4:8 Now you are full,
now you are rich, you have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God you
did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9 For I think that God
has set forth we the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are
made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for
Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you
are honourable, but we are despised.
11 Even to this present
hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no
certain dwelling place;
12 And labour, working
with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
13 Being defamed, we
intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all
things to this day.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes you have to tell it like
it is to wake a person from their delusion. Jesus did it. He called the
religious leaders of his day vipers, blind, hypocrites and other unflattering
things. He didn't do it to be mean. He didn't do it because he hated them. The
same lips said "Love your enemies" and also "Those I love I
rebuke and chasten."
When love must be tough it is still love. Love that wasn't
tough wouldn't be love, it would be apathy or worse. When I refuse to tell you
the truth about yourself so that you will think well of me or to avoid conflict
that is not love for you but love for myself.
When Paul speaks of wealth he is not talking about money.
Money was never part of the discussion. They are rich in their ideas and
opinions of themselves. Ideas which have kept them warm and secure while Paul
is out on for front lines of ministry with the other apostles. False religion
is like that. It's long on meaningless rules that may curb your wardrobe or
diet a little but in the end cost you very little. False religion is
self-absorbed and has no time for the legitimate needs of the world. When the
money hungry and power hungry are as at home in the church as they are in the
world something is wrong. When the cost to follow a Saviour who gave everything
including His life costs relatively nothing something is wrong with that
religion.
Paul is contrasting his walk with Christ with theirs. He has
nothing and most people think him nothing. He is in and out of prison and hated
by many. They in Corinth claim to be following the same Jesus yet have found a
way to be just fine. The greatest enemy they have is each other as they try and
argue themselves into a religion that is called Christianity but doesn't
involve following Christ at all.
This year is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing
his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg. It happened in an era when most couldn't read. I had the
privilege of going to that church and touring the key places of the reformation
a few years back. One thing that struck me was that church art became popular
so people could see the Story without being able to read.
One painting I'll
never forget had two sides. One side was Jesus and His disciples walking a
dusty road. Were it not for the halo over Jesus head you wouldn't even have
known which plain clothed bearded man He was. Opposite this picture was a
picture of the pope riding in an elaborate chariot with guards and attendees in
front and in back of him. No words were necessary.
One of these things is not like the other and one thing is
certain. All division, all heresy, all corruption and all bad religion begins
when we take our eyes off the humble carpenter from Galilee who lived to give.
End of story.
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