The Conundrums of Corinth 4. "The Deep"

 

 The Conundrums of Corinth (And their legacy in the Church)

Readings;  Psalm 112:1-9, Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 5:13-20, 1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, February 5 2023

One of the biggest movie hits of the late 1970's was about a killer shark called 'Jaws'. In an effort to capitalize on its success numerous follow ups were made including a lavish production in 1977 called 'The Deep'. The Deep was about a young couple who discovered a World War II wreck, called Goliath, that not only has a valuable cargo, but lays over a Spanish galleon with an even more valuable cargo upon it.

Not surprisingly other people, of dubious character, find out and are out to get their hands on the available wealth, and what with the presence of mutated sea creatures, the action becomes deadly. The posters advertising the movie contained the phrase “Is anything worth the terror of the Deep?”

In our bible reading today we heard Paul speaking of  ' “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things God has prepared for those who love Him... The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God '  (1 Corinthians 2:9)

There is however no terror involved in the deep things of God. The deep wisdom of God is a treasure to be highly desired, and available to all those whose lives are being recreated by the action of God's Holy Spirit. The only terror expressed in our passage comes through Paul himself, who explains to the Corinthians “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling”

We sometimes picture Paul as a fearless, bold, extrovert of a guy; on a mission from God and afraid of nothing. Yet here he pictures himself as a stumbling and not-very-gifted speaker. As Christians, one of our duties before God is to share our faith with others. But often, even the thought of speaking about we believe, paralyzes us. We feel insecure, we feel inadequate. We are worried about doing more harm than good.

Maybe then we can take comfort from the fact that even Paul felt ill-equipped for the task God had laid upon him. He claims to have no power, other than that which the Spirit of God blessed him with, to present the gospel message. “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God” (1 Cor 2:1)

In the last chapter he spoke about the 'foolishness' of the gospel and how its power didn't lie in words or dazzling philosophical insight but was something that people would witness as they observed the church in Corinth practicing love and hospitality towards each other, crossing boundaries of culture and tradition, breaking down century’s old practices of exclusion and privilege and seeking to be One in Christ.

He rejoices that the good news of God's love is delivered through cracked and damaged vessels. Later in his letter he writes  “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

'Jars of Clay'. That's a great image. We, who are nobody special, just fallible, and frail humanity like everybody else, are commissioned by God to share the good news with others. Those whom God calls, God also equips with the blessing and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We are called to do God's work, in God's way and in God's power. That way, glory goes to God and our service becomes an act of worship.

It is interesting to note that Paul never describes people who put their faith in Jesus as being 'Christians'. In the Book of Acts we do read that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:26). But most scholars suggest that the term was used in a derogatory way and not meant as a compliment. Rather like calling them 'Jesus Freaks'.  

Only later in church history did the word become associated not just with individuals but a phrase that carried sociological, cultural, and political, as well as religious meaning.

For Paul a disciple of Jesus is a 'spiritual' person. But he makes a distinction between being spiritual, in some vague sense of the word, and a person whose life is being molded and shaped by the action of God's Holy Spirit. In verse 12 he writes “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

There were many in the Corinthian community, to whom Paul wrote, who could rightly describe themselves as 'spiritual'. Corinth was one of the broadest minded, eclectic cities in the whole Roman Empire. If Corinth had a theme tune it could have been “Anything goes” - and that applied to their religious life as well as their cultural life.

So, Paul is quite specific in stating that what he had in mind was not any vague notion of 'spirituality'; “What we have received is not the spirit of the world”, but a spiritual nature formed by a person’s relationship with God, through Jesus Christ and in tandem with the work of the Holy Spirit. 'The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.'

In the movie 'The Deep' in order to plumb the depths and reach the treasure, those who desire the prize have to put on their diving suits and search for it. Paul is in no doubt the gospel is worth diving for. In verse 7 he speaks of the gospel as 'A mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began' .

His whole emphasis is that there are things about life, about us, about each other, about God, that we have yet to discover. That we cannot afford to stay as we are but need to go deeper and deeper and deeper in our discovery of the love of God. That if we fail to do so we will stagnate and become disconnected from each other and from our church communities and even from God.

Just as a diver must reach different levels in order to discover what they are looking for, Paul envisages spiritual life as a quest, and a journey of discovery that involves all of our senses. In verse 9 Paul speaks of the deep things of God being perceived by our sight, “What no eye has seen', by our listening 'what no ear has heard' and by our thinking 'What no human mind has conceived.'

We are invited to a deeper vision. We know that we see ourselves in certain ways. But we also know that another person’s perception of our lives can be entirely different. Paul takes it one step further and tells us that God's perception of our life is something different again.

If only we could grasp God's perception on our relationships, on our problems, on our finances, on our worries, on our temptations, on our hopes and dreams.... well things would look different. Bear in mind that God looks at us as people whom He loved enough to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on a Cross for. That God’s love is so powerful that Christ was raised from the dead. How we need to see that resurrection perspective over and above our narrow visions of what can and can't be!

We are invited to listen. Through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah 28:23 God addressed the people: “Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.” In John 10:27 Jesus, the Good Shepherd, describes His relationship to His people in this way; “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

But how do we hear God? Matthew's gospel suggests we hear God's call when we witness the plight of the hungry and homeless, the naked and the prisoner and decide to take action. That's what separated the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:32)

We hear God when we approach Scripture in an attitude of prayer and humbly seeking God's guidance. The Holy Spirit is with us to interpret the written words in a way that they become the Word of God to us. We hear God in worship as we open ourselves up to the music and the hymns and the words and the giving and the fellowship. We hear God when we take the time to listen!

We are invited to understand 'What no human mind has conceived.' When we have an uncomplicated trust in God, we witness things happening in and around and through our lives. I can't put that into words. I can't explain it. I just know that God's love is so much greater than we dare imagine. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love Him”.

I hope you can take away a few thoughts from this message.

• Firstly, that we have no need to fear that we are not good enough, or clever enough, or ideally suited to share with others the treasure of the gospel. God promises that such is the work of the Holy Spirit.  “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
• Secondly, that we are invited to dig deep into our heritage of faith. We are prompted to dive deep and discover hidden treasures within the love of God.
• Finally, let us recall that for Paul a disciple of Jesus was somebody, not spiritual in any vague sense of the word, but one who was being changed and inspired and renewed by the action of God's Holy Spirit.

With the help of that same Holy Spirit may we travel deeper and deeper and deeper into an understanding of the love of God as a treasure that changes everything.

And to God's name be the glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.