Lesson 8: The Church’s Questions—Food
Last time, we studied Paul’s
response to the Corinthian’s question about marriage, and we noted that his
advice continues to have relevance today, because people still face the
decision to marry or not to marry, but his advice does not necessarily have the
same urgency, because Jesus’ return was not, and still may not be, as near as
Paul expected. The apostle’s next discourse deals with the subject of food,
which may also be relevant today as people still face the decision to eat or
not to eat.
The question, though,
is not merely whether to eat or to abstain, but whether or not to eat food
dedicated to false gods, either in a pagan temple or purchased in a public
market.79 Moreover, the difference between the worship of false gods
and worship of the true God is to some extent a matter of perception,
recognizing the difference between what is true and what is false. This is not
generally a problem in our culture so, unlike last time, the relevance for us
of Paul’s comments may be even less obvious. We will need to look for any general
principles he offers along the way.
B. Food 8:1-11:1
1 Cor 8:1 Now
about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something
does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by
God.
1. Perception and elevation (8:1-3)
a. Knowledge
gives you an artificial boost.
b. Love gives another an actual boost.
Comment: About “…we all possess knowledge” (8:1)
These are the words of
certain members in the Corinthian church who feel that the answer to this
disagreement over dedicated food is a matter of education: Those who consider
it wrong are either misinformed or they have simply not admitted what they
already know (contrast v. 7). Paul is saying that the solution to the ethics of
this issue is not education (our making them realize their error) but love (our
adjusting to their needs). Put another way, knowledge is not the basis of
Christian behavior toward one another, love is.
1 Cor 8:4 So
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. 5 For even if there are
so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many
"gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet 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.
2. Perception and evaluation (8:4-6)
a. Idols are
nothing.
b. God is
everything.
Comment: About “…indeed there are many ‘gods’“ (8:5)
Paul is not retracting
the statement he just made in v. 4b. Other gods have no objective reality; they
do not really exist. Paul is acknowledging, however, that to some people,
others gods do have subjective reality, because people believe in them.80
1 Cor 8:7 But
not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when
they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and
since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us
near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be
careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling
block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have
this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what
has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is
destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way
and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what
I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that
I will not cause him to fall.
3. Perception and participation (temple; 8:7-13)
a. Weak
believers think eating is involvement with idols.
b. Strong
believers think eating is not involvement with idols.
Cf. Heb 6:6 if they fall away, to be
brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son
of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Comment: About “…eating in an idol’s temple” (8:10)
Eating cultic meals
was common in the ANE. In Deuteronomy, God commands that Israel appear before
Him for such a meal.81 These meals marked the fellowship that
existed between worshiper and deity.
[B]ut most likely [these meals] involved a
combination of religious and social factors. The gods were thought to be
present since the meals were held in their honor and sacrifices were made;
nonetheless, they were also intensely social occasions for the participants.
For the most part the Gentiles who had become believers [at] Corinth had probably
attended such meals all their lives; this was the basic ‘restaurant’ in
antiquity, and every kind of occasion was celebrated in this fashion (e.g.,
weddings, birthdays, etc.).
In non-Israelite cultures, celebration often included sexual
activity as well (Fee 1987:361), an element not present in (proper) Israelite
practice.82
Excursus: About the weak and strong brother83
Who is the so-called
“weak brother” that Paul mentions in the midst of his discussion about
food in 1 Cor 8 (vv. 9-13)? It is perhaps best to begin with what he is not and
then to describe what he is. A weak brother is not someone…
•
Who has a preference for or against something, or • Who may be offended by something someone
else does, or
•
Who has a conviction that something is right or wrong.
According to vv. 7 and 11, a weak brother is someone…
•
Who associates a certain practice with his pagan past,
and
•
Who has given up that practice since his conversion,
and
•
Who would consider it morally wrong to do it again,
but
•
Who might be so tempted if he saw another believer
doing it or if another believer encouraged him to do it, especially if he
considered that believer to be more spiritually mature, and
•
Who would suffer spiritual harm if he did it.
The concern is not offense but
influence. Those whom Paul designates as weak… may tell their heads all
they want that the god is only an idol and that an idol has no genuine reality.
[But] their former way of life is woven into their consciousness and emotions
in such a way that old associations cannot be thus lightly disregarded. For
them to return to the place of their former worship would mean once more to eat
‘as though it were truly being sacrificed to the god.’” (Fee 1987:379)
For Paul, the freedom of spiritual maturity lies in the
strong believer’s ability not to do what pleases
himself, but to do what benefits
another. So Paul indicates his readiness to give up meat entirely, if that would
keep another believer from sin.
