Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Having an eternal perspective as believers is important, but not at the expense of seeing the world in front of us. Paul talks of both kinds of rewards, but in this passage especially about the practical side of clergy support. He takes the extra step of saying that he didn't ask for this support because he is so compelled to do so, but the obligation to care for ministers still remains.

Remember in this passage that Paul is not trying to return Christians to a legalistic state as he was in as a Pharisee. Not eating meat isn't some return to the hundreds of rules of Paul's Judaism, but is instead part of the bigger picture for creating a new kind of community among others. Not eating meat sacrificed to idols was also a particularly hard mandate for the poor among believers, who might have depended on this as a food source. Instead, they should be cared for by their fellow brothers and sisters.

There is a LOT going on in this verse from 1 Corinthians, and a lot of it probably can't be fully decoded without the letter that was written to Paul, mentioned in the opening lines. It does seem, though, that Paul is trying to convince the Corinthians that they don't need to uproot their entire current life in order to follow Jesus, but rather to follow from where they are.

The spiritual is important, but not to the exclusion of the physical. Our bodies matter to God, or else Jesus wouldn't have been resurrected with his. If Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation which we have to look forward to, then we will be in that creation in our bodies.

Paul hasn't come to change the world, but to build a church. The church is not to try and live outside the world, but to become an outpost of the Kingdom within it. This is why behavior matters and discipline is important: the Church must remain different, or there is no point in its existence.

It is important to have spiritual mentors and to learn from them, this is how faith is passed on. This interwoven family of believers will be made of spiritual brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, helping one another find their way in the ways of the Kingdom of Jesus.

Celebrity pastors are a part of Christian culture today, and they were also a factor in Paul's time. Paul, of course, wants none of that. In the Kingdom of Christ, Christ is King. Celebrity pastors, small church pastors, Sunday School teachers, and someone who disciples one person are all serving one purpose and one Savior, and that Savior is the most important.

Paul may seem to be coming across as pretty anti-education in this passage, but Paul himself was certainly not uneducated. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the preeminent teachers of his day. His education was considerable. Instead of touting that education, though, he casts it aside as rubble in the light of the Spirit's work. That is what gave Paul his real authority, and connected him to the work of Christ.

The message of the gospel isn't something everyone is ready to hear. What makes the difference? It isn't superior education or being more spiritual than anyone else, but it's the Spirit at work, and the Church working with the Spirit. This is the secret to making human hearts ready to receive what God has to offer.

The sharing of possessions among those in the early church would certainly have been a ripe environment for freeloaders, so Paul cuts that off at the root. The believers are to show kindness, but they are also to contribute back to the community. Otherwise, the flow of love is interrupted: all should both give and receive.