Christ crucified changes everything for the world which is now under judgment for not recognizing God’s son.
As a preacher yourself, the verse that will make you stand up and cheer in the epistle this week is 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” I could say a lot about this, and, in fact, have done so already, quite recently for this blog site. So, I will refer you to last week’s post on preaching the cross of Christ if you want to meditate on this verse alone.
For this week, it is important to think about what Paul is saying concerning power, the Spirit of God, and the mind of Christ. After this bit, Paul will go on to accuse the schismatic Corinthians of not thinking and acting spiritually, of thinking and acting not like those with the mind of Christ and, thus, divesting themselves of the power he proclaims and delivers in the cross of Christ. This is the part where he underscores the unity of the church over their fragmenting favoritism when he says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). A little later, he reminds the Corinthians that they “are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in” them (1 Corinthians 3:16). Then, He (1 Corinthians 4) explains and defends his apostolic ministry for their benefit (all of these readings trace out the rest of the Epiphany season’s epistle pericopes, if it lasts long enough, and this year our series of the 1 Corinthians pericopes pauses without revisiting the church’s dirty laundry).
The context helps us remember that Paul is not simply waxing eloquent in some kind of mystical mode. He actually has a purpose in mind. He wants his hearers to be encouraged by certain facts and their actions to reflect those facts. He wants them to know that they have had the Spirit proclaiming to them, the mind of Christ delivered to them, the mystery of ages revealed to them, all of which he extrapolates from God’s wisest and most powerful act, the crucifixion of His Son. The Corinthians have not been acting like this is true, but, rather, like unspiritual folks (just like the rulers of the age and other bozos kept from figuring out what God was doing in Christ because of their own sin and arrogance), carping and discriminating in their partiality and prejudice.
This particular Corinthian trouble may not be the specific illness in need of curing among your hearers. But this does not render Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2 any less true or less relevant. Christ crucified changes everything for the world which is now under judgment for not recognizing God’s Son. Christ crucified changes everything for your hearers, who are now saved by faith in Jesus.
Christ crucified changes everything for your hearers, who are now saved by faith in Jesus.
The curiosity here is the object of trust, to be sure; the cross as a symbol of power, as the deliverer of spiritual truth and the Spirit Himself, as the mystery of the ages. Curious because, after all, it is a wooden, blood-stained gibbet, not a talisman of victory or symbol of success. And Paul matches the delivery to the dearth and darkness the cross carries with it; not in lofty speech or wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:1), not in persuasive words of wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4), but in weakness, trembling, and fear (1 Corinthians 2:3).
A theologian of the cross recognizes that, left to ourselves, we flee from such weakness and ugliness. Instead, we prefer the glory of health and success, of pain-free patting ourselves on the back for the works we can do, favoring in its place a theology of glory. A theologian of the cross, rather, embraces God as He reveals Himself in the suffering of Christ, and sees here what men call folly, but what God calls wisdom, what men call weakness, but what God reveals as power (1 Corinthians 1:20-25). How can we be theologians of the cross? How can your listener despise her own works and, instead, embrace the bloody work of Christ for her salvation? To do so, we must see the world as God sees it in Christ. We must see it from His perspective, from where He is lifted up. Specifically, this is not the thirty-thousand-foot view of the ascension, but the ten-to-fifteen-foot view of the cross, the suffering Christ, the vicariously atoning Christ, because this is where the power is according to Paul. This is what it is specifically to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). It may be fruitful, in fact, to imagine what the world must have looked like on Good Friday through those pain-dimmed eyes of our crucified Lord.
Notice how this “mind of Christ” talk corresponds to Philippians 2:5 (“Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus”), the mind of Christ, the perception of Christ, to think like Him, to see as He sees. This is not about worldview or ideology. This is about humiliation and exaltation, the theme specific to the Christ hymn this verse introduces. This is about the cross and Christ’s work there of winning the salvation of the world, of your hearer, of you (Philippians 2:6-11). In Philippians, Paul points his hearers and readers to enacting that humility with one another, each looking not only to his own interest but also the interest of others, that they serve, considering others better than themselves (Philippians 2:3-4). In 1 Corinthians, Paul’s interest is in his hearers and readers embodying the cross as power and wisdom, lest they waste their bodies and souls in poorer pursuits.
What must one do to acquire the mind of Christ? The good news here is this is not a do, do, do, works sort of thing. The mind of Christ is received as the Spirit does the Spirit’s work, which is killing and making alive, replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and proclaiming the dead and risen Christ, the one who conquers in His cross. The Spirit’s one subject is always Christ. The Spirit teaches Christ, and the Christ He teaches is the dead and risen one, the one in whom God reveals His glory, His power, His strength, though it looks like foolishness and weakness since it is not a wisdom of this age and its rulers (1 Corinthians 2:6 and following). 1 Corinthians 12:3 is a great encapsulation and summary of Paul’s point here in 1 Corinthians 2, the point of reference from which he can talk about propriety in worship and charismatic gifts, all with an eye to unity in and edification of the church (1 Corinthians 12-14). He tells us how no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except in the Holy Spirit!
The mind of Christ is received as the Spirit does the Spirit’s work, which is killing and making alive, replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and proclaiming the dead and risen Christ, the one who conquers in His cross.
The point for your hearer is, if Christ crucified is being presented to them, then the one doing the presenting is the Spirit Himself, and the gift He is bestowing is the mind of Christ, a perception of the world that changes everything. Though the message of Christ looks weak, it is the strongest strength there is, though it might look foolish, it is the wisdom of God, though it often looks like defeat, it is victory over sin and death, though it looks like death, for your hearer it is life, life eternal, and life in the now.
One final thought for your sermon-craft this week. In America, this will likely be preached on what happens to be “Super Bowl Sunday,” a national celebration and spectacle where we all pretend to know the rules of American football and join together at parties to eat chicken wings, evaluate the halftime show, and laugh at televised commercials. Sermon illustrations or hooks that come from sports are, frankly, wearying for most of the people who listen to your sermon. There are always exceptions, though, and big events that are likely on the calendar for a critical mass of your folks can constitute one. If you go in this direction, get it done early in the sermon, like the opening minute, because forcing a sports metaphor past that point will weaken the text. There are a few connections to be made here though.
Consider the following:
– Paul approaches the Corinthians “not with eloquent wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:1). What a contrast from expert analysis, which we will hear from sportscasters and armchair quarterbacks with breakdowns, strategies, and predictions. Notice how Paul intentionally avoids sounding like that!
– Paul is proclaiming a power that does not look like power. On Super Bowl Sunday, power is about size, speed, dominance, and execution. But the power Paul preaches is the cross. It is weakness, it is dependence on God’s Spirit alone.
– And if you are drawn to the cheap joke, you could just offer one like, “Today the coaches will be trusting their playbooks, but Paul says the Christian life is not about strategy (our works, our wisdom), it is lived by revelation from the Spirit.
Whatever you do, dear preacher, proclaim the power of God for your hearer this Sunday. You know where to find it, that secret wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7), because it is no secret any longer. Shout it, sing it, pray it, preach it, and know nothing but it among your hearers: Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on 1 Corinthians 2:1-12(13-16)
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you preaching 1 Corinthians 2:1-12(13-16).
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