Illustration: The following examples are not about the kind
of entertainment the Corinthians found in the temples but about a contemporary
source of entertainment: movies.
A woman had
been involved in the occult before she became a believer, an association she
gave up upon her conversion; but such a connection, once made, is easily
restored. Consequently, the content
of certain movies, even those intended as comedies (e.g., “Beetlejuice”),
recalled for her that past involvement and may even have renewed ties with the
supernatural realm that she had previously severed. For believers who have not
had contact with the occult before their conversion, such movies may be
harmless entertainment. For her, they are a potential source of spiritual harm.
A man had
spent several years in the military before he became a believer and had, as is
common to many service personnel, developed quite a profane vocabulary
(especially concerning God’s name). He gave up his colorful speech upon his
conversion; but such a habit, once established, is easily restored.
Consequently, the profane dialogue of
certain movies, even those with excellent reviews (e.g., “Rainman”), reminded
him of those former patterns, which may then have slipped back into his speech.
For believers who did not have an especially profane speech before their
conversion, such movies may be harmless entertainment. For him, they are a
potential source of spiritual harm.
Both of these believers had passed the point of conflict that
Paul is addressing here, at least in part. Unlike the Corinthians, they
recognized that such movies were not inherently bad, that it was possible for
other believers to watch them without suffering the same detrimental effects.
Nevertheless, for these two believers, such movies could be harmful.
Therefore—and here is the
application of Paul’s solution84—out of love for them, other
believers should defer to the sensitivities of these weaker brothers when they
are present. This solution presupposes two things within a local church body:
•
First, it requires that believers behave toward each
other in love in the general course of their relationships.
Then there is already established a sensitivity and a
predisposition to defer to others; there is an existing system set up to deal
with these issues.
•
Second, it requires that believers reveal to each
other their weaknesses, as the need arises.85
The order of these requirements, though, is important. There
must first be an atmosphere of love in the believing community, otherwise
disclosing one’s weakness could be counterproductive, bringing embarrassment or
even ridicule.
*****??? Break for new session ???*****
Chapter 8 opens Paul’s
response to the Corinthian’s question about dedicated food. Some members of the
church are attending feasts at local pagan temples (we will call them the
“Strong Group” [SG]); other believers oppose such involvement (we will call
them the “Weak Group” [WG]). The answer the SG proposes is education. The WG
opposes eating in temples either because they do not know enough or because
they are not acting on what they do know about idols.
•
In vv. 1-3, Paul says that the solution to the problem
is not for the WG to know more but
for the SG to love more: Knowledge is
not the basis of Christian behavior toward each other, love is. It is one of
the most oftrepeated commands in scripture.
John 10:34b [Jesus
said:] you must love one another.
Rom 12:10a [Paul said:]
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
1 Pet 1:22b
[Peter said:] love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 John 3:11b
[John said:] We should love one another.
•
In vv. 4-6, Paul talks about idols and admits the truthfulness
of the SG’s argument: Idols are nothing; God is everything.
•
In vv. 7-13, though, Paul says that—contrary to the
SG’s belief—not everyone knows this. The SG may see no harm in eating temple
food, but the WG views such activity as participating in idolatry.
Consequently, if the WG follows the example of the SG and
attends the feasts, their conscience would consider it idolatry and they might
be tempted to engage in other pagan practices. In that case, according to Paul,
the SG would bear most of the blame if this were to happen. He says…
•
V. 11: This vaunted knowledge of the strong believer
would have
destroyed (aÓpo/llumi) his weak brother.86
•
V. 12: In sinning against the weaker brother, the
strong believer would have sinned against the messiah.
So much is at stake here, that Paul says he would rather
never eat meat again than make another believer fall into sin. In chapter 9,
Paul gives his own testimony, but his is from the perspective of the strong
brother.
1 Cor 9:1 Am I
not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the
result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others,
surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my
defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don't we have the right to food
and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as
do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and
Barnabas who must work for a living?
7 Who serves
as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its
grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this
merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it
is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading
out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says
this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman
plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in
the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we
reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from
you, shouldn't we have it all the more?
But we did
not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder
the gospel of Christ. 13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their
food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered
on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach
the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
15 But I have
not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you
will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of
this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled
to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily,
I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust
committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the
gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in
preaching it.
19 Though I
am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many
as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those
under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the
law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became
like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under
Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became
weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel,
that I may share in its blessings.
