1 Corinthians 10:1-22
The issue of whether a Christian should participate in social meals in the pagan temples (first introduced in chapter eight) now comes back for final consideration. Some of the Corinthian Christians have apparently been taking the position that pagan idols are nothing; therefore, eating meat sacrificed to an idol, and eating social meals in a pagan temple, have no spiritual implications. Previously, Paul counseled against attending such meals if it caused others to go against their conscience. But now he makes another point: Watch out! Attending these pagan meals may lead Christians back into idolatry and immoral behavior.
Paul uses the story of the Israelites in the wilderness as an example of how people who have made a covenant with God can still easily be led back into false worship and false loyalties. Paul sees the story of the Israelites passing through the Red Sea as a kind of baptism for the Israelites. Similarly, he sees the manna in the wilderness, and the water that flowed out of the rock, as a kind of eucharist–paralleling the bread and wine that Christians eat in rememberance and solidarity with Jesus. In other words, the ancient Israelites were just as committed to God as the current Christians in Corinth. The ancient Israelites enjoyed the same spiritual benefits of baptism and communion. And yet, they still made a golden calf and worshiped it, and their behavior devolved into complaining and immorality.
I have to admit, it’s hard for me to get all worked up about the dangers of idolatry. Modern religions in our culture don’t usually feature idols. Not too many people believe in a pantheon of gods who reflect the various forces of nature or human personality. So, at least on the surface, idolatry does not seem to be much of a temptation or problem for today’s church.
But what is idolatry? At its root, it is giving one’s loyalty to anything less than the God who is above all. Idolatry is ”worshiping” (or giving ultimate value) to that which is part of creation. Idolatry usually ends up being a form of self-worship–being impressed by what we have made or what we can control. Our own desires (and fears) become the center of our “religion.”
Attending a social event at a pagan temple may seem like an innocuous event. Yes, some perfunctory pagan rituals are enacted, some meaningless prayers are spoken–but so what? Paul says: Those pagan rituals and prayers may well be affecting you in ways beyond what you realize. You are implicitly announcing your solidarity with pagan “gods.” And thereby, you are opening yourself up to pagan influences, to spiritual “forces” that are in rebellion against God.
What are the rituals that our society desires us to participate in? Are they forms of idolatry–giving allegiance to what we have made or what we control? Perhaps this is not so innocuous. Perhaps we are opening ourselves up to becoming subtle idolaters, letting our ethics be guided by human desire and human control instead of by the transcendent values of love and justice for all people.
Has the church in America been largely subverted by the idolatry of nationalism, and the idolatry of militarism, and the idolatry of security, and the idolatry of personal wealth, and the idolatry of consumerism, and the idolatry of consensual sex?
Paul sees the bickering, the conceit, and the sexual immorality of many of the members of the Corinthian church, and I think he sees this as evidence that they have indeed succumbed to the temptations of idolatry. But as strong as the pull of idolatry is, it can be resisted. God gives us the resources we need if we stay focused on our allegiance to God.
But what I find most fascinating in this passage is the way in which Paul sees Christ as present among the ancient Israelites. “And the rock was Christ.” Paul sees in the story of the rock that flows with water for the thirsty Israelites not just a metaphor for Christ, but the actual presence of Christ. “Christ” does not mean, in this context, the historical Jesus. Rather, Christ is the timeless self-giving, saving graciousness of God. Christ “becomes flesh” in Jesus, but Christ has always been available and present. Clearly, Paul considers the ancient Israelites as having been “saved” by Christ.
This has implications for how we understand access to God’s salvation. New Testament writers often say that salvation is through Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t mean someone has to be a Christian to be saved by Christ. Rather, the self-giving sacrifice of God is embedded in the code of the universe; the cross is timeless and everywhere; everything was made for Christ and through Christ. So whenever people commit themselves to self-giving love, they are accessing the presence of Christ. The Rock follows us everywhere through the wilderness.
(By the way, Paul’s odd comment about the rock “following” the Israelites is due to a rabbinic tradition that sought to explain how the rock Moses struck could be described as being in different locations in different passages. The solution: the rock moved with them!)
