On Sunday, Steven preached on Paul’s words in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Today’s Evening Prayer reading, 1 Corinthians 9, shows one way Paul lived that command out.
Paul ministered without a salary, but it would have been appropriate for him to receive whatever the Corinthians offered him. After all, as he writes in verse 9, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.”
In other contexts Paul was glad to receive that kind of love from the people he served. He knew it gave them joy, and it eased the burden on him. However, for a variety of reasons, Paul recognized that the Corinthian context was different. There was already envy and dissent, and it wouldn’t do to let money muddy the waters too.
Instead, Paul worked to support himself while he was in Corinth. Paul had no clear moral obligation to get a second job. It would have been his right as an apostle to receive what the Corinthians offered him in love. But Paul knew that some in the Corinthian church might leverage that generosity to accuse Paul of greed or selfishness. That conflict could have led to division and confusion within the congregation. So, instead of clinging to his rights as an apostle, Paul chose the humbler and harder route. He doubled his efforts so nothing would compromise their ability to hear the gospel. Paul didn’t just bear their burdens with nice words. For months on end, he worked overtime so he could feed himself and his flock.
We love talking about rights, and for good reason! After all, the idea of human rights is one of the beautiful inheritances our culture has received from Christian tradition. But rights are always inferior to love. They can be legislated, and their shapes and contours can be clearly defined (often, at least), but they can never reach as far as love does. Nor do they yield the same reward. We need rights because we fail to love, not because rights and love are on par with each other.
If you’re not convinced, look at Jesus. He laid down his right to sit in glory at the right hand of the Father (Phil. 2:5-10) so he could bear our burdens. Or, as John puts it in 1 John 4:19, “we love because he first loved us.” If you need an example that feels more attainable, look at the way Paul delighted in the people he served. It’s all over his letters. Humble love brings more joy than self-justification can.
God is not asking you to look for the next place you can flush your rights. And yes, we should care when our neighbors are mistreated or abused. But there are places in all of our lives when God would have us choose humility instead of self-exaltation. There will be credit taken by others, blamed thrown on us, money requested, conflicts initiated, and more. Ask God for the wisdom to know when obedience requires you to be steadfast and immovable; ask him for the discernment to know when love requires sacrificial generosity. In all things, seek to emulate the love of Jesus, who laid aside his crown so that we could be reconciled to God.
Justin+