24 Do you
not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run
in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do
it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my
body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself
will not be disqualified for the prize.
In chapter 9, Paul appeals to his
own experience to make the point that there are occasions when it is
appropriate to defer to others. His argument goes like this:
•
“I am an apostle, which gives me certain privileges,
such as the right to financial support from the churches to which I minister.
That right would also extend to a believing wife, were she to accompany me in
my travels.”
•
“I have these rights as an apostle, but I do not
demand them.87 I pay my own way, depriving myself, as an athlete
does when training for competition. I do this for the benefit of others ‘so
that by all possible means I might save some’ (9:22b).”88
Chapter 10 opens with a peculiar
and puzzling section to modern readers. From his appeal to personal experience,
Paul shifts to a pesher (cf. 1QpHab),
a rabbinic genre that reinterprets an OT text in light of contemporary figures
and beliefs. He uses this literary form to draw a comparison between the
Israelites’ experience in the wilderness and the Corinthians’ experience in the
pagan temple. Notice that he conflates several aspects of the story for the
sake of the analogy (e.g., cloud + sea = baptism [initiation?] in 10:2) again,
in order to make a point. We have to keep in mind that “Paul is not concerned
[here] with Israel’s experience[s], but with the analogies they provide” to the
Corinthian church (Fee 1987:445). If we lose sight of Paul’s figurative use of
this OT text, we will end up reading all sorts of things into the Exodus verses
that are not there. For example, Christ was not the physical rock that Moses
struck in order to get water, and the rock did not get up and follow Israel
around in the wilderness. By reading the messiah into these verses, Paul means
to strengthen the similarity between Israel and the Corinthian church. This is
a common rabbinic technique, and passages like this offer an opportunity for
such midrashic interpretation but do not demand it.89 In other
words, Paul is not suggesting that the Exodus section means something other
than what it says when we read it in context; he is merely drawing certain
parallels between the experience of those in Israel and the experience of those
at Corinth in order to make a particular point.
1 Cor 10:1 For I
do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were
all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all
baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same
spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the
spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless,
God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the
desert.
6 Now these
things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things
as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written:
"The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan
revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them
did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the
Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as
some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These
things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us,
on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are
standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you
except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Paul issues a warning, here,
against spiritual pride, the kind that might make the SG think they are exempt
from moral failure. By the time Israel reached Sinai, the people’s religious
experience included several impressive acts.
•
They had witnessed the miraculous drowning of the
Egyptian army.
Exod 14:28 The
water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen— the entire army of
Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them
survived.
•
Each day they had a miraculous feeding of manna and
quail from heaven.
Exod 16:13 That evening
quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew
around the camp.
•
Recently, they had witnessed a miraculous streaming of
water from a rock.
Exod 17:6b-c “Strike
the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did
this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Despite all these miracles, when they were tempted by
idolatry, they gave in and suffered for it. Notice the part of the OT narrative
Paul quotes in 10:7—Exod 32:6, the verse that specifically mentions Israel’s eating in the presence of the golden
calf, just as some in Corinth are eating
in the presence of idols. (Paul also remarks in v. 8 that associated with
Israel’s eating was “sexual immorality” which, as I mentioned before, was
sometimes part of the pagan feasts at Corinth.)
Paul then draws the
implication for the Corinthians who think themselves spiritually mature enough
to eat meat dedicated to idols without being drawn into idolatry itself. He
warns them not to press their luck. The temptation is there for them just as it
was for the Israelites: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to
man” (10:13a). “Just as God did not tolerate Israel’s idolatry, so he will not
tolerate [idolatry among] the Corinthians” (Fee 1987:450). Note that Paul is
addressing the SG here not the WG, his point being that those who consider
themselves to be strong believers are not necessarily as strong as they think
they are. In fact, it may be better to regard the term “strong believer” as
something of a misnomer. Perhaps there are only varying degrees of weak
believers.
After making the comparison between
the Israelites and the Corinthians, Paul addresses the specific situation at
Corinth again in vv. 14-22.
1 Cor 10:14
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people;
judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we
give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that
we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf,
we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
18 Consider
the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the
altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or
that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to
demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have
a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to
arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
4. Perception and celebration (10:14-22)
a. The
Passover feast entails fellowship with Christ.90
b. The
idolatrous feasts entail fellowship with demons.91
Comment: About “…the cup of demons” (10:21a)
“[W]hat the
Corinthians have failed to discern right along is that to say an idol is not a
god does not mean that it does not represent supernatural powers. Indeed, it is
quite the opposite” and those supernatural powers are in conflict with God (Fee
1987:471).
