So we are nearly at the end of chapter 5. We have read five chapters of First Corinthians and then today we find out something we didn’t know when we started reading this letter. The first is actually the second!
“ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5 v 9-13)
Paul had already written to them. This was a second letter. The first had been misunderstood. Paul had written to the Church not to associate with those who claim to be Christian but who engage in four areas of behaviour. They misunderstood and took it to mean that what they were already probably doing, shunning and judging those outside the Church, was validated. Now he has to write again to correct their understanding and he takes the opportunity to add a couple categories. We will get in to those and what he says about them tomorrow.
Paul says, ‘you misunderstood me’, ‘I didn’t mean it that way, I was meaning this …’
The Holy Spirit did not preserve that letter which had been misunderstood.
We have all experienced being misunderstood. Our response can vary from being bemused as to how the person could misunderstand what we had said to self-reflecting on if we could have communicated more clearly.
I guess the greatest response is a frustrated sigh, a sinking feeling within that someone completely misses what you have been trying to say. It is like speaking a language that no one seems to understand.
Misunderstandings can happen to anyone.
It can be a lonely place especially if a whole group seem to have misunderstood you. Over time if you have a few of these moments then they stack up against you so that you begin to second-guess everything that you say or do. Is it me? Should I just stay quiet?
It happened to Jesus.
He was misunderstood when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey saying, ‘I’m not that kind of hero, I’m a different king.’
Judas misunderstood the mission of Jesus with traumatic consequences.
It is clear Jesus was telling us his disciples would be misunderstood as he was: “If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of the household” (Matthew 10 v 25)
Sometimes being misunderstood is the price for being authentic. When you live true to yourself you may not fit neatly into the boxes others have created. Better to be misunderstood than not be you.
Being misunderstood doesn’t diminish your worth or value of who you are or even what you have done or in Paul’s case, what you have written. Being misunderstood isn’t a reflection of your identity or your values or your truth.
You will be misunderstood in fact we should almost expect it for not everyone will understand you and that maybe more to do with them than you. but this doesn’t have to be a permanent state.
Never let misunderstanding silence your voice. Your voice matters even when it seems no one is listening. The most important thing you can do is not give up. Keep speaking the truth. Keep fine-tuning your message and in that moment when you receive genuine understanding you will even be grateful for all the misunderstandings that led you to exactly this place.
You can go again, write a second letter!
Missions Paul 