Paul
the apostle thought that “God”
had “set forth”
he and his “apostles last, as it were
appointed to death”.
He also wrote that they were “made a
spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men”.
In chapter four and verse ten of First
Corinthians, Paul tells the church members in Corinth he and his
companions are
“fools for Christ's sake”
where we read:
but
you are
strong; you are
honorable, but we are
despised.
The
verse begins, “We
are
fools for Christ's sake, but you are
wise in Christ;” Paul
began with the words, “We are fools”
which means
“Paul and his companions were dull, stupid, heedless, blockheads
and absurd” “for”
or “by reason and account of” “Christ's”
which refers to “the anointed one's, the Messiah's and the Son of
God's” “sake”
which means “cause or reason”, “but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “you
are wise”
or “the Corinthian church members are intelligent, prudent and
mindful of one's interest” “in
Christ”
which means “the anointed one, the Messiah and the Son of God”.
As Paul uses caustic remarks to show the contrast between him and the
church members in Corinth, he considered himself and his companions
“stupid and absurd” and the Corinthians “intelligent and
prudent” in their relationship to Jesus Christ.
The verse goes on to
say, “we
are
weak, but you are
strong; you are
honorable, but we are
despised.”. Paul
continued with the words, “we
are
weak” which
means “Paul and his companions are feeble, impotent and without
strength”, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “you
are strong” or
“the Corinthians are mighty, violent, forcible, firm and sure”;
“you are honorable”
which means “the Corinthian church members are good, in great
esteem, of high repute, notable, splendid and glorious”, “but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “we
are despised” or
“Paul and his companions are without honor, dishonored, base and of
less esteem”. Paul also considered he and his companions as as
“feeble and without honor” compared to the “strength and high
esteem” of the church members.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see how he desired to show
the contrast between the way he and his companions thought of
themselves versus the way the church members in Corinth thought about
themselves. The church members were “wise, strong and honorable”
in their own eyes, but Paul and his companions were “fools, weak
and despised” in their evaluation. The difference was the
“humility” displayed, and although Paul is drawing the church
members toward a more accurate depiction of themselves, he doesn't
seem to mind debasing himself and his comrades to do so. Jesus Christ
“humbled Himself” when
He came to the earth as Paul wrote in the book of Philippians,
chapter two and verses five thru eight,
“Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.”
When
Paul says he became as a “fool, weak and despised”,
he aligned himself with Jesus who did the same for us that we might
be saved.
Next
time Paul shares how “even
unto this present hour” he
and his companions “both
hunger, thirst, naked and buffeted”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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