The Resurrection and the Life

Lazarus

38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and … cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

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Of all the miracles recorded of Jesus, this one is perhaps the most dramatic. And in these verses we have another glimpse of Jesus -- a glimpse of amazing compassion and power. Imagine calling out to a dead body and making it become alive and whole! And this isn’t just a resuscitation after a a few minutes. We’re talking days here. We need to appreciate that this is so far beyond any modern technology, it isn’t even close. The power Jesus demonstrates here is no less than the power demonstrated by God himself in the creation of the universe or the creation of life: here, matter and energy configure themselves self according to his authority.

Now, chances are that when you first heard the Lazarus story, it surprised you. But most of us have heard this story so many times before that we are hardly surprised by it any more. What a tragedy! People coming back from the dead should never get old. But there just might be another tragedy this morning: that the raising of a man from the dead is so distracting to us that we easily miss some this story’s other surprises -- and in the process we might miss some of its important lessons, too. So let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter, and look at the details...

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1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany. [His] sisters sent word to [Jesus], saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, … 11 “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, …

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So... Jesus’ friend Lazarus gets sick. And, hearing about it, Jesus says, “This sickness is not to end in death...” But just ten verses later, we read “Jesus then said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” Now this isn’t so much a problem for us. After all, we can clearly see the truth in Jesus’ words: “This sickness is not to end in death…” But here’s the thing: we are only able to appreciate Jesus words -- recognizing them for the truth that they are -- because we already know how the story turns out!

So let’s take a minute to imagine how the disciples felt at the end of verse fourteen. They has just been told that “this sickness is not to end in death.” And now they discover that Lazarus had died. Can you picture just how shaken up they could have been? It would have been so tempting to imagine that Jesus had been wrong!

And to make the struggle all the greater, the possibility of a resurrection from the dead was a matter of some controversy at the time. You’ve heard of the Pharisees. You might have heard of the Sadducees. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the two big political and theological parties in Jesus’ day. But did you know that the Sadducees were much bigger and more influential than the Pharisees! It’s true. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, were Sadducees. Only the minority were Pharisees. Now the Pharisees believed in a resurrection from the dead. But not the Sadducees. And since they didn’t believe in the resurrection, as far as the Sadducees were concerned, this present life was the be-all and end-all of existence.

But aren’t there plenty of people today with the same attitude? And just like in Jesus’ day, these present-day Sadducees wield plenty of power in our society -- in media, in education, in politics. In fact, it is often quite a struggle not to get drawn into their attitudes and not to entertain their basic assumption -- that this life is all that matters.

And so we should easily be able to sympathize with Jesus’ disciples’ experience here. In verse fourteen, in order to be willing to trust in Jesus’ words in the face of what appears to be a conflicting reality, they would have to be going against the grain -- the grain of politics, the grain of fashion, the grain of power, the grain of education. There would have been all kinds of pressure on them to imagine that Jesus was either mistaken or lying.

So let me ask you -- how would you respond if you were to ever find yourself in a similar situation? What do we do when the reality before us makes it difficult for us to see the truth in Jesus’ words? There are plenty of people today who would love to try to convince us that any apparent contradiction is a real contradiction. And there are also plenty, who, faced with any conflict between Jesus’ words and an apparent reality, would prefer to discard Jesus’ words. So what about us?

And that’s just the first challenge from our text. Now let’s consider the second, reading verses five and six again: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” What’s up with that? On the one hand, we’re told that Jesus loved this family. On the other hand, we discover that he deliberately postponed his arrival to come and help them out. And this was literally a matter of life and death! Imagine!

This behavior is in such sharp contrast to our current ways of thinking. If you have a friend, and that friend needs your help, and it is in your power to help, you drop everything and come at once. But not Jesus. He hangs around where he is for two days. And then it takes him another two days journey to make it to Bethany (if we read the tail-end of chapter ten, it says that Jesus had gone across the Jordan). So four days after his best friends have sent him their emergency help signal, only then does Jesus arrive. So at the end of verse fourteen, not only might the disciples to tempted to question the truth of Jesus words, but they might also be tempted to question the love behind his actions.

