I was reading in 1 Corinthians this morning. It was near the end of Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. In my earlier days, I would have dismissed this part of the letter as having little theological value. Lately, though, I find these more personal parts of Paul's letters to be especially rich and valuable.
As he draws his letter to a close, Paul is talking about his plans. He wants to visit the Corinthian believers, but only when he has sufficient time for an extended visit. Since he doesn't have that time now, he says, he will remain in Ephesus. He explains his decision this way: But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me (I Corinthians 16:9).
If I'm reading that right - and I think I am - Paul is actually saying that the presence of strong opposition in Ephesus will cause him to stay there longer!
Yes, that is a startling thing to say.
My normal approach would be just the opposite. Opposition would tend to make me leave. Personally, I'd rather work without adversaries. In fact, I might even walk away from "a great door for effective work" if opposition is present.
Paul, though, has a completely different perspective.
I can't be certain of the details, of course, but here are some possibilities. It could be that Paul will stay where he is even though there is opposition. In that case, he will stay despite the presence of opponents. Or it could be that Paul will stay where he is because of the opposition. In that case, Paul might envision his response to his opponents as part of that great door of opportunity that stands before him.
Whatever the specific details, though, the presence of opposition doesn't make Paul want to leave - it makes him want to stay!
And I find that way of thinking absolutely incredible.
I can only speak for myself, of course. But I trend toward the path of least resistance. When obstacles come, my first thought is not how to get through them - but how to get away from them! If there is opposition, I'm simply not interested. And even if a great door of opportunity stands open, I am still inclined to walk away.
In all fairness, that may sometimes be the right approach. For me and for you . . . and even for Paul. But what Paul says here at least raises the possibility that walking away isn't always the right approach.
I was so stunned when I read 1 Corinthians 16:9 this morning that I checked seven other Bible translations. I opened a few commentaries thinking that maybe I was reading the verse wrong. If Paul had said, "I'm going to stay in Ephesus for now because there is a great opportunity for ministry here even though there is great opposition," I probably wouldn't even have noticed the verse.
But that's not what he said. Instead, Paul essentially said, "I am staying put, in part, because there is so much opposition to my work."
Surprising logic? You bet.
Still, Paul's way of thinking is so compelling that it is impossible to ignore.
I don't have Paul's passion or his staying power. But I sure wish I did.
Paul, though, has a completely different perspective.
I can't be certain of the details, of course, but here are some possibilities. It could be that Paul will stay where he is even though there is opposition. In that case, he will stay despite the presence of opponents. Or it could be that Paul will stay where he is because of the opposition. In that case, Paul might envision his response to his opponents as part of that great door of opportunity that stands before him.
Whatever the specific details, though, the presence of opposition doesn't make Paul want to leave - it makes him want to stay!
And I find that way of thinking absolutely incredible.
I can only speak for myself, of course. But I trend toward the path of least resistance. When obstacles come, my first thought is not how to get through them - but how to get away from them! If there is opposition, I'm simply not interested. And even if a great door of opportunity stands open, I am still inclined to walk away.
In all fairness, that may sometimes be the right approach. For me and for you . . . and even for Paul. But what Paul says here at least raises the possibility that walking away isn't always the right approach.
I was so stunned when I read 1 Corinthians 16:9 this morning that I checked seven other Bible translations. I opened a few commentaries thinking that maybe I was reading the verse wrong. If Paul had said, "I'm going to stay in Ephesus for now because there is a great opportunity for ministry here even though there is great opposition," I probably wouldn't even have noticed the verse.
But that's not what he said. Instead, Paul essentially said, "I am staying put, in part, because there is so much opposition to my work."
Surprising logic? You bet.
Still, Paul's way of thinking is so compelling that it is impossible to ignore.
I don't have Paul's passion or his staying power. But I sure wish I did.