David Bahn – Reflections

“You’ve got to remember, Paul was a doting old bachelor,” she said. As I recall this, it was my mom in an attempt to diminish Paul’s teaching about women. Take that as you will. Here Paul is commenting and giving directives about proper behavior toward one another as husband and wife, two betrothed people, widows, and single people. His bottom line is that if one is able not to marry that is good. If, however, the passions burn hot, it is better to marry.

It’s interesting to me that he makes the point elsewhere in this chapter that this is not a command from the Lord, but his own wisdom. So maybe the fact that he was not married does color his commentary. File it under wisdom from a mature man of God. But his other aside (“I think that I too have the Spirit of God.” V. 40), gives his advice some significant weight. This was not throw-away advice.

The situation in Corinth certainly does color Paul’s advice. Corinth is the church that tempts almost every other church to a smug attitude, at least we’re not that bad. They had issues around lawsuits, sexual immorality, worship, women, Holy Communion, factions, and spiritual gifts. So it’s not surprising that Paul would be a bit more directive with them.

Paul’s words remind us that faithfulness isn’t measured by whether we marry or remain single, but by how we walk with God in either place. His wisdom calls us to listen carefully – to hold divine commands with reverence and human counsel with discernment. The Spirit still speaks through seasoned saints like Paul, yet invites each of us to seek what obedience looks like in our own calling. Whether in marriage or in solitude, the greater gift is a heart steady in devotion to the Lord, trusting in his goodness and grace,  and reflecting his love in Jesus.

Martin Luther made famous the phrase, “This is most certainly true.” I love that! So I like to make the point that if something is in the Bible once it’s true. If it’s in there twice, it’s certainly true. And if it’s in the Bible three times, it is most certainly true. Well, what are we going to do with this one? The phrase “the two will become one flesh” appears not just once (Genesis 2:24), but in Matthew 19 where Jesus speaks of the sacred nature of marriage, again in Ephesians 5 where Paul speaks of the relationship between husband and wife, and a fourth time here in his letter to the church in Corinth. This is a most, certainly certain truth!

When a man and a woman leave parents, hold fast to one another, and join in the act of marriage, they become one flesh. That applies obviously to the physical union of the two. It applies also to the happy result of that physical union in the birth of children.

The reason and need for marriage is found in Genesis 2:18, where we read, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”

I like to joke about the truth that it is not good for the man to be alone. Whenever Diane used to travel for her work with PLI, I would enjoy the first 1-½ days on my own. I might make it to two. But then it was not good for the man to be alone! It wasn’t a matter of cooking and cleaning the dishes. I can do all that pretty well. But without companionship I’m just not good.

God made man purposefully needy. In that pre-fall state it was still not good that man should be without companionship. So God created woman. These two fulfill a need in each other by God’s design. And, according to the Bible, they also are an object lesson about the love Christ has for the church.

For that reason we must remain true to our marriage vows, for our love and faithfulness to one another are to be a reflection of Christ’s love for the church. We may muck that up from time to time – thank God for his forgiveness and grace! But marriage is a big deal. And if you’re not married or no longer married you can still honor God through your life of sexual purity and support of those who are married. This is most certainly true.

I love Martin Luther’s Sacristy Prayer:

Lord God, you have made me a pastor and teacher in your Church.
You see how unfit I am to administer rightly this great and responsible office;
and had I been without your aid and counsel, I would surely have ruined it all long ago.
Therefore, do I call upon you.
Of your boundless mercy, grant me a faithful heart,
and the right understanding, and skill, to teach.
And may I so exercise this office that I may save my own soul and those who hear me.
Amen.

Luther’s prayer – to which I can say a hearty AMEN!, is sincere and humble. Paul’s claim is the public side of the pastor’s role. We are stewards of the mysteries of God. These mysteries are not ours. We do not own them. We are accountable for our administration of them.

