In the Footsteps of Paul: Seeking Community in Corinth

In the Footsteps of Paul: Seeking Community in Corinth; 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re in a crowd of people—at a party, a reception or even a big family gathering—and you still feel alone? It’s happened to me. Surrounded by people, yet still feeling disconnected, or one step removed.

Loneliness affects at least 1 in 4 adults today, and is now especially prevalent for young adults, ages 19-29. Alarmingly for those 18-25 "Loneliness" surveys reveal it’s as high as 60%. There are many things that divide us in our culture right now–use of technology, generational differences in how we see the world, views on politics, social issues, and so on. But underneath all of these divides and differences, we each need a sense of belonging and human community.

We all need relationships of trust and meaning where we are bonded together with something deeper than ideas, agendas or sometimes even family ties. Our need for connection and community in the face of our diversity is stronger now more than ever.

The Apostle Paul recognized this need for belonging, and for deep community when he arrived in the Corinth. Corinth was a very diverse place; Coirnth was different from Athens and everywhere else he had been.

Paul didn’t have far to travel to get to Corinth from Athens–he just had to cross a narrow slip of land to get to this teeming metropolis which was one of the most important cities in Greece at the time. There was so much that was unique about Corinth:

• It's size - it was the largest city in Greece in Paul’s time' it was 10-20x larger than Athens;
• It's population was 100-200,000 citizens + slaves added another 30,000.
• It's geography was unique–Corinth was in the middle of the province of Achaia. Half of Achaia is the Peloponnesian peninsula which is connected by a little strip of land, and then the other half is on the mainland of Greece. Corinth sits near the Ismthus–the strip of land that connects them.
• Corinth had 2 ports- a port on the west with ships that went to Rome, and it had a port on the East at Cenchrea, that went east toward Ephesus and Asia Minor (now Turkey) or toward Egypt or Syria, (which provided great naval routes in both directions).

Here are the ruins at the port in Cenchrea (pictured)–there would have been buildings here. All goods and trade from the east would have come in through here. This is the very port where Paul left at the end of his missionary journey in Acts 18–he goes first to Ephesus and then on to Jerusalem. This is the port also in Romans 16 from which the Deacon Phoebe leaves with Paul’s letter to the Romans. This was another one of those moments where Dan and I just couldn’t believe we were there. We were alone there, pondering the significance of standing in the footsteps of Paul–of him empowering a woman, Phoebe, not as courier, but as preacher really, to read and interpret Paul’s theological treatise to the Romans.

We didn’t make it to the western port, but there was a road through ancient Corinth that would take you there. The picture below the port gives you a view of the mountain above ancient Corinth called AcroCorinth where there has been a fortress for protection since the 7th century BCE.

With 2 ports offering trade in 2 directions, people from all over the world came to Corinth. There was so much diversity- Latin speakers from Rome, Egyptian speakers, Ethiopians, in addition to Greek Speakers. The whole world came to Corinth! All of this made Corinth a very wealthy, cosmopolitan city that was ethnically, religiously, culturally, and linguistically diverse.

The archeology of Corinth reveals some of the diversity Paul encountered. Here is the Temple of Apollo (pictured) was built in 550 BC (a lot of the ancient pillars had to be stood up, but these pillars never fell over–they have been standing here for nearly 2600 years!). A single block of stone is 24 feet high and there used to be about 30 of them. Paul saw this temple, and also a Temple to Aphrodite, Goddess of love, with a prostitution cult that went with it. A statue of the god Zeus was found in the excavation of Corinth - another sign of the importance of pagan religion in Corinth. The Sphinx found here was also very important part of Greek mythology.

We saw a Corinthian style helmet from when they fought in ancient Greece. It was an important military city–for its strategic location. Julius Caesar had a statue in Corinth. He ordered the rebuilding of Corinth in 44 BCE as a Roman colony (it had been destroyed 100 years earlier by the Romans, but Julius recognized its strategic location, so ordered it rebuilt).

Julius’s successor was Augustus Caesar (pictured)-who ruled 27 BCE – 14 CE (remember the battle near ancient Philippi where Octavian and Mark Antony beat Cassius and Brutus?–Octavian became Caesar Augustus and was Julius’s adopted son).

Emporer Nero reigned 54-56 CE. (Tiberius was the Emperor during Jesus’ death and resurrection, then there was Caligula & Claudia before Nero). There are symbols of emperor worship in Corinth. 

Jews settled here and built a synagogue, and there was a significant Jewish population here. Jewish menorahs on the column are evidence of a vibrant Jewish community.

