November 28, 2019 – Day 333 1 Corinthians 12-14; Matthew 20

[A Happy Thanksgiving to you! God’s richest blessings on your lives.]

As we turn to 1 Corinthians 12-14, we read a unit the covers many matters regarding the Holy Spirit. First in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us about spiritual gifts.  He tells us each person who is part of the body of Jesus Christ (One of Paul’s favorite images for the Church!) has been given a spiritual gift or gifts for the common good.  He reminds us as a part of the body we can’t say we don’t belong because we aren’t the part we want to be.  Nor can we exclude someone else, because they aren’t the part we want them to be.  Paul reminds us as a body, when one member suffers, we all suffer.  He also reminds us when one part is honored, the whole body rejoices.  This illustration is so powerful.  While as Americans, we tend to focus on the individual, as the body of Jesus Christ, we are to focus on how we work together.  At the end of the chapter Paul tells us to seek the “greater” gifts, but then tells us he will show us a more excellent way.

That way is revealed in 1 Corinthians 13. That way is the way of love.  Paul reminds us no matter what spiritual gifts we might display in our lives, without love we are nothing.  Paul offers a beautiful description of what the love of God in Jesus Christ is and isn’t.  He closes the chapter by reminding us we don’t have the full picture now, but we must not act as children.  We must live in love as fully as we can, and when Jesus returns, we will understand the fullness of His love.

1 Corinthians 14 starts with Paul’s explanation of the importance of tongues.  Many have misunderstood the importance of tongues, some overemphasizing their use as a sign that a person is a “true” believer, while others say tongues was only for the apostolic age.  Paul makes a powerful statement by saying he wished everyone spoke in tongues as he did, and then adding, but in worship he would rather offer five intelligible words than a thousand words in tongues.  This is crucial: tongues are for the building up of the individual in his or her relationship with God, unless the message offered is interpreted and can be used to benefit the body.  As Paul concludes the chapter he talks about propriety in worship. He offers an example of how worship ought to look. One aspect of His explanation has been misinterpreted down through the centuries. In quoting what had been sent to him by the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “As in all the congregations of the saints, ³⁴women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. ³⁵If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.1 Corinthians 14:33a-35 (NIV) Only the King James Version offers an accurate translation of the next verse. It starts, “What?” As in “Are you kidding?” As we read the remainder of the passage, Paul makes it clear what he has taught about women in worship is what needs to happen.  Back in chapter 11, Paul said women must have their heads covered in worship when they pray or prophesy.  That certainly means they were permitted to speak, so it makes no sense that most English translations leave out the “What?” that starts verse 36.  When we add it, it becomes clear Paul was not prohibiting women from speaking in worship but clearing up the Corinthians’ misunderstanding.

As we return to Matthew 20, Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.  In the parable, a vineyard owner hires workers at various times throughout a day, telling the first ones he would pay them a denarius, and those whom he hired later he would pay them what was fair.  At the end of the day, he paid the workers, starting with the ones who had only worked an hour. He gave them a denarius.  When he got to the workers who had worked all day, he also paid them a denarius.  They were upset, because he was “unfair.”  The vineyard owner pointed out he was giving them what they agreed as their wage at the beginning of the day.  He added if he wanted to be generous to those who worked less, what was that to them?  The story points out that some will only serve in the Kingdom of heaven a short time, and yet will receive eternal rewards.  That is because of the generosity of our Master.

Jesus then told the disciples a third time he was going to be crucified.  This time the mother of James and John came and asked Jesus if her sons could sit at his right and left in His kingdom?  What a question!  When the rest of the disciples heard about it, they were furious.  Most likely their fury came because they hadn’t thought of asking, and because they wanted a better position.  Jesus ended the conversation by reminding them all the greatest in God’s Kingdom are those who serve the most.

The chapter ends with Jesus healing two blind men.  Jesus told the men it was their faith that healed them.  As we have noted before, sometimes Jesus heals based on the faith of those being healed, sometimes based on the faith of others, and sometimes as a gift and demonstration of His Kingdom power and authority.  Whatever the reason, His miraculous works demonstrate the reality of God’s Kingdom coming to the earth.