Life can be like that sometimes. Perhaps the struggles you face are enough to make you question Jesus’ words, or even question his love. Perhaps the world’s ways of thinking have gotten to you. Perhaps the way that the world interprets reality looms large in your thinking, making it hard to credit Jesus’ words. If so, then this story just might for you this morning.

But before we proceed with it, let’s see how Jesus’ disciples respond to this difficult situation that he’s put them in. Well, they don’t judge Jesus. And they don’t give up on him, either. They’ve been around him for a while, and they have heard him say difficult things. Chapter six, verse sixty: Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard [these words of Jesus] said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” (and verse 66): As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have words of eternal life.

Yes: the disciples might have been tempted to question Jesus’ words, but they had good reason to believe that Jesus had knowledge and power beyond their understanding. Yes: they might have been tempted to question Jesus’ love for Lazarus, but they had good reason to believe that Jesus exercise of love was on another level entirely to their own. They knew from experience (and we can learn from their experience, as well as from the experience of many saints throughout history) that if you want to see the glory of God, sometimes you need to be patient. If you want to know the truth of the words of God, sometimes you need to be patient. And if you want to feel the depth of the love of God, sometimes you need to be patient.

Isaiah 40:31 “those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” With that, let’s return to our text at verse seventeen...

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17 So when Jesus came, He found that [Lazarus] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

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In the earlier part of the chapter, we saw that Jesus’ behavior is often far outside human expectations. We saw that his words and actions could be puzzling, to say the least. Yes: he had permitted his friend Lazarus to die, but he had given hints that this is all for a greater purpose: In verse 4, Jesus says that “this sickness… is for the glory of God!” And in verse 15, he tells his disciples: “Yes, Lazarus is dead… but I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.” Jesus isn’t telling them the whole story; he might even be making the puzzle even greater for them. But that’s often how God operates, isn’t it? Things happen that we can’t explain. Sometimes they hurt. Sometimes they challenge our faith. Sometimes they make us really uncomfortable. But along the way, God always provides hints of His plan. Sometimes they are easier to recognize than others. But may we catch those glimpses and hang onto them! Anyone who can raise a man from the dead after four days can certainly work out the details of our lives.

Now, here, in verse 17, Jesus has come to the town that his friends live in, and our glimpse of Jesus comes into sharper focus. Martha runs out to greet him. And they have this interesting exchange. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” We can well imagine Martha’s struggle here. On the one hand, her loss is heart-breaking. But on the other, she realizes that Jesus is no ordinary prophet. After all, she has seen his compassionate healing and listened to his teaching, which she acknowledges with these words: “I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” But in response, Jesus confronts her with this remarkable truth: “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

Now please understand: Jesus is not addressing personal anguish with theology here. (May God forgive us if we are ever tempted to make that mistake). Jesus is always remarkably sensitive to whoever it is that he is talking to, and this is certainly the very thing that Martha needed to hear. Jesus is not interesting in getting Martha to acknowledge intellectual propositions about himself. Instead, Jesus wants Martha to trust in him in a personal way. Because when we do that, when we invite Jesus to work in our lives, then he delights to act on our behalf. Notice Martha’s response here: “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God…” Here, Martha gives glory to the Son of God -- exactly the reason Jesus had given for Lazarus’ sickness in the first place. I suspect that our willingness to give the glory to Jesus is also a key to his work in our life and circumstances.

So then Martha runs and tells Mary that Jesus wanted to see her. And Mary comes, but while Martha was ready and open to be pointed to the source of life and the source of comfort, Mary is overcome by the emotion of the last few days and lets the tears flow freely. Then we read these remarkable, amazing words: “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping... He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled… Jesus wept.” Yes: Jesus wept. The source of all joy was crying. The source of all comfort was perhaps even sobbing. Every angel in heaven must have gasped at the sight. What could possibly reduce the Lord of Glory to tears?

