Paul started this Jesus community in Corinth sometime ago on one of his missionary journeys, “Acts chapter 18” and after moving on, Paul got a report that things were not going well there, and it appears that many in the church rejected Paul’s teaching he wrote and some rebelled against his authority and so, Paul had followed up in person with what he calls “the painful visit” and after that, he sent a letter which he says was written with anguish and tears. So after all these measures, most, but not all of the Corinthians realize their arrogance, and they apologized to Paul, they wanted to reconcile. Paul wrote this letter to assure them of his love and commitment, Paul gives thanks to the God of all mercy and comfort, who brought peace and encouragement to him and the Corinthians during this time of division and dispute. Paul acknowledges that things have been tense since his painful visit and he makes clear, he’s forgiven them, he wants an open and honest relationship.
But why had they rejected Paul in the first place? The Corinthians had disregarded Paul as a leader, he was poor, he earned a meager living through manual labor, he was under constant persecution and suffering, he was often homeless, he wasn’t a very impressive public speaker, so once the Corinthians were exposed to other more wealthy impressive Christian leaders, they started to think less of Paul, they were actually ashamed of him. Paul responses by showing that their elevation of these leaders simply because of their wealth and eloquent is a betrayal of Jesus, it shows a totally distorted value system, true Christian leadership is not about status or self-promotion. Paul depicts himself and the other apostles as captive slaves to king Jesus, who’s leading them on a procession of triumph. Paul’s job isn’t to be impressive, but rather to point people to the one who is, Jesus.
Paul alludes to a recent demand of the Corinthians, that he provides some letters of recommendation to prove his authority and credentials, but this is ridiculous to Paul, their church wouldn’t even exist, if he hadn’t started it and so he says, they are his proof of genuine leadership, they are his letter of recommendation, God’s Spirit has written his letter of recommendation on their hearts as his new covenant people, the Corinthians shouldn’t need any more proof than that. Now, the mention of the new covenant, it leads Paul into a comparison between the old covenant, between God and Israel, that was mediated by Moses, and the new covenant, between God and Corinthians, mediated by Jesus in the Spirit. The old covenant made at mount Sinai, it was truly glorious, it made Moses himself shine with God’s glory, but that glory eventually faded, not to mention the fact, that the laws of that covenant were ineffective at truly transforming Israel, but the new covenant by comparison, is even more glorious, because the resurrected Jesus is the very glory of God and he lives on forever and it’s his spirit that’s now transforming people to become more faithful, just like Jesus himself.
Who doesn’t want to share in God’s own glory, but Paul goes on to show how the paradox of the cross turns upside down the Corinthians ideas of glory and success, Jesus’ glorious exaltation as king took place through his suffering, execution and death. On the cross, Jesus revealed God’s salvation, he died for the sins of the world, to reconcile people to God, but the cross does even more, it reveals God’s character, he’s a being of utter self-giving suffering love that seeks the well-being of others. The cross also reveals a new cruciform way of life, and Paul’s goal is that his life and ministry imitates the cross, so although his apostolic career, it’s been marked by humility, suffering by poverty, it was all to serve the Corinthians. So when they disapprove of Paul’s poverty and suffering, they disapprove of Jesus too. Paul’s way of life and leadership is actually the proof that he authentically represents the crucified and risen Jesus. Paul really wants to reconcile with the Corinthians, but he won’t let things lie, until they’ve been transformed and embrace this upside down paradox of the cross.
After this passionate appeal, Paul addresses the topic of forgotten generosity, the Jewish Christians back in Jerusalem, they had fallen into poverty due to a famine, and Paul is raising money among the new churches that he started. They would all send a relief gift, as a symbol of their unity in the Messiah Jesus, so many of his churches, they were thrilled to give, but the Corinthians, in the midst of all this conflict with Paul, hadn’t saved up for the gift, and for Paul, this isn’t just about money, it’s another sign that the Corinthians have not been transformed by the gospel about Jesus, which at its heart, is a story of generosity. Paul saying, you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that even though he was rich for your sake, he became poor, so that through his poverty, you might become rich. Jesus gave up his glorious honor or wealth, and he lowered himself to die like a poor slave, so that other people who are impoverished through sin and death, can be exalted and become wealthy through the riches of God’s grace. To be a Christian, is to let this story sink deep into your mind and heart, letting it transform you into someone who’s more generous, more willing to share your life and resources to help others.
Paul focuses on the main source of his conflict with the Corinthians, that group of impressive leaders that he sarcastically calls “super apostles,” they came to Corinth promoting themselves and bad-mouthing Paul as a poor unsuccessful leader, and at the risk of sounding self-promoting, Paul has actually seen and hung out with the risen Jesus, he’s actually had visions of Jesus’ heavenly throne room. More importantly, Paul has given his entire life to the mission of Jesus, he sacrifice comfort and stability and he never asked the Corinthians for money, unlike the super apostles who charged a lot, Paul earned his own living, but he refuses to brag about these accomplishments, because these aren’t the things that really matter as a Christian, instead what he’ll brag about is, how flawed and how weak he is, because it’s in those inadequacies that he discovers the love and mercy of Jesus, or as Jesus once told Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect through weakness.
