The Amazing Race - Paul in
Corinth
We have been
on Paul’s Amazing Race for the past six weeks.
For us, this has been a short period of time, but for Paul, it has
actually encompassed about twenty years of his life. According to historians, Paul’s conversion
occurred around 31 CE and with the historical names and events we have in Acts,
today’s passage is roughly 51 CE. During
this time, Paul has endured great things to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
people throughout the region. In his own
hand, he writes to the people of Corinth about his journey.
2 Corinthians 11:24-29 (New International Version)
24Five
times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a
night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have
been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own
countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored
and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst
and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides
everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
This is a journey that I do not
think I want to go on. Is it no wonder
that Paul finally takes a break and stays in the city of Corinth for a year and
a half? Now, of course, while Paul stays
rooted in one place, he does not stop sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While in Corinth, he not only preaches in the
synagogue, he also writes letters to the churches of Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians is believed to be the oldest
book of the New Testament.
Today’s passage is interesting
because it gives us a little more information on the life of Paul. We know he is a Jew from Tarsus and is a
devout Pharisee. But what did he do for
a living? Surely he had a trade. As Paul travels from city to city in his Amazing
Race, he is able to connect with people and the scriptures tell us that he is
hosted by believers. On his missionary
travels, he is cared for by others so he can work to the up building of the
church. But now he is in one place for
an extended period of time and it appears he needs to support himself or at
least contribute to his own expenses.
And so we learn that Paul is a
tentmaker by trade. Have you heard that
term before in reference to a pastor that works at another job on a more
permanent basis and is part-time with the church? We have had several tentmakers here in our
presbytery. One of our pastor’s was a
school teacher while also serving a very small church. This is where the term came from, Paul, the
tentmaker. And so we know that Paul
connects with a Jewish couple recently expelled from Rome. They too are tentmakers and become believers
in Jesus Christ.
Now, Paul is a rather controversial
character when it comes to women and leadership in the church. His writings on women being quiet in the
church have been used for hundreds of years to prevent women from entering the
ministry. But here, and in various other
passages, we see that Paul was very much involved with giving women leadership
in the early church. Aquila and
Priscilla eventually join Paul’s missionary team and travel with him as he
leaves Corinth. They are mentioned in
the letter to the Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Timothy. It is noted that in Romans and 2 Timothy
Priscilla’s name is listed before her husband’s indicating that she has assumed
a greater role of leadership. In those
days, for her name to be mentioned at all, indicates great respect and
importance.
So, what about these people in
Corinth? We know that many heard the
word, became believers in the Lord, and were baptized. Even Crispus, the official of the synagogue,
became a believer. In this passage we
are told that Paul has a vision and God tells him to stay in the city, “for
there are many in this city who are my people.“
This reminds me of God’s call of sending Jonah to Nineveh. God desires for all people to know his
loving, healing, and redeeming word. God
desires all people to repent from sinful ways and become a community of faith
together.
According to Bibleplaces.com, the
Temple of Aphrodite is located in this city.
Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Greek writers in the 5th-4th centuries
B.C. characterized Corinth as a city of commercialized love and a
"Corinthian girl" meant a prostitute. The Corinthian church of Paul's
day struggled with worldliness and sexual sin, both of which were typical of
this cosmopolitan city. Reminds me a
little of Sodom and Gomorrah. This time,
instead of destruction, God sends redemption.
One of my favorite passages comes from 1 Corinthians and it makes more
sense when you know that this city was known for the goddess of love. Paul, once again, is trying to connect to the
culture and apply it to the teachings and understandings of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 13: If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of
angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not
envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
Paul is taking a concept that is well known to this city and is
re-teaching how love should be interpreted.
Another thing we learn about the
early church in Corinth is that they are struggling with the understanding of
the Lord’s supper. In 1 Corinthians
11:17, Paul writes in response to abuses of the practice of communion. He writes that there are divisions in the
church and factions among the people. He
is basically telling them that because of their strife, because of their
selfishness, they really are not participating in the Lord’s supper. They may be going through the motions of this
meal, but because of their behavior, God is not present in it. He scolds them that some eat too much while
others go hungry and some even get drunk on the wine.
I heard an amazing sermon while in
seminary by Jim Forbes, the former pastor of Riverside Church in NYC. He preached that when we come to the table of
our Lord Jesus Christ and we have anger, or division, or sinful ways that need
to be repented of, the aroma of communion becomes a stench to God, like the
manna in the wilderness that goes bad.
On that day, I was sitting next to a colleague that I had had a falling
out with and we were hardly talking.
After that sermon, after coming to our Lord’s Table together, we both
heard the call for repentance and began the process of healing our
differences.
Communion is more than just
receiving God’s gift of spiritual food to sustain us through our daily
walk. It is about reconciliation, both
to our loving God and to our greater community.
In taking communion, we need to seek to be active participants and
agents in healing, in redemption, in sharing God’s love both here in our own
family of faith and out in the greater world.
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