For the sake of the Gospel

All things to all people

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (1 Corinthians 9.22-23)

To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I might become a partner in it.

Rights of an Apostle

1 Cor 9 overview:

“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?” Paul reminds the Corinthians that it was he who first preached the Gospel to them. Now, as Christians living in a pagan city, he calls them to task for creating division amongst the Body of Christ. This is a problem that plagues Christians even today. We can clearly see evidence of it by the founding of an Eastern Orthodox Church here in Wichita Falls which occurred from a division here at Church of the Good Shepherd. So, we are not much different from the Corinthians, no matter how hard we try to erase those events from our memories. The human is inclined to seek first their own well-being, and only if it benefits them the needs of others. St. Paul corrects the Corinthians for thinking in this manner. He comes to them not in his own authority, although he could have done so. As the spiritual father of that church he was well in his right to demand proper behavior.

He appeals to the Corinthians regarding his authority as an apostle with the Word of God found in Deuteronomy 18:1 ““The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no allotment or inheritance within Israel. They may eat the offerings by fire that are the Lord’s portion,” and regarding the rights of the priests to the sacrificial food, Leviticus 6:16 “Aaron and his sons shall eat what is left of it; it shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.” In other words, that which we offer to the Lord, such as our gifts, offerings, pledges, and tithes, is partially to be used by the priests. As an apostle of the Lord, visited and commissioned by Christ himself, Paul felt the authority to make authoritative demands upon the Corinthians, and yet he withheld, instead appealing to them by reason and by his own example.

Obligation of preaching

Paul does not see his rights as an apostle as something to wield against the Church. He says he would rather die than to clutch onto those rights. His preaching of the Gospel, however, he sees an “an obligation laid” upon him.

In 1 Corinthians 9:16 Paul says, “If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” The sense of this passage is that the proclamation of the Gospel is absolutely required in Paul’s case. He has no other choice. It was not something he enlisted himself into. It is not like going to the local armed forces recruiting office, and making a decision between which armed force to join. I imagine St. Paul would fit nicely as a US Navy sailor or a US Marine. His salty language and prickly demeanor points to either of those branches. The task of preaching for Paul is imposed upon him, The Greek sense of this word, epikeimai, is that the task was imposed on him: as in Christ putting that burden upon him to preach the gospel. We read about his conversion in Acts 9.1-9, as follows: Acts 9:1–9 (NRSVue) “Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank.” The Lord called a disciple named Ananias to go and heal Paul and to impart the Holy Spirit upon him. After a brief argument with the Lord, God tells him in Acts 9:15–16 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”” After receiving healing and the Holy Spirit, Scripture tells us what Paul did in Acts 9:20–22: “and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.” So, you see, preaching the Gospel is not just a regular job for Paul, it is his calling, or in is words, “an obligation.” And knowing Paul’s character and devotion and hard headedness, the Lord chose him to be an instrument of the Gospel. He knew that Paul would preach the Gospel at all costs.

Make no mistake about it. We would do well to emulate Paul. He made himself a slave to all people so that he might gain all the more. Earlier in his letter to the Galatian Church Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another.” And here he is, several years later, walking the walk as an example to the Corinthian church. Paul makes himself all things to all people so that he might gain those on the outside of God’s family and bring them to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ.

This work of preaching the Gospel is not just standing up here in this high pulpit and quoting Scripture at you for ten minutes. The Sermon is most certainly a high point of the Mass, and absolutely indispensible for proper worship. Without the Sermon there is no Mass. But preaching the Gospel is much more than that. And it can be done by more people than just the priest. And it SHOULD be done by much more than the priest.

For St. Paul the burden of preaching the Gospel is one of obligation in the sense that he was called by Jesus Christ himself for the sake of the kingdom, to expand the boundaries of the kingdom of God into the land of the Gentiles. This was a sort of yoke which Paul was placed, and one under which he worked masterfully. And yet the Lord says in Mt 11.30, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Paul understands that the because of the imposition of his calling he must preach the gospel. If he does not do so, it is to his detriment. He says, “woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” This “woe” is an interjection of horror, grief, or of denunciation should the person not abide by the task placed upon them. In similar fashion, Jesus denounces the Pharisees and scribes in Matt 23, saying “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees…”

Paul is not preaching only out of his own desire or will. His purpose is higher than himself. He has been commissioned to preach and sees that commission as an obligation to be a good steward of his task. In 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul says, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” In today’s collect we asked God to renew this gift of preaching in our Church. That we might all be compelled to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to lost and broken world. I would ask you to consider this practice in your daily lives. A half a century ago, the Church could get with not preaching the Gospel, because it was culturally expected that everyone would attend Church. The reality of our society is that the Church is not viewed as an essential institution in the life of our society. Her influence and significance is diminishing every day. So, we have two options for the gift of faith, hope, and love, which our Lord has given us. We could take it and put it in the undercroft of the church, where nobody will steal it and we will successfully preserve our dying tradition. Or we could walk out of this building, each one of us, shining God’s light into the dark places of this world. Our Lord says to his disciples in Matthew 5:14–16 ““You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”