In the New Testament, the “mysteries of God” not unsolvable riddles. They are God’s redemptive work made known for all people through Jesus Christ and received by faith (Rom 16:25–26). Central is the mystery of the Gospel—Christ’s death and resurrection offered to all nations (Eph 6:19). This includes into the mystery of Christ and the Church, where Gentiles become fellow heirs with Jews in one body, with “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:26–27; Eph 3:4–6). Jesus speaks of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven disclosed in parables (Matt 13:11). The incarnation is the “mystery of godliness” (1 Tim 3:16), and the resurrection transformation (1 Cor 15:51) are also identified as mysteries. These mysteries proclaim God’s eternal plan of salvation by grace alone, entrusted to believers as stewards (1 Cor 4:1).

No wonder Luther prayed as he did! These mysteries are profound, and we are entrusted to administer them faithfully. Paul was speaking to the Corinthians to correct their undue attachment of the people there to him, Apollos, Cephas, or any other human teacher. They are clay vessels. The treasure is the gospel and the sacraments by which God pours out his grace and mercy on all who believe.

We who are called to be pastors must be faithful in that calling, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and delivering the fullness of God’s grace and truth to his people. We don’t receive some extra grace that elevates us when we are set aside for this task. We are, however, accountable for faithfully serving Christ and his people.

Lord, grant me your Holy Spirit and hold me to your words of grace and truth so that I may be found faithful; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

I remember the feeling, the event, and where I was sitting when the reality and truth of 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 made its way into my heart. It was in the fall of 2000 at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. Our PLI collegeal group was visiting this mentor church as part of our PLI training experience. They were hosting that same weekend their Courageous Congregations conference, and we were invited to attend.

I had expected 200 or more people to be there. But there were far fewer people present. The staff, presenters, worship leaders never blinked. They didn’t apologize for the smaller-than-expected crowd. They just gave what they had. It was enriching.

I remember more, however, the kairos moment as we sat there soaking it all in. PLI was for many of us an experience of church envy. We visited many large and successful Lutheran churches. They had large staffs, signature ministries, and impressive facilities. We pastors would look at them and think, if only I had a large staff, such a deep talent pool, and the resources they had! It was envy pure and simple. We would even talk about it and repent of it. But it would snake its way into our hearts (at least into my heart).

But sitting at a round table with 6 other pastors and experiencing that moment, I realized: All this is mine. Ours. Christ’s. God’s. I could envy or I could enjoy the blessings of the moment in that place. I even stood up and said something to that effect to the whole group.

Maybe you struggle with envy – that green-eyed monster. Shakespeare speaks of it in these words:

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.

Jesus warns against it:

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts… envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

But Jesus is also the answer to envy. We must realize it’s all his – everything – and that we are all stewards of all we have and everything we experience. Envy is evidence of a heart turned from God. We must simply believe, remember, and trust that God is enough. His love envelopes us. His grace saves us. His mercy attends us. We are his. And that is enough.

I seldom bring the wood chips in from the workshop. That’s preacher talk about bringing all the fruits of our study – especially the nuggets of insights around word studies of the original languages. It can serve to enlighten, but it can also serve to spotlight the preacher more than illuminating the text. But this is different. Here are some wood chips from one of my earliest sermon studies on this text from 2 Corinthians 2.

In my studies I realized that Paul utilized a word that is found only here in the New Testament and never outside the New Testament prior to his writing. It is as if Paul coined a word that began to be used after he used it! He was the first to use the word and others then began to take it up in their writings.

I think he was trying to help the Corinthian Christians to understand that while he could have come to them with persuasive words of wisdom, he chose rather to bring a simple word of grace and truth about Jesus’ suffering and death, and his resurrection from the dead. There is no need for rhetoric in order to serve the cause of Christ.

Some people think they cannot pray because they don’t use eloquent speech. Paul would beg to differ. So would Jesus. Some would say that the highest form of proclamation is in the form or well-honed rhetoric. Paul didn’t choose that tact. Some would say that the messenger has to be well-coiffed if he is to gain an audience.