So Paul encounters this rich, vibrant, incredibly diverse community and Paul sees that this is where unity and belonging in Christ as one church, one people, one body is really put to the test–-no more disconnection, loneliness or lack of belonging.

Paul was called by God to build a church where there was no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male and female, (as it says in Galatians 3:28)--for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If there was anywhere to try this and make it work, it was Corinth, because, like the song, New York, New York, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

Paul, of course, got into trouble with his message. Acts18 reports that leaders in the synagogue got mad and brought him before the Governor with accusations. 
Paul stood on this very stone (where Dan and I are pictured) called the Bema (inside a building) when charges were brought against him. In this case the charges were dismissed. Not only that, Paul also encountered divisions in the church. Our text talks about “Chloe’s People," and Apollo, and who was baptized by whom. They are also bickering about whose spiritual gifts are greater or more important than others. They were creating false levels of status within the community, and even worse, slaves were being left out of the Lord’s Supper.

They did not celebrate Communion in the middle of a worship service with a ritual as we do. They started their gathering with a meal, and ended the meeting sharing the Cup of Salvation, and did so every time they gathered. It was the glue of the community. But the wealthy would get there early–they had the money, time, and wine. They would eat and drink, then the tryptophan would hit, and they would fall asleep on the couch. Then the slaves would arrive from working all day, exhausted and hungry, and there’d be nothing to eat or drink–-talk about feeling lonely, disconnected, and left out! This is NOT the Lord’s Supper or the body of Christ!

Paul exhorts the Corinthians that there is one body, one Lord, one Savior Jesus Christ, and every member is part of him. Every member is valued, equal and necessary, and this must be manifested in their behavior and treatment of each other. He tells the wealthier members to fill their stomachs before they come together, so they can wait for all the slaves and laborers to arrive together. The Lord’s Supper is a shared meal, not a table where the rich imbibe early and frequently and the workers are left with nothing.

Paul says you must listen and learn enough to become like them, so you know what it takes to include a new culture, a new class, a new person into community:

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews…. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some.

Paul finds a way to build a relationship with everyone, so no one experiences being alone in a crowd within the community of the church. Even through their mistakes, struggles, and hard lessons, the Corinthian church learned and succeeded! In Acts 18 we read of fellow Jews and tentmakers, Prisca and Aquila who joined Paul and hosted him in Corinth (remember that the “tents” are awnings or shades for the shops in the agora, pictured above with the stone walls between stalls).

We walked over to the Roman Odeum–a smaller theater off to the side of the main town where most of the ruins are. The real miracle moment at Corinth was seeing this stone: It has the name, “Erastus” on it– the city Treasurer and civic leader, who paid to have all the stones laid in the square in front of the theater. In Romans 16, the letter that Deacon Phoebe from Cenchrea reads, Paul sends Greetings to the church in Rome saying, 

Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

This is one of the few instances when archeological evidence confirms the Biblical witness. Erastus, a wealthy Gentile was part of the Church in Corinth. Written about on this sign. Paul gathered the slaves and marginalized, the shop keepers, Jews and Gentiles, and also reached the highest echelons of civic life. Paul spent 1.5 years there –much longer than other places.  This is why we get 2 letters to Corinthians–Paul’s Treatise on Ministry.

The gift of Christian community is that what divides us in society–whether it is wealth, status, or politics–does not separate us in the church– this is the place that breaks down barriers between people, and helps end experiences of isolation, loneliness or division.

Bound together as the body of Jesus Christ, we experience deeper community.
We build relationships of meaning, where we can learn from each other.
This is not just to grow the church, but because we too, share in the blessings of Jesus when we learn and fellowship with diverse members.
Paul says, I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Paul teaches us in the Corinthian community that Jesus unites us across every human label. and boundary. The Lord’s Table is the great leveler. In Christ, no one is left out. After visiting ancient Corinth, Dan and I shared Holy Communion with our dinner, just like they did at Corinth, using Paul’s words of blessing.

In Corinth we embrace the mission that the church of Jesus Christ is the place
where loneliness is answered with belonging,
where division is healed by grace,
where the Lord’s Table is open for all.
Our belonging is given to us in Christ, we simply live it out as the church.

This church is just outside the ruins of ancient Corinth in the small town that surrounds it.

1 Corinthians 13 is the on the monument in the courtyard in 4 languages!

In a world many experience as divisive and lonely, God calls us to live as one body united in the love of Jesus Christ! Come to the Lord’s Supper today trusting you belong to God and to us. 

And as you go from here this week, reach out to those who need an invitation to the next meal, and to this community of love and belonging.