered from a serious illness. Note the contrasting emotions of sadness giving rise to pleading, and the overwhelming joy spontaneously bringing forth praise. There is little of doctrinal significance in them that is not found elsewhere, but since Paul speaks about his relationship with the Corinthians in a very personal and heartfelt way, they give us a valuable insight into his character. In chapters 8 and 9, Paul encourages the Corinthians to be generous in a collection for the impoverished Jerusalem church.