“Hiccups on the way”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, March 6, 2024
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (Forward, p. 37) CEV p. 1194
Now, today’s passage is one that really tests our willingness to follow the established rules of hermeneutics or Bible interpretation. Those rules suggest that it is shoddy workmanship, shoddy scholarship or research, to take something written for an obviously different time and setting and apply it, hollis bollis, to today. No, these rules ask us to thoroughly look at the original context and at what the passage says to that and to that alone—and then, and only then, to see if there are any parallels in our world today. And, if so, and only if that is the case, to apply it to us today.
So, today’s passage is about food offered to idols. In a wider context, this can apply to two situations. The first has to do with meat offered for sale in the marketplace that had first been offered or blessed in a pagan temple, that is, offered to idols. This was a customary practice in many non-Jewish communities in Greece or Rome, which made it very difficult to avoid buying such a product, or even to know for sure whether this had taken place.
However, this isn’t exactly the practice which Paul is addressing here (see verse 10 of this chapter or chapter 10 vs. 18-22). In the first passage he explicitly mentions ‘eating in the temple of an idol’ and in the second, ‘the altar’ of an idol. Interestingly, the advice he gives seems to differ within the two contexts.
In the first, he tells his reader that, in reality, idols are nothing to worry or be concerned about. They are not gods or lords at all, so eating food offered to them doesn’t amount to anything at all—that is, unless doing so bothers you or your conscience! Go ahead and eat it—unless, of course, it causes a weaker or more sensitive brother or sister in the Lord to stumble or have problems. If that person sees the idol as real, and have problems with his or her conscience, then, for love’s sake, do not eat that meat. You don’t want your freedom to be the cause of that other person’s downfall.
So then, what about this second passage, and its seeming contradictory message? Firstly, it says that while the idols are nothing at all in themselves, the demons that ‘stand’ behind them certainly are real. And so, he says, if you actually take part in worship in a pagan temple, actually
worship at the altar of one of these idols/ demons, then you are betraying our Lord. One simply cannot worship at two altars, God’s and a demon’s!
All that said, these may seem like situations that are totally disconnected to our world today, and thus, to have no relevance or application at all. But maybe not. Can there not be situations where our freedom, our freedom to choose as we see fit, actually pose problems for other people? Did not this issue show up blatantly and prominently during the COVID pandemic over the questions of masking and isolation and vaccinations? And can it not reappear over many other situations as well, such as our drinking or waging a bet in the presence of problem drinkers or gamblers?
And what about the second passage: we don’t customarily even ‘think’ about demons, but perhaps we should. Could it not be true that there are dark or demonic forces at work in our world that we ‘buy’ into without even thinking about it? That we are so accustomed to that we take them for granted? Consumerism, for instance, or racism, or factionalism, just to suggest a few. And maybe, by bowing to them, adhering to them, following them, we are doing a disservice to God and not giving Him the due, the honour and the worship that He deserves. Something to think about.
Forward notes: “’Food will not bring us close to God.’ We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do” (verse 8).
“While Christians in the first century worried about food causing them spiritual harm, people in the second-first century stress that artificial or genetically modified ingredients will cause us physical harm. Food is a fundamental part of our lives, and we spend a great deal of time planning meals, looking at restaurant menus, and reading articles about nutrition.
“Anyone who needs to lower blood sugar, decrease cholesterol, or increase fiber intake is thinking about food. This increased attention to food can be helpful, but it can also be self-destructive. While we all need food to thrive, we know that anything has the potential to stand in our way to fullness of life with our community and with God.
“How, then, do we balance our need for food with our need for God and one another? Perhaps our gratitude for the food we consume could be the starting point. Through the practice of gratitude, food becomes a catalyst for our thankfulness, and we, in turn, focus more on God being active and alive among us.”
Moving Forward: “Commit to saying grace before every meal this week.”