Paul desired that the power of God would carry the day. So he spoke in plain language about Jesus. This is the power of God: not sophistry. Not clevernous. Not eloquence. These may all be used by those so gifted to bring the message. But we must never mistake the power of human wisdom for the power of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit brings us to Jesus, enlightens us with his gifts, sets us aside for his glory, and uses us to gather others into his kingdom of grace and truth. Never let your perceived inability to speak stand in the way of giving witness to Jesus’ love for you and for your neighbor. People need to hear the gospel in plain and simple words of grace and truth. Let the Holy Spirit do his work of inspiring you to be Jesus’ witness. And the Holy Spirit do the work of persuading, convicting, and converting. He does that through the power of the Gospel not the power and persuasion of man.

Don’t you love it when a turn of phrase captures a truth so perfectly? That’s what I thought of when I read, “Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.” Useless. Unnecessary. Impotent. A waste of time, energy, and effort. But still people yearn for idols. 

Today most people are a bit more sophisticated about their idolatry. Some drive their idols hoping to impress others. Others put makeup or aftershave on their idols. A few paint their faces or bodies(!) with their idol’s team colors and make a show of their devotion. Many sit in front of a large TV to cheer their idols on to victory – or to ogle and salivate over their idol (America’s or Hollywood’s).

I know it’s fun to root your team on to victory. I realize it’s better that I shave, put on deodorant and aftershave most every morning. It can be good entertainment when a favorite movie franchise releases its next film. And we don’t really worship them, do we? Do we???

Worse then scarecrows in cucumber fields are some of the other practices Jeremiah writes of, and that are recorded in 2 Kings 21. Burning their children in the fire! Setting up pagan altars in the Lord’s house! Turning people away from God and ridiculing his faithful people! That’s worse than a scarecrow in any field.

How do we avoid such folly? How do we resist the lure of things that promise things they can never deliver? I know only one way. That is to lean into God’s word, and fellowship with God’s faithful people. There are a million distractions, and multitudes of people who bow down to gold, gin, or guys or gals.

Let’s lean into Jeremiah’s words – the last two verses from above – and give God the glory that only he deserves!

There is none like you, O Lord;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.
⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is none like you.

Amen.

There is so much disunity in the world.

• Political polarization in the United States
• Russia-Ukraine conflict
• Sunni-Shia sectarianism in the Middle East
• European migration debates
• Ideological clashes over social issues
• Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict

Sadly, there is also disunity in the church. I’ve experienced a lack of unity in the church, and it’s not fun. Suspicion. Fear. Distrust. Anger. Accusation. Thankfully it wasn’t all at once nor was it constant. But distrust, division, and discord erupted all too frequently, and it discouraged people and hurt the church.

The division in Corinth was about people. One claimed to follow Paul. Another Apollos. Still another Cephas (Peter). Then some were claiming the moral high ground claiming to follow Christ. While that may have been true, the claim does not carry the humility of Christ or the gentleness of spirit that are the foundations of peace.

Some think unity is all about uniformity. We all say the same things. We all pray the same way. We all follow the same liturgy. We all sing the same hymns. It was even worse in Paul’s day, for beyond the requirement that the people – including the gentile converts – observe the Jewish ceremonial laws, people were attaching personalities to those practices.

But the person to bring unity is Jesus. And he challenged pride and competition on the part of his disciples at every turn. He taught them that if they wanted to be great, they should be the servant of all, and put themselves last. “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last,” he told them (Matthew 20:16). Focusing on Jesus will do two things – if we let him speak to our hearts, and listen to his words. We will seek to love one another – just as he commanded. We will seek unity with him, the Father, and one another – just as he prayed for. We will reflect his humble spirit – just as he lived.

We’ll never do this perfectly. Nor have any of Jesus’ followers. That’s why many of the letters in the New Testament had to be written. That’s why Jesus had to correct his disciples regularly. But Jesus is ever forgiving, ever calling us back, ever inspiring his people to embody and rejoice in this precious gift.

We embody unity when love one another, and rely on the power of Jesus’ cross.