When you were growing up did your parents ever compare you to other kids? Parents try to avoid comparing their children to others, and certainly ever doing so verbally, to their child. Sometimes it just can’t be avoided. Especially when there is another kid in the neighborhood who just excels at everything. You know the type I mean, honor roll student, Eagle Scout, talented, a great athlete, always polite, always outside doing their chores. It’s too good to pass up. So when one’s own kid gets in trouble or neglects doing something. A parent is often tempted to point at the kid next door and say in frustration, “Why can’t you be like them?”
That’s a lot to dump on a kid. I feel for bad for anyone who grows up that way; always being made to feel inferior, like you don’t quite measure up. If that’s how you grew up you can take consolation in this little fact. At least you didn’t grow up next door to Jesus. Can you imagine?
“Schlomo! I sent you to the market an hour ago to buy wine. The kid next store just made six jars of it in five minutes! Why can’t you be like Jesus?”
That would be cruel comparison to place on anyone, yet in his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul does just that. As often is the case, Paul uses the “why can’t you be like them” in the midst of conflict. Sometimes we forget that Paul was a controversial figure in his lifetime, not just among those who were opposed to the new Jesus movement, but even among those within it. Throughout his preaching career, Paul was engaged in a heated debate with the leaders of this new movement. Specifically, his argument was with the Jerusalem faction and people like Peter and James. The Jerusalem church viewed the Jesus movement as essentially Jewish. Therefore, if a Gentile wanted to follow Jesus, he would first need to convert to Judaism,be circumcised and follow its purity laws. In contrast, Paul believed that Gentile followers of Jesus, such as the Corinthians to whom he was writing, did not need follow all the prescriptions of the Torah.
Eventually, Paul and the Jerusalem church came to a compromise. As a show of good faith, Paul agreed to receive a collection from his churches in places like Greece, to be given to the poor in Jerusalem. Evidently, among their many other problems, the Christians in Corinth had fallen behind in their giving to this cause. Like a parent comparing their kid to the honor student next door, Paul brings up another one of his churches to the Corinthians. He holds up the church in Macedonia as an example to them. Even though they were facing tough economic times, Paul says, on their own accord the Macedonians gave not just within their means, but beyond their means. He reminds the Corinthians of all of which with they have been blessed, understanding, eloquence and love and exhorts them to excel in generosity.
As we read Paul’s words, our more cynical side may recoil just a bit. (As Conan says, “Don’t be cynical.” I’m with Coco.) We are tempted to dismiss Paul’s words as manipulative and maybe even self-serving. In our jaded context, his words may bring to mind a televangelist pushing the guilt buttons of his audience. With all the hypocrisy and scandals we have seen in churches over the past couple of decades, our skepticism is understandable. However, if we truly want to re-imagine ourselves in the image of Christ, we will need to move past our unease with preachers talking about topics such as giving and money. Generosity and stewardship are not merely subjects to tack onto discipleship. They are integral to it.
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