1 Corinthians 4:6-7 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Paul used himself and Apollos in his teaching about not judging one man over the next spiritually, placing one man above the other based on perceived spirituality. The Christians in Corinth were doing just that: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ." In their zealous desire to follow their spiritual champions, they were inadvertently or maybe intentionally splitting up the Corinthian church into factions. This splintering of the church hindered the testimony of the Good News of the saving grace of Christ in Corinth. Paul wanted them to understand that only God knows the true intentions of their spiritual leaders; therefore, let God judge, rather than them judging these people. Instead, they should view each man now as a servant of the Most High. They should accept and respect all of their leaders for their service to God. Of course these men of God should come in the manner that was evident in their master Jesus. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:1-5) Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a lowly colt, not a white charger, snorting and prancing. He did not come in the manner of a king but in the manner of a servant, wanting to meet the needs of people. When Jesus called the people to him, He said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
How different the Pharisees were from Jesus. The Pharisees loved their position of honor. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’" (Matthew 23:1-7) The Pharisees were not the type of people to wash the feet of others. They might in a ceremonial event, for the pretense of humbleness, but not just to benefit another person's needs, outside of public view. They were probably not so much for praying in their closet, for they enjoyed and fed off of the praise and adulation of people, so they enjoyed praying in public. Of course, in all situations there are exceptions, but Jesus was finding fault with the established religion in the Jewish society. The Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Scribes had lost their most import purpose of serving the people. Rather than revealing God to the Jews, they were manifesting themselves, in essence, boasting about how spiritual they were, demanding subservience and special concessions from the people they served. They considered themselves different from the ordinary man. Not realizing that God who knows our hearts is the only one who knows how different or how spiritual or how full of faith we are from another person. They had lost their way, no longer practicing the very gospel they preached. In seeking praise from others, they lost track of the truth of God's Word. We read in God's Word they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John 12:43)
If we are truly servants in the body of Christ, God is the director of where we will serve. He places the ability and inclination in our hearts to serve him with all that is within us. Yet even if we serve well, we still do not boast, For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? God, the creator of all things, created you to be his servant, his child. He gave you power through the Holy Spirit to do what He has asked you to do for the work of the kingdom. Your purpose is to bring him glory, just as every living thing brings glory to his lovely name. We read this prophecy in Isaiah: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. (Isaiah 45:23) We find its fulfillment in Christ: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11) The interesting thing about humans is we have the choice of serving him. Each person who is confronted with the gospel makes a choice to serve him or not in his or her lifetime. Each person will be judged on what he or she did with that choice. If the choice is for self, serving the old nature of Adam: me first, me only, my will not God's will; life will lack fruit with nothing eternal remaining. But if the choice is to serve God with all your heart, mind, spirit, and strength, you will profit much in this life and in eternity, for your fruitfulness will be evident. Our challenge, Christian friends, is to serve God with passion and energy. God has placed in us all that is necessary to serve him well. If we fail, we fail because of our lack of commitment, our lack of faith in him. The world in general is dark, loveless, self-serving; people are hurting everywhere. We who know Christ are light in a dark world. We bring the love and concern of Jesus to broken people. We bring life to the dead, salve to the wounded, salvation to the lost. For sure, we do not have anything in ourselves to boast about, but we have been given the gift of Good News for a lost world. Unwrap this gift, show it proudly to others, dear friends. We must follow our Lord. In Luke, we see a powerful image of Jesus. The people wanted him to stay longer where He was. But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:43-44) May we be about the Father's business.
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