Some have suggested that it was to demonstrate appropriate empathy. Yes, but that can’t be the full reason. Some have suggested that it was an expression of compassion. Yes, but that can’t be the full reason either: after all, Jesus knows what he is about to do, and the raising of Lazarus will surely dry Mary’s tears. More likely, Jesus tears are nothing less than a response to our inability to see the truth because of our unhealthy attachment to this present life. What else could keep this dear woman, Mary, someone who knew and loved Jesus, from being completely unable to anticipate the triumph that Jesus’ presence meant in that very moment?

Now at this point you might be tempted to say, “hold on -- the moment of triumph hadn’t arrived yet! Jesus needs to call Lazarus out of the tomb first.” But no! The triumph really is in Jesus’ presence. The raising of Lazarus was just a demonstration -- a picture for us! -- of that triumph. You see, He is the resurrection and he is the life. And the experience of his presence is glory itself. To riff on C.S.Lewis: “[This life is] not the thing itself; [it is] only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.” Let’s not be distracted from the eternal by the things of this life.

But don’t you love how the story ends? Even in the face of Mary’s weakness, even if her words implied, “Lord, if only you would see things my way, and work according to my timetable, and appreciate the wisdom of my insight into this situation, things would have worked out...” (may God forgive us when we think that way!) Even if she is too hung up on this life, Jesus, in his great mercy and compassion, gives this woman her heart’s greatest desire -- anyway. And in the process, Jesus gives us a dramatic demonstration, not just of compassion, not just of power, but of the greatest reality in the universe: the fact that in him (and only in him) is eternal, glorious, abundant life.

Freedom and Tradition

Just outside of the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island is a wonderful place called Goldstream Park. Known for its ancient gold mine, Goldstream Park is also the home of a beautiful clear-water stream that is the playground for children in the summer, and the habitat of a large number of spawning salmon in the late fall. In the parking lot beside the picnic area, there are thousand-year-old trees eight feet in diameter. But towering over the stream is Mount Finlayson. Though Mount Finlayson is only a little more than 400 meters above sea level, there is a sign at its foot that reads:

Mt. Finlayson trail access is steep slippery and rugged.

Trails are poorly marked at this time, and are not suitable for small children.

As you climb higher and higher on that mountain, on the one hand there is a drive to press on, to get to the summit. But on the other hand, the vista is magnificent, and on a clear day, the view of the city of Victoria is spectacular. So taking the time to turn around and take it all in -- taking the time to appreciate how far you’ve come, is sometimes quite fulfilling.

As you know, for the last eight weeks, we’ve been walking through the book of first Corinthians. And it has been rough going in some spots. So at this point in the series, I hope you don’t mind if we start with a bit of a review. Almost like hesitating on the slope of a mountain to catch your breath and take in the view.

In the first six chapters of this epistle, we see Paul addressing those things that he considers important: He isn’t impressed, for example, with divisions in the church or incest or lawsuits among believers. In the next six chapters, Paul is answering questions that the people of the church have been asking: questions, for example, about marriage and spiritual gifts (a topic we’ll get to in a couple of weeks).

Along the way, we see a number of “reversals” -- that is, Paul is looking at things in a remarkably different way than the church of Corinth expected. Listen again to 1:27,28:

God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.

But these reversals should not be very surprising. In Isaiah 55:9, God says “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

And, of course, the folks in Corinth in the first century were influenced by the world’s standards and priorities and causes, in exactly the same way that we find ourselves influenced today. And (just like today), those influences are so very often precisely counter to the direction that God would have us go.

Now I'm going to be a little brave (and perhaps a bit crazy) and try to summarize the first nine chapters of first Corinthians in two slides: on one hand, Paul considers behavior: what is good, what is right, what is true. This “horizontal” dimension is, of course, just as important today as it has always been. But in a second (“vertical”) dimension, Paul is simultaneously addressing the themes of freedom and wisdom and power. And we discover that the wisdom and freedom and power from God are demonstrated in unexpected ways. That is, interesting lessons are to be found at the intersection of these two dimensions.

