Thursday, October 2, 2014

1 Corinthians 14:34-40

1 Corinthians 14:34-40
As in all of the churches of the holy ones, let the women say nothing trivial about this.  For it has not been permitted to speak for them.  But let them submit, just as the Law also says.  And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask the husband in their own home.  For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.  Or did the Word of God go out from you all?  Or did it come into you all only?  If anyone thinks to be a prophet or a spiritual person, let him acknowledge that which I write to you all because it is a command of the Lord.  And if anyone refuses to think about it, he is not to be thought about.  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, deeply commit to prophesy and do not prevent speaking in tongues.  And let all things become properly and according to good order.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought

There is an incredibly important understanding to get out 1 Corinthians 14:34.  Most translations have Paul saying, “Let the women be silent.”  As if Paul is saying that they are not permitted to speak at all!  This teaching goes grossly against what we know about Paul’s life experience.  When Paul went to Philippi, it was the women to whom he first proclaimed the Gospel!  In fact, it was Lydia’s house that was used as the first church in Philippi!  When Paul went to Corinth he met up with Priscilla and Aquila, who were a husband and wife team who then came to Ephesus.  Paul trained them to both make disciples.  Paul sends Phoebe to Rome to deliver his letter to them – the book of the Bible we now call Romans.  Paul’s life experience does not say anything about muzzling women in the church to keep them silent!  But when we actually look at the Greek text, we discover that the word doesn’t mean “to be silent.”  The word means “to preserve a secret.”  You can translate it as “to keep quiet about a particular topic.”  But it is really an admonition against gossiping and idle chatter.  Paul isn’t saying that women shouldn’t talk.  Paul is saying that when women are talking about the church and its teachings that they shouldn’t do it in a manner that takes away the honor and respect that it truly deserves.  The teachings of the church are not trivial and should not be spoken about frivolously!  That’s Paul’s point.  He never says that women are not allowed to speak.  He says women should be about preserving the respect and honor that the teachings deserve.

If you would like to see another place in scripture where this same verb is used, look at Luke 9:36.  There you see the three inner disciples “saying nothing” after the transfiguration.  Clearly this verb doesn’t mean to not speak, but rather to not speak frivolously or trivially.  You can also see Luke 20:26, which is a place where the religious leaders “keep silent” about Jesus because they cannot refute what He is teaching.  Clearly they do not stay silent against Jesus.  They just choose to not speak trivially about that which they cannot win the argument.  They pick their places and topics about which they speak because that is where they are knowledgeable.  That’s Paul’s point here.

Why is it important to understand the intent of the Greek verb in 1 Corinthians 14:34?  How has this sentence been abused in the church?  Knowing what the verb actually means, does it make sense for Paul to say this?

Second Thought:

Now we need to talk about what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:35.  I have to ask the question, “Does Paul really think it is shameful for a woman to speak in church?”  Again, remember the examples of Lydia, Phoebe, and Priscilla that I’ve lifted up earlier.  Furthermore, remember that 1 Corinthians 11:5 has already implied that Paul doesn’t mind women praying or prophesying in church so long as their heads are covered.  So to interpret this verse as saying that it is shameful for women to speak at all in church would put 1 Corinthians 11:5 and 1 Corinthians 14:35 in direct conflict.  Rather, I believe 1 Corinthians 14:35 is speaking about the general context of the passage, which if we will remember is about speaking in tongues and interpreting prophecies.  These can be highly emotional moments where confusion is easily stumbled upon.  This, then, pairs nicely with what we learned about the verb in 1 Corinthians 14:34.  Paul isn’t prohibiting speech as much as he is giving advice to keep away from confusion.  If someone has a question or needs clarification, let that be handled in the home where a serious and deep conversation can be had at length.  Let the public gatherings be times of concrete teaching where truth is stated and accepted.  Everyone knows that people learn better in smaller groups where questions can be asked, answered, and handled more precisely anyways.  That is just how it should be.  So what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 14:35 isn’t that certain people cannot speak ever.  He is saying that if there are questions or distracting thoughts, they should not be handled in the gathering space for everyone as such things usually only breed confusion.

Do you agree with this point?  In general, are questions better handled in the small group or in one-on-one meetings?

Third Thought:

Paul ends this passage with a point of grace, which further enforces everything said in this post and in the past few posts.  Paul is concerned most with prophesy and order.  Remember that in the Biblical world a prophet is a forth-teller, not a fore-teller.  A prophet in the Bible is not a person who predicts the future but a person who brings God’s truth to others.  This whole chapter is about paying attention to truth and allowing truth to be brought about in a space free of confusion.  In Corinth, it would seem that when the gathering was happening that confusion was occurring from two main sources: people speaking in tongues and women muddying the time with too many questions or unhelpful assertions.  As we end this chapter, we hear Paul again reiterate that we are not to be legalists who condemn certain behavior.  Rather, we are to be realists who intentionally create time and space for certain things to happen.  Paul wants to reinforce with the Corinthians that their community gathering time should have a place for truth-telling.  That space for truth-telling needs to be free of distractions.  It needs to be proper and in good order.

Do you have a space in your life for truth telling to happen?  Are you always the truth teller or do you receive truth?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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