With the church at Corinth becoming arrogant and prideful after Paul left, he writes to them making fun of their attitude and he contrasts it with himself and the other apostles as being made a spectacle to the whole world by God. He says they are like a Greek play in the local theater, out there for the whole cosmos to see. But then he compares them to prisoners of war which is rough, opposite of what the church at Corinth is like. He could possibly be referring to The Lachish reliefs which were recently found and put in a British museum. They are carvings in Ninevah showing Sennacherib defeating Judah and taking prisoners back to Ninevah. You can read about it in 2 Kings 18-19. Paul is telling the church to learn some humility and quit the division that is going on between them.

The church at Corinth has become proud and arrogant since Paul left. He started the church in Acts 18 and stayed in Corinth for a year and a half but after leaving, they turned inward and began to be jealous of one another and quarreling. He pokes at them a little by telling them they have become rich and have everything they need, living like kings who are sovereign and have lots of power. They have forgotten were their gifts come from—God, and they are relying on themselves. Paul will send Timothy to Corinth to help them learn some humility before he arrives for a visit. He gives them the option: learn now before I get there or it will not be pretty when I come!

When I hear the word “steward” I think of the people who work on airplanes that go up and down the aisles asking people if they want peanuts, a cookie, or some type of drink. They also have the job of making sure everyone follows the rules such as putting on our seatbelts as the plane is getting ready to take off. They “manage” the plane if you will. For a short time, the plane is a dwelling place full of people and the steward makes sure everything is in order. Paul says he, Apollos, Peter, and other who minister the gospel are simply stewards who must be faithful. Unseen, unheard, and faithful are three words to describe these men the Corinthian church are dividing over. Do those words describe us as we carry the gospel to others?