Comment: About “…have a part in both” (10:21b)
In 8:8, Paul stated
that “food does not bring us near to God,” as if eating dedicated food does not
really matter as long as their conscience is clear, but he was probably quoting
the SG argument. His opinion on the subject is quite different, as we read in
chapter 10.
•
V. 16—Speaking about their observation of Passover (=
Last Supper): “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a
participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ?”
•
V. 18—Speaking about the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem:
“Do not all those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?”
•
V. 20—Speaking about the pagan temples in Corinth: “I
do not want you to be participants with demons.”
As far as Paul is concerned, there is a communion in eating
dedicated food, whether devoted to an idol or to God.
Comment: About “…arouse the Lord’s jealousy” (10:22a) Going
to a pagan temple is wrong in two ways.
•
It is an act of selfishness toward others (weak
brothers).
•
It is an act of provocation toward God.
Exod 20:5a You shall
not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God
Exod 23:13b Do not
invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.
Illustration: As I said before, this is not generally a
problem in our culture. Do you know in what culture it still is a problem?
…Hinduism (India) follows this custom. In one of that religion’s many
incarnations, the practice has come to the West in the form of Krishna
Consciousness, whose adherents are known for their saffron robes, dancing, and
chanting the name of their chief deity: Krishna.
One of the ways they
attract new converts is to invite interested parties to a feast.—It does not
matter, by the way, what your religious background is; Hinduism is broadminded
enough to accept all theological persuasions.—What many of those who accept the
invitation to the feast do not realize is that the food they eat is dedicated
to Krishna and is thought to be endowed with Krishna himself (a kind of transubstantiation).
“Therefore, [they believe] the partaker is eating Krishna when eating this
offered food” (Sparks 1979:103, cf. 108-109).
The Hara Krishna
movement has missionaries all over the world, including the United States. They
have centers in Philadelphia and NYC and one on LI, which just happens to be in
Freeport, my hometown. When we were at UW, they were often chanting or selling
literature on State St. Mall. They would invite passersby to their feasts or
sometimes offer them food on the street. This scenario is not unique to
Madison, and believers who encounter them should realize what they are
promoting. Perhaps times have not changed that much after all.
Paul does not agree with SG’s position on dedicated food. It is not right to
eat meat offered to idols. Chapters 8 and 9 only give the first half of his
argument, that the SG’s behavior is wrong because it is selfish. It shows no regard for the needs of others. Stopping
there, we might get the impression that “love is all ya need,”92 but
there is more to it. The second half of his argument in chapter 10 is that the
SG’s behavior is wrong because it is sinful.
It is an affront to God.
What if a believer
gets meat in someplace other than a pagan temple, like in the market or in
another’s home? Does it matter then whether or not it has been dedicated to
idols?
1 Cor 10:23
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial.
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. 24
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold
in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The
earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
27 If some
unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before
you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you,
"This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for
the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake—29 the other man's
conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's
conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced
because of something I thank God for?
5. Perception and consumption (market; 10:23-30)
a. If you do
know, you must not eat.
b. If you do
not know, you may eat.
Query: When Paul states that “everything is permissible”
(10:23), does this apply to Mosaic laws about clean and unclean foods,
indicating that such regulations on food no longer matter to the believer?
•
Paul is quoting the SG’s position (as in 6:12).
•
Context limits the discussion to food offered to
idols.
Comment: About “…judged by another’s conscience” (10:29a)93
Paul assumes that the
host knows of the believer’s convictions and, therefore, has a certain
expectation regarding his guest’s behavior. Consequently, it is important that
the believer not partake of meat he knows has been dedicated to idols, not only
to avoid personal defilement but also to present a consistent testimony, for
believers are to have no association with idolatry.
Application: Although food dedicated to idols is not a
problem that Christians face in this culture, what are some practices that are
potential stumbling blocks for believers (other than those already mentioned)?
To what extent should we accommodate our preferences to others? To what extent
should we try to please them? (Certainly not in the essential message, but in
removing unnecessary hindrances)94
As we remember both Paul’s
statement of intent in 8:13 (willing never to eat meat again) and his personal
testimony in chapter 9 (not demanding his rights as an apostle), his closing
words on the matter are a fitting and challenging conclusion for us.95
1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether
Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in
every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they
may be saved. 11:1 Follow my example, as I
follow the example of Christ.
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs