The Chameleon

1 Corinthians 9:16-23   (NRSV) 

16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

********************************************************

Sometimes it’s a bit hard to figure out just what Paul is talking about.  Because we don’t get to hear the whole letter all at once, as the members of the Corinthian churches did, and because maybe I preached on something else last week or because maybe the last bit wasn’t in the lectionary, or because maybe we just plain forgot, we might wonder, “What on earth is this man talking about?”  

So here we go:  Previously, in Chapter 8 of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he had been mediating an argument over whether it was ok to eat meat that had been part of sacrifices to idols or not.  Some have no problem with it because there is, after all, only one God, so the idols are nothing and the meat is just meat.  They are theologically correct.  Others, however, think that eating meat sacrificed to idols is to take part in that sacrifice, and refuse to eat it.  You can see this argument could turn into a significant problem.   Paul says, whichever you choose is ok.  But you must accept each other’s decisions as valid.  And if you eat the meat, you must not tempt those who believe eating it is sinful, for if they eat they will suffer from a guilty conscience.   For myself, he says, I would stop eating meat altogether if by doing so I could keep another from falling into sin.  

Then, in the beginning of Chapter 9, he apparently responds to complaints about how he supports himself.  He reminds them that he is an apostle, one who has encountered Christ, whose work it is to go from place to place making disciples and carrying the Good News.   As such, because this is his life’s work, it is his right to receive food and shelter from the church.  In support of this right, Paul quotes the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”  He says,  in verses 13 and 14, “13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”  

“15 But I,” he says, “have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting!”      And now we are caught up.

You know, Paul has a point.  A really good point.  I’m the pastor, and when I tell people about Jesus, about my faith, about how amazing this congregation is, what I often get back, either in words or in eye rolls, is, “You’re the pastor.  You have to say that.  You have to invite people to worship.”   Well, yes, I suppose so.    Sometimes I guess I’m a little bit jealous of all of you, because when you tell someone how God has worked in your life, and how much you love your church no one says, “Well, you get paid to think that, so why should I believe you?”   You have no idea how often I wish I would win the lottery, so I could just do the work without worrying about the budget.  Of course, for that to happen I’d have to buy lottery tickets . . .  Paul refused to be supported by the congregations, and thus was free to proclaim the Good News without anyone telling him what he had to do or how he had to do it - except for God, of course.  

This can be an issue in some congregations.  I was part of a conversation this week with other clergy folks around when and where one may do pastoral care.  It seems one church board  took exception to their pastor saying that she did some pastoral care in a local coffee shop.  The rest of us clergy folk were, like, “Yup.  That’s where we work.  And at the market, and at dinner with friends, and at the gym, and at City Council meetings, and jogging in the park.  We do pastoral care with church members and people we meet on the street and random phone callers.”   That’s hard to explain to people who would love to install a time clock in the church office.  I am so grateful that sort of thing doesn’t happen here! 

Unlike me and my clergy friends,  Paul was not paid to proclaim the Gospel or to start churches or to preach in the streets or do any of the things he did.   He refused to allow the church in Corinth to support him, so that he was completely free to do God’s will, to be a slave to Christ.  

Paul says,  “I have become all things to all people.”  For most of us, being a chameleon is not a good way to live.   When I was in high school I knew how to act like whatever group of people I was hanging around with at the moment.  Hippies or greasers, college bound or tech school, chess club or jocks, I could fit in with all of them.  I knew what to wear and what to talk about in each of those groups.   But I never really fit in with any of them because I was so busy trying to be like everyone else that I didn’t know who I was or what I liked.  It wasn’t until I was in my late 30s and early 40s that I started trying to figure out who Maria is.   Still working on that, in fact.  That is not the kind of all things to all people that Paul is talking about.   Don’t be like Maria was.  Be like Paul.

Paul was able to draw upon his own life experience and beliefs to relate to all of the people he encountered in the church.  He spoke to the Jews from his own background, upbringing and education.  He could speak with intimate knowledge of what it means to live under the Law of Moses.  But he could speak equally to those who did not live under that law, who did not need to follow the dietary restrictions and so on, because he no longer felt himself bound by the Law of Moses, only by the Law of Christ.  For the weak - like those who couldn’t eat the idol meat - he became weak, giving up meat so that they could look to him for encouragement.  He spoke with great passion of his former life, of his sins against God and Christ in hunting down Jesus followers to be imprisoned and possibly killed for blasphemy, of his conversion, of the way he was struck down on the road to Damascus, and raised up again by Christ himself.    Paul was able to speak to people at their own level, not as one who was better than they were, but someone who had been where they are, and knew how it felt.  By sharing his own stories, his vulnerabilities, his challenges and his successes with them, he was able to carry the Gospel to people and places that would have been impossible for some of the other apostles.   He could understand and empathize with the Jew and the Greek, the educated and the manual laborer, the free man and even the slave - because he was a slave to Christ, going where the Spirit called him to go, doing as God instructed him to do.  He knew pain and loss, and joy and glory.  And all of these things made it possible for him to carry the Good News.

For lo these many centuries, Paul’s letters have shown us how to be church together.   He has shown us how to be in relationship with those who are not like us, how to understand the viewpoint of those with whom we disagree and allow them to be themselves, as we are allowed to be ourselves.  He has taught us about compromise, and about calling out those who would lead us in the wrong direction.  He has given us the example of his own life in welcoming  everyone who comes, and helping each other on our journey with Christ.  He has made it clear to us that in Christ there are no divisions based in gender, orientation, race, nationality, class or economic status.  In Christ there are no false distinctions to be made between one person and another, for all are slaves to Christ, all are free from sin through baptism and believing, all are God’s beloved children.  All are welcome to come to Christ.  All are welcome in God’s house.

When we go out from this place today, let us go determined to be all things to all people, that we might by our example and by our encouraging words, save some.  Let us go out and invite people to come and hear of God’s love, forgiveness, and compassion, and make sure they know that here, in God’s house, all persons are welcome.