Sexagesima 2012

Sexagesima 2012
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
February 07, 2010

2 Corinthians 11:19 " For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise."

Thus opens this particular passage from II Corinthians, as the Apostle Paul now finds himself under attack from the very congregations he planted so laboriously at Corinth. I say “congregations” because Corinth turned out to be one of St. Paul’s very successful church plantings, resulting in several congregations, actually house churches of various sizes, all over the city. Recall how that in 1st Corinthians, Paul complained that the church at Corinth was threatening to break into factions, some following Paul, others following Apollos, and others Cephas. Thus, it seemed that that the church had growth problems, which lent themselves to bickering over leadership and other issues.

Evidently, the church at Corinth had something else, too: pride. As you know from your church history, Corinth was a prosperous city with a strong economy. Its strategic location lent was the major factor for this prosperity. One source says that Corinth was located south of the Corinthian Gulf, on the Peloponnesian side of the Isthmus of Corinth. Evidently there were two harbors which accommodated the city's position of control over the isthmus between two seas. It comes as no surprise that the city derived income from its control of the isthmus, because it imposed a charge was imposed for boats or cargo hauled on a platform across the isthmus. It seems that they actually hauled boats and ships across this narrow strip of land for a fee.

It must also be noted that Paul’s Corinthian congregation was varied and diverse, including not only the middle class off Corinth, but also working men, slaves and freedmen. This diversity naturally led to a rich, but heterogeneous church congregation. The mix of peoples, occupations and incomes such as this expressed itself in many differing views and opinions, no doubt some of them very strongly felt, and many of them concerning the Apostle himself. This is the position in which he found himself when he penned the second Corinthian epistle.

As they were prospering economically, the Corinthians had another problem, pride which led to a misdirected sense of leadership. When Paul says: “For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. ”

How could this be? What situation in the early Church could have triggered such a statement? Simply, it was the fact the early Church was soon found herself dealing with a host of many false preachers and religious charlatans. These men approached the early congregations. Speaking wonderful words and projecting a holy and pious presence, these men, many of them rank heretics, appeared at many of the meeting places and sought to sway the congregations. Taking advantage of both the simplicity and generosity of the early Christians, these religious con men sought not only hospitality, but wages as well. This is in stark contrast this to Paul’s claim that he sought nothing from them but their earnest faith in God. He emphasized that he supported himself, as he told us in “I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.” Paul also states that he”robbed other churches” to help support the Corinthian mission effort. By this he obviously meant that he used general church funds to subsidize them. Contrast that with the openly avaricious itinerant preachers descending on the Corinthians.

It we examine the situation of the early Corinthians, we may see some value and even a parallel to our own lives, especially as regards to our faith.
What is being presented to us is a choice, a dichotomy, if you will. This dichotomy is the choice of two paths, ultimately. One path is the tried, true, ancient, and honorable doctrine and beliefs of traditional Christianity. The other is the lure of the new, the sensational, and the exciting “new frontiers” that mankind constantly seeks. For example, this preacher is always amazed, even in his own life, how one can ignore the counsel of those very close, and instead give credence to outside counsel more readily. The Corinthian Church chose to ignore St. Paul’s teaching and doctrines, while settling on the leadership of various other leaders who didn’t have Paul’s apostolic credentials. They thought of themselves as too wise to heed the teachings of one who had seen the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. Instead they were running after other, more spurious doctrines that have been more attractive or seemed fresher than Paul’s

It may have been because they did not have Paul’s steady hand on their theological tiller on a daily basis, or that they were simply swayed by smooth talking, charismatic heretics. They were in danger of going off into the theological weeds, so to speak. Hence, St. Paul is alarmed and even feels that he must upbraid them for their foolish behavior. Although it occurred in the Epistle to the Galatians, recall Paul’s cry of “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” One could certainly say, “O foolish Corinthians, who hath bewitched you?”

There is no doubt that the newest ideas try to take us captive, if we allow them to sway us. In modern society, perhaps we too are like the ancient Athenians of the Book of Acts, who St. Paul accused of always seeking to hear something new. Yet, new things are not always good. The one exception may be in the field of technology. Old beliefs, burnished with age, may be battered and besieged, especially by the onslaughts of the New Morality; yet they stand. The New, while claiming to be something fresh, is usually just simply the old traps laid out by Our Enemy below. Those souls, bereft of Gospel armor, are usually easy prey. We see examples of this every day, as many people seek the newest and the most advant garde, rather than those concepts that are tried and true.

Let us return to the Corinthians and draw a lesson from their situation. The Corinthians had a choice. They could continue to honor the teachings and moral example of their apostle and founder, St. Paul, or they could embrace the new, fresh, and erroneous teaching of the new voices in their midst. This is exactly why St. Paul upbraids the congregation by telling them that they must be wise, because they put up with fools. John Calvin says this: “For ye bear with fools willingly. He calls them wise -- in my opinion, ironically. He was despised by them, which could not have been, had they not been puffed up with the greatest arrogance. He says, therefore- "Since you are so wise, act the part of wise men in bearing with me, whom you treat with contempt, as you would a fool." Hence I infer, that this discourse is not addressed to all indiscriminately, but some particular persons are reproved, who conducted themselves in an unkind manner.” Thus, here they have the greatest Evangelist known to the Christian world, the one that lovingly planted this congregation and even fed them with other churches’ funds, only to be vilified and dismissed as a fool. This is, once again, a fine example of fallen human nature at work.
The extent of St. Paul’s sense of injury is so immense that he even proceeds to rehearse his qualifications for the Corinthian church. He is “compelled” to boast, as he later tells us, of his sufferings for Christ. They are immense, only to be described as incredible to anyone who had not the irresistible conversion experience that St. Paul underwent on the Damascus Road. To sum up his sufferings, he was beaten five times with the requisite 39 stripes, he was beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and suffered shipwreck three times.
He suffered hunger, thirst, privation and danger, both from the Gentiles and the Jews. He was exhausted, sometimes sleepless, and constantly harried on many fronts.
On top of these external dangers and troubles, Paul had the daily pressure of care for the churches. Sometimes, when I feel a bit stressed, I read this passage and realize that it is all very, very good. As I may have related before, the only time I personally have shed blood for our Lord was during a church cleaning session when an old sanctuary lamp shattered in my hands! I daresay there is no comparision….
What we are talking about is not a new or even novel message in any way. It is, in the words of our Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Leonard Riches, not even old-fashioned enough to please our Lord. Once, he addressed the presbyters and delegates in that fashion, saying that it could be a problem if we are not that old-fashioned.
Rather than run after the effervescent, even nebulous directives, whims and fads of a lost society, let us hold to the old, the tried, the true, and the tested. Our Lord doesn’t change; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We need to be the same.
Refresh yourselves in the old and rich. Read the Scriptures every day. At least once a year, read the Thirty-Nine Articles to get a flavor of the strong intellectual underpinnings and vibrant faith of the Anglican Fathers. Meditate on your salvation with uplifted heart and eyes. Give thanks that God has chosen you, despite your sins and failings, to enjoy life with Him forever. Never let that fade from your heart.
We Christians are a blessed people. We are fortunate beyond our deserving. We are saved without merit, forgiven beyond measure, and strengthened beyond belief for a life of love and service.
This is not a new message. It is as old as Christianity itself, and yet as fresh as the purest sunrise in the first days of spring, when all the Earth celebrates the ever-present Glory of God.
Glory be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, now and for ever. AMEN