THE FATE OF A CRUCIFIED CHRISTIAN (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

THE FATE OF A CRUCIFIED CHRISTIAN

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

The cross was Jesus' thorn. God did not release Jesus from the cross. Jesus did not remove Paul's thorn. When anyone declares, "I am a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ," they too become bound to the cross as if it were their destiny to follow in Jesus' footsteps.

 

Why Paul wrote to the Corinthian church

Paul sent a letter to the Corinthian church with this closing statement, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25). Paul refers to the cross when he says this. He does so because the Corinthian church was divided over different leaders, such as Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. They were causing factions and fighting each other based on who baptized them. When Paul heard about this, he sent a letter to the Corinthian church suggesting the cross as the solution. Paul urged them to come together around the cross. He explained the meaning of the cross, saying that in the face of the cross, it doesn't matter which leader baptized you.

The Apostleship of the Suspect Paul

During his ministry, Paul faced hostile demands to prove his apostleship. Unlike the disciples who followed Jesus, Paul was known as a persecutor of those who believed in Jesus. Some even mistook him as a false apostle who only changed his name from Saul to Paul. Paul's credibility was the most doubtful aspect of him. When Paul had heated debates with Greek speakers, he often failed to persuade them (Acts 17). Moreover, people who heard his preaching found it hard to acknowledge his eloquence (2 Corinthians 11:6). They questioned why Jesus would call someone like Paul to be an apostle. While Paul's poor speaking skills did not disqualify him from being an apostle, his illness raised doubts about his legitimacy. People began to wonder if Paul was a true apostle called by Jesus or not. As suspicion grew, all the churches that Paul established, along with various factions, demanded that he prove his apostleship.

Paul grasps hold of the cross of Jesus

In this situation, Paul seizes upon the cross of Jesus. He summarizes the contemporary views of the cross into two major categories: how Jews viewed the cross of Jesus and how Greeks viewed it. For Jews, the cross of Jesus was a stumbling block. They liked signs and wonders, but Jesus, who claimed to be the son of God, died on the cross. Jews stumbled over this and doubted whether the sign of Jesus as the son of God could ever be on a cross. If Jesus was truly the son of God, then he should have conquered the cross rather than die on it. So those who think like Jews fall into doubt and testing when they see the cross. To them, the cross is evidence that Jesus cannot possibly be the son of God.

Here is how the Greeks saw Jesus' crucifixion. They were fond of seeking wisdom, so in their eyes, Jesus' crucifixion was foolishness. They couldn't understand how a wise man like Jesus could die on the cross like a fool. If Jesus truly had wisdom, he should have found a way to escape the cross or dramatically triumph over it. But instead, he hung on the cross and died, making him not a wise man but rather an incompetent one. They couldn't see that the one who died on the cross could be a savior.

But Paul mentions another group that is neither Jewish nor Greek, which is "us" in the text. "Us" refers to the people who receive salvation (v. 18) and those who are called (v. 24). "Us" are the people who understand the power of the cross. They believe that the cross is God's power and God's wisdom. Paul concludes by saying that "we" or he himself sees the cross in this way.

This passage is Paul's confession that God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength (v. 25). Paul is saying that the way God presented the cross was not foolishness, but rather it was an amazing display of God's wisdom. Paul believes that at the cross, it was not God's weakness that was on display, but rather God's incredible power. This is the perspective and confession of the group that Paul includes himself in, called "us" in the text, who see the cross in this way.

In Paul's perspective, the cross and God's will

So how should we listen to and understand Paul's confession? He further explains in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul prays to God to heal his chronic ailment, which he describes as a "thorn in his flesh." He explains that this ailment makes him appear weak and is a hindrance to his ministry as an apostle preaching the gospel. He prays to God three times to remove it from him. 

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In Paul's view, the cross was not a foolish act of God but a display of God's amazing wisdom. And Paul and his group understood the power of the cross. Paul's confession, therefore, represents the way they viewed the cross.

So how should we listen to and understand Paul's confession? He further explains in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul prays to God to heal his chronic ailment, which he describes as a "thorn in his flesh." He explains that this ailment makes him appear weak and is a hindrance to his ministry as an apostle preaching the gospel. He prays to God three times to remove it from him (v. 8) 

This is how God answers Paul's prayer.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (v. 9).

Sometimes Paul suffers from a chronic illness. However, it's not just about that. We should see Paul's physical weakness as a manifestation of God's amazing grace. When Paul prays for God's help, God responds by saying, "My power is made perfect in weakness, through your bodily thorn" (2 Corinthians 12:9). For Paul, God's grace is found in his weakness, in his bodily thorn.

Through his weakness, chronic illness, mistakes, and shame, Paul realizes that God accomplishes His will. So Paul confesses, "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). This is Paul's perspective and insight as he looks at the cross through his own bodily thorn.

The Christian Bound to the Cross

Despite what we believe, the cross often appears foolish to us, a sign of weakness and failure. We may speak of the cross like Paul did, but we don't feel its power in our lives. If someone were to tell us, "Show me that the cross you believe in is truly evidence of God's wisdom and power," what could we say in response? This has been a question not only for us but also for Paul throughout his lifetime.

When we speak of the cross following Paul's confession, we open ourselves up to criticism. Our words hang us on the cross the moment we speak of it. We too will receive the same question Paul received: "Are you an apostle of Jesus Christ?" And we may also be rendered speechless. We still bear the same thorns that Paul had. If someone were to challenge us to show evidence that we truly live as Christians, we wouldn't have anything to offer. So when we confess the cross (that we are Christians), we are suddenly hanging on it, without providing any evidence that we can be released from it.

Being bound to the cross is the destiny of the apostle Paul and also our destiny as followers of Jesus Christ. This is the destiny that anyone who is a disciple of Jesus and a child of God shares. That destiny is to die on the cross and not to come down from it. Just as the Lord did not remove the thorn from Paul's body, He will not remove the thorn from our bodies either. If we pray earnestly like Paul did three times, we too will hear the same response that he heard: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The cross, which may seem foolishness to human eyes, is wiser than human wisdom, and the cross, which may seem weak by human standards, is stronger than human strength because it is the experience of the cross that Paul vividly experienced with the thorn in his own body.

We still hear the response that Jesus gave to Paul in our time and place today.

“Although Christ was weak when he was nailed to the cross, he is alive by the power of God, and in him we also live by the power of God when we are weak” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

This response from the Lord is not just something that Paul heard, but something that every Christian can hear. We all have thorns, whether physical or spiritual, that are not in line with being a Christian. Just as the Lord bound Himself and Paul, He also binds us in the same way. Just as Jesus was bound to the cross and Paul was bound to his own cross of thorns, God binds us to the cross through our weaknesses. As people who have been called by God, we cannot run away and are bound to carry our own cross and follow Jesus like fate. However, by the power of God that has bound us to the cross, we will eventually follow Jesus in His resurrection. This is our faith in the cross and resurrection, and our living hope.