Let’s consider a very quick summary of the second “vertical” dimension:

1. The Corinthians recognize that there is a wisdom to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that if the church is tempted to focus on wisdom itself rather than the source of that wisdom, the whole point of wisdom could be lost. And we should be aware that God’s wisdom is far greater than what most people would recognize as wisdom. He writes (1:25): “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom”
2. The Corinthians recognize that there is a freedom to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that if the church is tempted to focus on freedom itself rather than the source of that freedom, the whole point of freedom could be lost. And we should be aware that God’s freedom is far greater than what most people would recognize as freedom. As Jesus said (John 8:36) “If the Son sets you free, then you will be free indeed.”
3. The Corinthians recognize that there is a power to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that if the church is tempted to focus on power itself rather than the source of that power, the whole point of power could be lost. And we should be aware that God’s power is both far greater and far more subtle than what most people would recognize as power. Back to 1:25 -- “The weakness of God is greater than man’s strength.”

In each case, the principle is deeper than folks usually appreciate, and there are some surprises in the application of those principles; surprises for the church in Corinth, and perhaps surprises even for the church in Pointe-Claire as well.

This we see when we consider that other dimension -- our behavior. And this is where it gets really interesting. You see, there is a primitive misunderstanding of the gospel that Jesus came to make us better people by giving us some good rules to live by. As if we trade the Old Testament Law for a New Testament Law. We don’t, you know. That’s not what the gospel is about at all. If the church is tempted to focus on behavior itself rather than the one who enables us to behave correctly, the whole point of behaving well could be lost. Because the rules by themselves have no power to change us, nor are we, in ourselves, capable of effecting the necessary change. Paul makes this clear in Colossians 2:(21-23) “These rules,” he writes, “ ... and ... regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom ... but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”

And that brings us to our text this morning. But before we dive into it, it will likely help to explain the situation in Corinth at the time this was written. You see, there were some in the church who were really, really uncomfortable going to the butcher. That’s right: the butcher. Why? Because in most Roman cities, buying meat meant buying meat that had been sacrificed to an idol. And that meant participating in idol worship, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, it would seem that the majority of the church in Corinth argued just the opposite: “an idol is nothing at all in this world” Paul quotes them as saying in chapter eight. These people were arguing that they now have a freedom in Christ to eat whatever they want!

Sounds simple enough. But it’s more complicated than that. You see, the pagan temples were also the places that well-connected folk met and mingled. Being important in Corinth meant hosting your share of parties and participating in all the right gatherings as well. Inevitably, these meetings were attended by the pagan priests and involved a ritualistic element to them.

But as if that didn’t make it tricky enough, the plot is thickened by Church history. Back in Acts chapter 15, when the church was just starting to branch out beyond the Jewish community, this issue had come up before. And it was such a big deal, that they had the first church council in history. The big names were all there, including Paul. That event resulted in the first church document: a letter outlining the council’s conclusion on the matter. And this is what that letter said: “it [seems] good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols....” (and there are a few others, but this is the first one, and the one we are considering here)

So the precedent has been set: abstaining from eating food sacrificed to idols has been a requirement. But the challenge is on: the church is claiming that idols aren’t real, and so (they claim that) in a culture that sacrifices all meat to idols, idols shouldn’t force everyone to become vegetarians.

So how does Paul respond? How does this very interesting example of church history become resolved? Well - for starters, it is both interesting and instructive that Paul takes a full three chapters to respond. It is a difficult issue and it requires a careful response.

