First letter to the Corinthians

Wait one for another

Paul’s first letter to the Christians of Corinth that we find in the Bible (in 1Cor 5,9 we have the information of a previous one that did not arrive to us) dates between 54 and 57 AD, during the apostle’s stay in Ephesus (see his third missionary journey). Corinth is a city with booming commercial traffic, thanks to its particular geographic position (it has two ports, connected by a road for the goods transportation: Lechaeum on the Ionian Sea, Cenchrae on the Aegean Sea); much wealth circulating, but for few people, as we will see below; even the libertine behaviors were very common (see Paul’s reproaches in chapters 5 and 6). The letter’s themes are various, connected to specific problems that the community presented to Paul; among all the one of the internal divisions and of the quarrels stands out: we are to read some verses about that and to comment on the apostle’s proposed solution, with some cues for contemporary times.
«But in giving you this command, I do not praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in the Church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it. For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you. When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunk. What, do you not have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s Church, and put them to shame who do not have? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you. [...] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not discern the body. [...] Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait one for another» (1Cor 11,17-22.28-29.33).



Probably the Eucharistic cult of Paul’s times was preceded by a fraternal meals of the believers; the problem is that the rich Corinthians do not wait for the poor ones’ return from their hard work and they start to eat without their brothers, denying the deep meaning of the Eucharist. The «body» they do not recognize is exactly the community, gathered around Christ: «Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one bread» (1Cor 10,17).
The metaphor of the body continues in chapter 12: «For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body. If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now they are many members, but one body. The eye cannot tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually» (1Cor 12,12-27). Even God’s gifts, that the Corinthian Church has in great abundance, are a motive for quarrels: the humblest persons who simply walk after Jesus (“feet”) and listen to His Word (“ears”) feel put aside by the other ones who, thanks to the Holy Spirit, make great deeds (“hands”), have the prophets’ acute sight on the single persons and the story’s events (“eyes”), exercise an authority (“heads”). Paul recognizes the personal differences and gives value to them: every one brings to the Church his/her unique contribution, depending on the charisma («to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all»: 1Cor 12,7) received from God. No one can individually have all the talents; the personal differences invite people to collaboration and mutual help: what is lacking to someone is given to someone else and vice versa. Paul’s vision is: all are different and all must remain united for the common good; let us think instead about the proposal by a big part of contemporary society: all are equals (an indistinct mass with the same false desires and false needs introduced by the media) and all alone (everyone is invited to only take care of himself/herself, without concerning about the others).
Paul invites us to discover that behind every charisma and ministry there is something more important, something fundamental. «If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love [the Greek word “agápe” means the gratuitous love which makes a person capable of sacrificing himself/herself for the others, like Jesus did: see e.g. John 13,1], I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal [an empty talker]. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient and is kind; love does not envy. Love does not brag, is not proud, does not behave itself inappropriately, does not seek its own way, is not irritable, does not keep a record of wrongs; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails» (1Cor 13,1-8).
In the next post we will read the second letter to the Corinthians.