This blog provides a meditation on the Episcopal daily readings along with a headline from world news:

SOUTH AFRICA DELAYS VISA FOR DALAI LAMA FOR FEAR OF CHINESE REPRISAL
1 Corinthians 9:1-15

9Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defence to those who would examine me. 4Do we not have the right to our food and drink? 5Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?

8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever ploughs should plough in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. 11If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? 12If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13Do 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? 14In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 But I 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!

tent such a Paul might have sold to Roman Army

In this rant Paul upholds the right of Apostles to be maintained by the churches. Just as the one church spread across many nations was a new phenomenon in the Roman Empire (although Jewish synagogues were the model, but they were racially based), so the travelling missionary was also new. How was such a person to be authenticated? And if genuine, how was he to be maintained in his calling? (I’m using male pronouns but there’s every possibility that female apostles also existed.)

Paul insisted that his gospel was “from God” but he welcomed to support of the “pillars” of the church (Simon Peter, James, John) in authenticating his mission. He maintained himself through his tent-making (leather-working) and seems to feel he might have had more esteem if he’d demanded maintenance from the Corinthians. All in all this passage gives us an insight into the life of a working apostle in the first churches, and we should cherish it for that reason. With all the changes of circumstance, the authentication of ministries and paying for them are still major concerns of the church today.

Matthew 7:22-29

22On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” 23Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”

24 ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’

28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

built on sand (with foundations)

Jesus was aware that his name could be used by anyone. In a way he is also dealing with the problem of authentication: how is a true disciple to be known ? By his pious words and apparent miracles?

No Jesus says, a disciple is one whose life is founded on his teaching. That’s the point of the parable of the two houses. A true disciple will be known because her life is based on the teaching of Jesus and withstands disaster and persecution. Counterfeit disciples soon pack it in when troubles come, but genuine allegiance stands firm.

A builder friend tells me that he can see Matthew doesn’t know much about house-building: there’s no problem about building in sand provided you lay sound foundations. Jesus, being a builder, knew this and his words are better recorded by Luke (6:49 “on sand, with no foundation!”).

Do these words mean that believers are saved by their “works” and not by the grace of God in Jesus? No, they mean that the grace of God in Jesus includes his example, commandments and teachings as well as his death and resurrection. Believers are saved by the complete Christ.

But how were Jesus’ contemporaries supposed to know if he was the genuine article? They recognised that he was speaking on his own, God-given(?) authority, and not at second hand like the official interpreters of Torah. This dangerous authority, used without official authentication, was what got Jesus crucified.