On one hand, Paul warns the Corinthians to be careful of associating with idols. In the first part of chapter ten, Paul recounts the history of the Jewish people. Four times he repeats that they all received the same blessings, and four times he repeats that some of them received a harsh judgment due to their being seduced into idolatry. And Paul insists that this history is an example to his readers (and to us!), and he ends with the strong warning (v14) “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”

The members of the church in Corinth are saying that idols aren’t real. And as we will soon see, Paul is in agreement on this point. But while idols are just carvings of stone, Paul also knows that idolatry is very real indeed; and he knows that it is every bit as much a temptation to the “enlightened” people of Corinth (and, I might add, of Pointe-Claire) as it has always been throughout history. Indeed, whenever any good thing becomes disconnected from God, and when it is set up as good-in-itself, it becomes an idol. Freedom can easily become an idol. Knowledge can easily become an idol. Power can easily become an idol. Wealth can easily become an idol. And before Paul finishes addressing the topic, he wants this to be very clear. But here is his punchline.

Verses 24-33 “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it...

(v31) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (end of v33) For [we should] not seek[ our] own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

And then, in the first verse of the next chapter, Paul says “follow my example, even as I follow the example of Christ.” If you were here last week, you appreciate what chapter nine was all about: Paul was intentionally setting aside all his rights and privileges for the sake of the Kingdom of God. This is the example Paul is referring to. And he is following the example of Christ who laid down his life down for the sake of the world.

But isn’t this fascinating? Paul isn’t applying a blanket principle. Paul isn’t invoking the precedent on the matter. The folks wanting to exercise their freedom aren’t wrong. But their freedom isn’t the highest value, says Paul. The folks afraid of eating meat aren’t right. But they are of greater value than the freedom of the others. Too often, people make the mistake of thinking that if someone is wrong on any point that they suddenly lose their value. Paul is making it clear that this kind of thinking is a terrible mistake. As Paul has been arguing consistently throughout this letter, the worth of those people, however wrong they might be, is even sufficient to make us change our behavior, however right we might be. I wonder what kind of impact the church would have in this world if we understood this fully.

Please also notice: if we were to imagine (incorrectly) that the gospel was all about ethics, then it would certainly look like Paul’s response to the Corinthian question was wishy-washy: a “don’t ask; don’t tell” policy about where meat comes from. But that’s just it: short of the love of God in Christ, ethical concerns are just not the heart of the gospel at all. And Paul’s response is a very wise (and pragmatic) solution to a difficult situation.

At the beginning of this letter, Paul addressed divisions in the church, and everyone is expecting him to take sides -- after all, one of the factions was using his name as its banner. But he didn’t. Instead, the gospel demands a radical unity. Here we see a similar dynamic in action. Some were convinced that Paul would take their side. But he only partly does. Yes: they are right that we are free to eat anything. Yes: they are right that a pagan ritual has no power against the children of God. But there is a bigger principle at work here. Paul opens the passage with it “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” And he closes the passage with it “For [we should] not seek[ our] own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

Yes: we have a radical freedom, but that doesn’t mean that a radical exercise of that freedom is appropriate. Instead, we are called to exercise self-discipline rather that the radical exercise of freedom. As you recall from the previous chapter, Paul challenges us to behave like athletes training for the games. Paul would like us to appreciate that God does not give us freedom for freedom’s sake. And we see this lesson elsewhere in the New Testament, too:

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

1 Peter 2:16 “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.”

A radical exercise of freedom is of no value in itself. In fact, it could very well get us into deep trouble. Rather, the Spirit of God working in our lives permits us to live according to those most challenging of verses (Phil 2:3,4):

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Now it is really important to understand this lesson as we step across the threshold of chapter 11. Because there, we read (verse 2):

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.

Hmmm: tradition -- that’s considered a bad word in some circles these days. There seem to be some in our society that imagine that any support for tradition is backward, and any break from tradition is “progress”. But anyone with a number of decades of life experience knows that tradition isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, tradition can be a very positive influence toward stability and well-being. And considering Paul has a great desire for Christian unity in the Corinthian church, it is no surprise that he commends them for adopting at least some traditions. After all, traditions are a shared habit -- something that everyone can have in common. And, as long as we don’t make idols out of those traditions (a mistake churches throughout the centuries have occasionally made), traditions aren’t so bad.

