I find it interesting that in the same chapter where Paul upholds the custom of head coverings for women in worship, Paul upends the custom of wealth having privilege over poor. I am struggling to make sense of this; when is human custom honored and when is it not?
As I sit and consider, one large lesson seems to emerge. Does the custom put a certain group down, thus creating some kind of a divide… one better than the other?
While some may see the head covering issue dividing people, it did not set up two classes of humans, one more important and one less important. Instead the head covering issue is about how women can fully take part in church gatherings by praying and prophesying. In the ancient culture where women were second class humans, inviting women to pray and prophesy in mixed gatherings of men and women was so incredibly counter-cultural. I suspect that wearing the head covering was a non-issue for women; the fact that they were able to fully participate in the gathering even by filling speaking roles was enormously honoring. As such, this teaching may have been a pretty significant blow to the "men's club" of the day.
In the communion paragraphs Paul directly takes on the rich and their arrogance against the poor. I agree with Gordon Fee's interpretation that 'discerning the body of Christ" in verse 29 refers to paying attention to the community of faith gathered at the table rather than the elements of bread and cup on the table.* Given the whole of the Lord's Supper discussion, Paul is correcting the church who are playing favorites, which is belittling those who are poor. Paul, directed by God's inspiration, will have none of this. Favoritism and putting down the poor is a topic God corrects throughout the scripture, Old and New Testaments.
We are all one in Christ; old-young, rich-poor, male-female, Jew-Gentile. We should not make distinctions in the church.
So today God is pounding me… no favoritism, no distinctions, treat all people equally. This thought does not come naturally to me. I certainly have blind spots and weaknesses. There are times I have to battle racial reactions and thoughts. Another concern for me can be in the education area, I have to beware judging based on education level, which I notice in speech patterns.
Oh, Lord God, I still have so much grow and maturity to go. I need Your strength to gain victory in these natural, human reactions I have. Help me, Lord, to set down my sin-tainted humanity and pick up the Holy Spirit empowered life. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
*Gordon Fee discusses this in his NIV Commentary on 1Corinthians and in other places.
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