Last week we saw that there were some serious divisions in the Church in Corinth in the 50’s A.D. Those divisions are on full display in today’s second reading. Many Corinthians has lost sight of the importance of Jesus Christ and of the Gospel and were instead focused on their favorite minister of the Gospel. Two of the biggest problems in Corinth were pride and selfishness, which always cause division. Sounds a little like our Church and our nation today, doesn’t it?
The ministers to the Corinthians—Paul, Apollos, and Cephas—weren’t out for prideful and selfish gain. They were trying to bring people to know and to follow Jesus. They were united in the same mind and in the same purpose, which is what Saint Paul wants from the Corinthians and from us. Jesus himself wasn’t out for prideful and selfish gain either. His entire life was a sacrifice for our benefit. He lived in poverty and obscurity before he emerged publicly as an itinerant preacher, a task that led him to the cross.
Saint Paul says he was sent to “preach the gospel, not with human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.” Our reading cuts off here, and it begs the question: what is the meaning of the cross of Christ? Saint Paul is pointing out that Jesus’ death of the Cross was not the eloquent description of God’s love that some of us might prefer. Rather, it is complete foolishness. The all-powerful God allowed himself to be put under our human power, to be tortured and killed, naked on a cross. It’s insanity. Saint Paul’s very next line to the Corinthians, which is not included in today’s reading, puts it well: “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
How can the death of a criminal bring about the salvation of the world? Only because that criminal was the unjustly condemned Son of God. The power of God is not manifest in great shows of power. The power of God is shown in genuine acts of self-sacrificial love. When I don’t insist on my own way but rather on what is best for you, that is the power of God. It looks foolish to some, but that is the meaning of the cross of Christ. Pride and selfishness are the opposite of this; they are anti-Christ.
The Holy Spirit is asking us to reflect on to questions this week. What is the meaning of the cross of Christ in your life? And where do your pride and selfishness get in the way?