Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
- 1 Corinthians 9:1-11
After discussing the issue of whether the early Christians could eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols (which you can read about here and here), Paul gives an example from his life of sacrificing for the sake of the gospel message.
Right before this, Paul had said how the believers have the freedom to do things such as eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, but just because they can doesn’t mean they should. They need to be considerate of the other believers who may be watching them.
Paul asks 4 rhetorical questions in verse 1, all of which are structured to be answered with a “yes.” He is free in Christ, he is an apostle, he has seen Jesus, and the church in Corinth is the result of his work. All of these verify his status as an apostle. While Paul was not with Jesus during His earthly ministry (as was required of an apostle in Acts 1:21-22), Paul did meet Jesus face-to-face on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). The church in Corinth, and therefore all the believers there, were because of Paul’s obedience to God’s calling, the sacrifice of Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit
In verse 2, Paul realized that some may not recognize him as an apostle because he did not follow Jesus during His earthly ministry. But Paul knew that he was so influential with the Corinthian church that they recognized his role and authority as an apostle. That congregation was the seal that marked him as an apostle. His work in Corinth really authenticated Paul’s role as an apostle.
Starting in verse 3, Paul begins to defend his apostleship against those who would criticize him for that claim. While the language used in this verse has legal connotations, Paul is obviously not defending this issue in a courtroom but rather to all who would read this letter, so that they would understand the authority that God had given him in the church.
Then in verses 4-6, Paul brings up rights that were due to those working for the gospel in that time period. He first mentions the right to food and drink, which implies that as one who works for the church, the church should provide for his basic necessities. By mentioning the right to bring along a wife, Paul is saying that if he were married (as Cephas aka Peter was), she should be permitted to participate in the ministry and be supported as well. When Paul mentions “the Lord’s brothers,” that refers to Jesus’ physical half-brothers, the children of Mary and Joseph.
We know that Paul worked as a tentmaker in order to provide for himself while doing ministry, but Paul is stating how he had a practical right to be supported by the church if he chose to do so. Paul also brings up Barnabas in this, that both of them should have the right to be financially supported by the church if they desired to do so.
Paul provides additional examples of this theory in verse 7. Soldiers are supported in their military service. If you have a vineyard, you would eat the grapes that you grow, thus being supported in a way by that work. If you have a flock, you would drink the milk provided by your herd. The implied conclusion, then, is that if you work for the church, the church should at least partially support your needs.
But rather than only basing this on his own authority, Paul shows that this is from Scripture by referencing Deuteronomy 25:4 in verses 8-9. It’s not just Paul who is making this claim, but God laid it out for the people of Israel centuries before this. They were commanded not to muzzle an ox while it was working in the grain, that way it could eat some while it was working. If God is that concerned for oxen, how much more concerned is He for people, especially people who are called to work for His Church!
Paul is not only sharing about his rights as an apostle but he’s also teaching the people about how God cares for them (verse 10). While God does take care of animals such as oxen, He takes care of His people even more. The person who plows the field will reap the harvest, and then he can bless others with that.
Paul reiterates in verse 11 that these principles should apply to himself and the others who are working for the Corinthian church. Shouldn’t they have the right to have at least some of their needs met through the generosity of the church?
These concepts are still true today. Those who work for the church should be supported by the church. That means pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and all those whose vocation is serving God in some way. Those who work in other fields are still called to work for God and share the gospel message, of course, but the work of those not in vocational ministry-related roles should desire to support those who spend their time working toward equipping others spiritually and doing the work of the church.
Even if Paul himself did not need the financial support of the church, he makes the case that as an apostle and one who is doing God’s work, he should have the opportunity for the church to support him. Whether you are one who is supported by the church or one who is doing the supporting, continue to ponder this passage and pray about what God is calling you to do.
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