As the prophet Jeremiah writes: “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

After all, when everyone follows tradition, it is easier to get along. When everyone wants to break with tradition, they inevitably all end up going their own ways -- remember how Tolstoy famously put it about families? The same is true for churches: “All [healthy churches] are alike; each [unhealthy church] is [unhealthy] in its own way.”

But at the same time, we could legitimately say if we are tempted to focus on traditions themselves rather the reason for tradition, then the whole point of those traditions could be lost. But if we seek for the good of all, particularly working toward their salvation, we will find that tradition can be a force for their benefit.

Having said that, the particular tradition that Paul is referring to in our passage is not a small point of contention in our day and age (verse 3):

I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

But as easy as it is to bring our prejudices to bear on this verse, let’s please permit the Bible to speak for itself on this point. Let’s examine those places that make reference to Christ as the head of the church. After all, this is the explicit model that Paul gives for the headship of man toward woman.

There are five other times in Paul’s writings that he mentions the headship of Christ toward the church. And if we pay attention to those passages, we’ll discover the same dynamic at work here as we’ve seen in 1 Corinthians already a number of times. That is, Paul doesn’t come down on one side or the other. He gives enough support to the traditional idea that to be a “head” is to be the authority. But he also qualifies it in a radical way that requires us to consider it carefully. Here are three representative passages:

1. Colossians 1:18 – “[Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Clearly, there is an authority element of this “head” business. But let’s read on: “For God was pleased to ... reconcile to himself all things [through Christ], whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” And so we see that this supremacy is expressed in a sacrificial death and a ministry of reconciliation. Similar to this passage is Ephesians 1:22.
2. Ephesians 4:16 – “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Here we see that the role of the head is to be the source of life and growth and stability. This is similarly indicated in Colossians 2:19.
3. Ephesians 5:"(23)Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior...(29)Christ feeds and cares for his body the church" We can add an element of provision to this role.

So given that Paul defines the “head” role of the man toward the woman by the “head” role of Christ toward the church, what we have is a very radical form of headship -- one where authority is expressed in sacrificial love.

So just like we saw earlier that while we have freedom, care must be taken in the exercise of that freedom -- because the good of others is the highest value, here was also see that while a man might have authority, care must be taken in the exercise of that authority -- because the good of others (in this case his wife) is the highest value. And if we are tempted to focus on authority itself rather than the source of that authority, then the whole point of that authority could be lost. (likely, both those who turn their authority into a power-trip and those who are offended by the very idea are both making this same mistake) As Peter wrote about freedom, “do not use your authority as a cover-up for evil.”

At this point in our hike through the book of first Corinthians, we might have come to a difficult stretch. At a time like that, if you look back, it is only to remind oneself how far one’s come. But when the hike is challenging, it is also important to look forward, and consider the goal of all that effort.

And this morning, I would like to remind you that Paul has been developing an argument from the very beginning. As we saw from the discussion about eating meat, life is complicated, and the scripture is both faithful to the complications of life, and appropriate to it. And in the details of life, it is rarely as simple as “you people are right” and “you people are wrong”. The Kingdom of God doesn’t work according to the world’s rules. Wisdom and freedom are found in God, but their best expression has in mind the well-being of others. Tradition and authority are received from God, but their best expression also has in mind the well-being of others.

But in the next few weeks, as we approach the ‘summit’ of the book, we’ll be able to appreciate where Paul has been going all along. At the end of chapter 12, there is the promise of a “more excellent way” or (to put it another way) a “better path”. And when we discover the markings indicating that “better path” we’ll realize that this is what has been Paul’s focus from the beginning. Remember how he starts that following chapter? It could have been “If I have all wisdom, but have not love, I am nothing; If I have all freedom, but have not love, I am nothing; If I have all power, but have not love, I am nothing.” Wisdom, ethics, freedom, authority, tradition -- they all take a second seat to the principle of love -- that we might consider each other before we consider ourselves. I’m looking forward to the rest of the hike.