Apostle Paul exhorted the church to enjoy unity, based upon the exalted love of God, through the salvation work of the Son (Chapter 1); the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 2); and receiving the care of God the Father for His church, His field, and His building (Chapter 3). The apostle intends for them not to be preoccupied with dissensions, but with God, the whole Love. Now, he is committed to defend himself; not to draw their sight to his person, nor for the sake of temporal glory he covets; but to confirm this church unity. He is the minister of the One Christ, the steward of the mysteries of God; a father to them in Jesus Christ, whose pleasure is not in having a group of them referred to him; but in the faithful realization of his mission, and in the preoccupation of the believers with the Lord, their Savior.
This chapter presents to us a live portrait of the commitment of the minister for faithfulness; faithfulness to God, being the steward of His mysteries; faithfulness to the Incarnate Word, to care for the ministry of salvation; faithfulness to the Church, to bear her humble features; and faithfulness to the ministry, to present a paternal compassion and commitment.
1- A steward of the mysteries of God 1 - 4
2- They should not judge their minister 5 - 6
3- The minister should not be puffed up 7 - 8
4- Troubles of the ministry 9 - 14
5- Paul’s paternal care 15 - 16
6- Sending Timothy to them 17
7- A promise to visit them 18 - 21
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If I am unable to judge myself, how can I claim to have the right to judge others?!
(Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Shepherd of the church and her Founder: “I build My church”; She is His work, and not any body else’s. He would well understand this, he who knows the value of the dowry He offered for her: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1: 18, 19). Who, then, can work the vineyard of the Lord, or tend to His flock?!
Jesus Christ in His care, is not in need of assistant shepherds; But, out of His limitless love for man, He called on him to partake of this task; We may be called ‘shepherds’, Yet, it is not us who do the work, but the ‘shepherd’ Himself in us; He still is the sole Shepherd!
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The enemy tries his best to divert the sight of the church away from the true Groom to the friend of the Groom, by either commending or reviling him. The church, being the bride of Jesus the One Groom, she has no one but Him; and has no other way but to let the Groom’s love and the thought of His coming, prevail over her mind and emotions, and fill her heart and life on every side. The enemy, on the other hand, not enduring to see a soul preoccupied with Jesus Christ, does his best to divert us away from the Groom toward someone else; even though a friend of the Groom. He lets us be preoccupied with the good shepherds, glorifying and praising them; and not giving the glory to God who has given men this authority and this possibility; And with judging and criticizing the wicked. By that the bride’s mind is diverted from loving the Groom to judgment by commending or reviling others.
- Ham, son of Noah brought the curse upon himself by laughing when he saw the private parts of his father; whereas his two brothers who covered him up, got the blessing2.
(St. Ambrose)
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For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men” (9)
The apostle quoted this from what was happening in the Roman amphitheaters, where those condemned to death were presented to wrestle with voracious beasts, or to fight one another; and the one who wins had to enter into a second, and a third fight, that end in his death. Sometimes they were committed to enter the arena naked for the amusement of the spectators who were thrilled to watch them die from their deadly wounds. It was said that those who were thrown to the voracious beasts in the morning,
were counted as being lucky, compared to those who were left until noon to fight until death against one another. The Roman emperors used those parades as a sort of entertainment and distraction for their people.
The apostles, like their Lord, were counted as not worthy to live, were condemned to death, to rid the world of them. Some believe that the apostle Paul wrote this, and in his mind a custom that prevailed in many pagan countries at the times of serious calamities and plagues; to choose the most evil and the least in social status, to be offered as human sacrifices to idols. And in the early eras, as the Christians were looked upon as the cause of those natural calamities, or of the defeat before enemies, they were offered as sacrifices to appease the wrath of their gods. They were counted as “the filth of the world,
the offscouring of all things” (13),not worthy of living, and should be got rid of. While some believe that he means here “the evil angels”; as the devil and his angels find their pleasure in scoffing the believers, and in seeing them tortured.
The apostle probably proclaims here that all men, even non-believers, could not deny the longsuffering of the apostles, and their receiving the condemnation of death with rejoice; Even angels would marvel to see the work of God’s grace in them.
The Lord Christ allows for His disciples and apostles to go through these troubles, to make them a spectacle both to angels and to men, to show their faithfulness, and to proclaim the grace of God that grants them the strength and endurance, to bring them over to the heavenly glories.
Paul was worthy to become a spectacle to angels, having strived to gain the reward of Christ; he struggled to set the angelic life on earth, by wrestling against the spiritual wickedness. The whole world indeed looked up at him to follow his lead.
(St. Ambrose)
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AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CORINTHIANS 4
GRANT ME THE SPIRIT OF FATHERHOOD O FATHER OF ALL MANKIND
In Your divine bosoms I find the warmth of love
There I join every believer in the spirit of true unity
And covet to have all mankind with me.
You counted me as Your minister and the steward of Your divine Mysteries.
To what ministry should I be committed, but to preach with love?
And what faithfulness should I present to You, but to practice love.
Grant me the wide-open heart.
To bear the icon of Your love.
And to bring every soul over to you.
Grant me to be Your ambassador by practical love.
O the true Love.
In Your bosoms I would get preoccupied with what preoccupy Your heart.
I would get preoccupied with the salvation of every soul.
And I would have no chance to condemn neither a minister or the ministered.
Nor, as a busybody, to seek in to know what lie in their hearts.
Nor to hasten the day of Judgment.
Nor to rob the chair of Your judgment.
Grant me the simplicity to see in everyone the splendor of Your glory.
To see You in everyone; which would bring joy to my soul.
And the thought of judgment would not crawl into my heart.
Instead of judgment, I shall present a sacrifice of thanksgiving to You.
I see You the source of every spiritual gift to me, to every minister, and to every
believer.
My heart praises You with a new song.
And my soul sings to You an exalted song.
And my tongue keeps on thanking You.
You did not let me and my brethren need anything.
You did not let us lack Your gifts.
But You give abundantly and without measure.
With every song of thanksgiving, I shall present a praise of love.
I covet for all to reign even without me.
For all to be glorified at my expense.
For all to find comfort in the midst of my suffering for Your sake.
Let them be rich; My riches are rather the fellowship of Your poverty.
Let them be glorified; My disgrace is rather the fellowship of the disgrace of Your
cross.
They condemned You to death, O Grantor of life.
Why then, should my soul moan if they count me a spectacle for their entertainment?
And why should I bother if I become a spectacle to angels and men?
Let me be expelled, and even die together with You.
And count Your disgrace my exalted glory.
Grant me the spirit of fatherhood, O Father of all mankind.
To embrace all in my heart, O You who embrace me in Yours
To love everyone more than the temporal light.
To partake of Your love, O You who delivered Yourself for my sake.
What should I seek from You, O Father?
But to become an icon of love for You.
That all inside me would be a fatherhood of love and wisdom!
From Father Tadros Malaty's - A Commentary on the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians Chapter 4
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