Paul gives a sober warning to the Corinthians, they need to check themselves, their contempt for Paul, his way of life, their love for the super apostles, it all shows that they don’t grasp who Jesus is on a fundamental level, they’re not living like transformed followers of Jesus, so he invites them once again to humble themselves before the love of Jesus. The paradox set before us by the cross of Jesus, it challenges our value’s, our ways of seeing the world. We value success, education, wealth, but God values humility and weakness, because his love and power were made known through the suffering death and the resurrection of Jesus. The cross also unleashes the transforming power and presence of the Spirit, to empower Jesus’ followers to take up his cruciform way of life and make it their own.
But why had they rejected Paul in the first place? The Corinthians had disregarded Paul as a leader, he was poor, he earned a meager living through manual labor, he was under constant persecution and suffering, he was often homeless, he wasn’t a very impressive public speaker, so once the Corinthians were exposed to other more wealthy impressive Christian leaders, they started to think less of Paul, they were actually ashamed of him. Paul responses by showing that their elevation of these leaders simply because of their wealth and eloquent is a betrayal of Jesus, it shows a totally distorted value system, true Christian leadership is not about status or self-promotion. Paul depicts himself and the other apostles as captive slaves to king Jesus, who’s leading them on a procession of triumph. Paul’s job isn’t to be impressive, but rather to point people to the one who is, Jesus.
Paul alludes to a recent demand of the Corinthians, that he provides some letters of recommendation to prove his authority and credentials, but this is ridiculous to Paul, their church wouldn’t even exist, if he hadn’t started it and so he says, they are his proof of genuine leadership, they are his letter of recommendation, God’s Spirit has written his letter of recommendation on their hearts as his new covenant people, the Corinthians shouldn’t need any more proof than that. Now, the mention of the new covenant, it leads Paul into a comparison between the old covenant, between God and Israel, that was mediated by Moses, and the new covenant, between God and Corinthians, mediated by Jesus in the Spirit. The old covenant made at mount Sinai, it was truly glorious, it made Moses himself shine with God’s glory, but that glory eventually faded, not to mention the fact, that the laws of that covenant were ineffective at truly transforming Israel, but the new covenant by comparison, is even more glorious, because the resurrected Jesus is the very glory of God and he lives on forever and it’s his spirit that’s now transforming people to become more faithful, just like Jesus himself.
Who doesn’t want to share in God’s own glory, but Paul goes on to show how the paradox of the cross turns upside down the Corinthians ideas of glory and success, Jesus’ glorious exaltation as king took place through his suffering, execution and death. On the cross, Jesus revealed God’s salvation, he died for the sins of the world, to reconcile people to God, but the cross does even more, it reveals God’s character, he’s a being of utter self-giving suffering love that seeks the well-being of others. The cross also reveals a new cruciform way of life, and Paul’s goal is that his life and ministry imitates the cross, so although his apostolic career, it’s been marked by humility, suffering by poverty, it was all to serve the Corinthians. So when they disapprove of Paul’s poverty and suffering, they disapprove of Jesus too. Paul’s way of life and leadership is actually the proof that he authentically represents the crucified and risen Jesus. Paul really wants to reconcile with the Corinthians, but he won’t let things lie, until they’ve been transformed and embrace this upside down paradox of the cross.
After this passionate appeal, Paul addresses the topic of forgotten generosity, the Jewish Christians back in Jerusalem, they had fallen into poverty due to a famine, and Paul is raising money among the new churches that he started. They would all send a relief gift, as a symbol of their unity in the Messiah Jesus, so many of his churches, they were thrilled to give, but the Corinthians, in the midst of all this conflict with Paul, hadn’t saved up for the gift, and for Paul, this isn’t just about money, it’s another sign that the Corinthians have not been transformed by the gospel about Jesus, which at its heart, is a story of generosity. Paul saying, you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that even though he was rich for your sake, he became poor, so that through his poverty, you might become rich. Jesus gave up his glorious honor or wealth, and he lowered himself to die like a poor slave, so that other people who are impoverished through sin and death, can be exalted and become wealthy through the riches of God’s grace. To be a Christian, is to let this story sink deep into your mind and heart, letting it transform you into someone who’s more generous, more willing to share your life and resources to help others.
Paul focuses on the main source of his conflict with the Corinthians, that group of impressive leaders that he sarcastically calls “super apostles,” they came to Corinth promoting themselves and bad-mouthing Paul as a poor unsuccessful leader, and at the risk of sounding self-promoting, Paul has actually seen and hung out with the risen Jesus, he’s actually had visions of Jesus’ heavenly throne room. More importantly, Paul has given his entire life to the mission of Jesus, he sacrifice comfort and stability and he never asked the Corinthians for money, unlike the super apostles who charged a lot, Paul earned his own living, but he refuses to brag about these accomplishments, because these aren’t the things that really matter as a Christian, instead what he’ll brag about is, how flawed and how weak he is, because it’s in those inadequacies that he discovers the love and mercy of Jesus, or as Jesus once told Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect through weakness.
Paul gives a sober warning to the Corinthians, they need to check themselves, their contempt for Paul, his way of life, their love for the super apostles, it all shows that they don’t grasp who Jesus is on a fundamental level, they’re not living like transformed followers of Jesus, so he invites them once again to humble themselves before the love of Jesus. The paradox set before us by the cross of Jesus, it challenges our value’s, our ways of seeing the world. We value success, education, wealth, but God values humility and weakness, because his love and power were made known through the suffering death and the resurrection of Jesus. The cross also unleashes the transforming power and presence of the Spirit, to empower Jesus’ followers to take up his cruciform way of life and make it their own.
