August 13th

By Randall L. Broad

 

Read: Nehemiah 5:14-7:73; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10

 

One of the most confusing parts of First Corinthians has always been the parts that deal with the controversies surrounding sacrificial food and the issue of idol feasts.

 

In post-modern times the complexities of Paul’s writings are more problematic than in older times because of the secularism of so many everyday activities. The simple act of eating was once revered far more than it is today. People sat down, said grace, and gave thanks for the blessing they were about to receive. Every new day … every meal was understood to be a blessing from whatever god the community worshipped. By extension, food was left at the altar or the idol in the temple as an offering or tithe of the first fruits earned from the worshippers’ labor­–a sacrificial duty and expression of thanksgiving to the divine power that sustained and protected the faithful from the chaos of the cosmos. This ‘sacrificial food’ also served a practical purpose as it was used to sustain the priestly orders and the temple workers whose lives were devoted to the care and maintenance of the gods and their temple.

 

In an age where very few grow their own food … the sustenance we put into our bodies is perceived as a expediency … an economic or health choice with little or no spiritual value or reward. We purchase and consume our food with little thought or planning. Food is bought with the pay we earn through our labor in the production of consumer goods, services, and ideas. The church receives their tithes and offering today in the same cash form as the worker receives rather than in tangible sustenance like bread, meat, and grapes. In many modern churches the Lord’s Supper is celebrated with no more pomp than a prepackaged cracker and tiny cup of grape juice. Some traditional denominations still hold ‘feast days’ for saints or other historical events in church history and hold the Eucharist in greater reverence, but others utilize food simply as a way to promote fellowship and the food itself has no spiritual value.

 

Yet in the first century sacrificial food and idol feasts embodied a much more ‘spiritual’ purpose and it is these concerns Paul addresses today.

 

⁴So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ⁵For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

 

⁷But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

 

1 Corinthians 8:4-8

 

Members of the Corinth church had different ideas rooted in their previous religions and in today’s reading we find three points of view regarding the use of sacrificial food and/or Christian participation in idol feasts.

 

·       The first group composed primarily of the Jews abhorred the feasts and the stores sold at market afterwards believing it to be sin to participate in the feast or eat the food which was now unclean and unholy.

·       The second group composed of Gentiles believed as long as they avoided the idol feasts, it was alright to purchase the 'leftover' food sold in the market place since it was ‘just’ bread and meat.

·        The third group composed of less devoted followers felt since the idol was not god anyway; why not participate in the feast and enjoy the meat.

The views in this dispute were defined by complex issues of religious background; economic standing, and cultural upbringing. For some anything associated with idols was unclean and unholy. For some the purchase of this food was an acceptable practice they had been doing all their lives. Perhaps for others it was an economic choice and the idol feast may have been the difference between eating or not. However, these arguments and disputes in the Church were becoming a stumbling block and distraction in the Church of Corinth. As is often an essential theme in all of Paul’s letters quarrelling over foolish and ignorant speculation (c.f. 2 Timothy 2:23) only weakens the believers faith and detracts from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

First he tells them “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and then “There is no God but one …” (v. 4). As he often does Paul turned their disagreement into an opportunity to pronounce his Christology (vv. 5-6) followed by the revelation of the New Covenant that idols and sacrifices (i.e. food and feasts) cannot bring us closer to God (v. 8). Paul does not condemn those who attended the feast and eat the food, but he does challenge their assumptions and the impact it has on the church.

 

⁸It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. 9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? ¹¹So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. ¹²And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 8:8-12

 

The essential problem in the Corinthian Church was though they had been brought together by their faith in Jesus they were divided by their understanding of the New Covenant and how to worship Christ. This conflict is reflected throughout First Corinthian particularly in the passages regarding the glorification of human leaders (vv. 1:10-4:21); Christian marriage (Ch. 7); participation in pagan feasts and eating food sacrificed to idols (Ch. 8-10); the Lord’s Supper (Ch. 11); and the exercise of spiritual gifts (Ch. 12-14). Still … this divide continues today on a global scale in the ongoing debates about dogma and doctrine as well as in the forms of worship and the defining of what is and what is not sacred. In today’s world a church divided by the issues of the Corinthians would simply fracture into different denominations and churches–the early church had no such option and so they turn to the Apostle Paul for his clarification. For Paul the solution to these disputes is found in a higher Christology where the principle of building up the weaker believers is expressed through love and faith in Jesus Christ. It goes beyond attitude and behavior; it is about imitating the character of Christ.

 

Walk with the Lord …

Ephesians 1:17

(RLB230813)

 

© Copyright 2019: Randall L. Broad.

 

Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.