The Rights of the Emissaries
(Parallel teachings: Deuteronomy 18:1-8; 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
(Thematic parallels: Acts 18:1-3; 20:33-35; 2 Corinthians 11:7-9)
- 1 Am I not free? Am I not an emissary? Haven’t I seen Jesus [the Anointed] our Lord?fnquotation/allusion to Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:12-18 Aren’t you my work in the Lord?
- 2 If I’m not an emissary to others, then at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my office of emissary in the Lord.
- 3 My defensefnThe Greek word here is “ἀπολογία” (apologia), which is the root of our English word “apologetics”. It specifically refers to a verbal defense, and the term was used for a legal defense in court. It implies providing compelling evidence to answer an accusation or objection that was raised. to the men examining me is this:
- 4 Don’t we definitely have the right to eat and to drink?
- 5 Don’t we definitely have the right to bring along a believingfn“believing” is literally “sister”, with sister indicating a wife who is Christian. wife? (Just as also the rest of the emissaries, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephasfn“Cephas” is Aramaic for “a rock”, and is another name for the disciple Peter. do.)
- 6 Or do Barnabas and I alone not have the right to not work?
- 7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and doesn’t eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and doesn’t eat from the milk of the flock?
- 8 I don’t speak these things in accordance with man’s standards, do I? Or doesn’t the law also say these things?
- 9 For it’s *written in the law of Moses: “you shall not muzzle an ox that’s threshing“fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 25:4 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Tim 5:18). Threshing is part of the process for separating chaff from grain. Threshing involves beating the grain to break the chaff free from the grain. It was typically done on a “threshing floor” with either a tool or by animals. Once the chaff is broken free, you then “winnow” the chaff and grain mixture by throwing it in the air so the wind carries away the lighter, useless chaff, while the heavier grain falls back to the earth. Once ground into flour and cooked, the grains are ready to eat. God isn’t concerned about the oxen, is He?
- 10 Or does He speak entirely for our sake? For it was written for our sake, because the man plowing ought to plow in expectation, and the man threshingfn“threshing” is literal. See note on previous verse does so in expectation of partaking in the grain.
- 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it a great thing if we reapfn“reap” is literally “will reap” material things from you?
- 12 If others partake of this right over you, couldn’t we do so more? But we didn’t make use of this right, but instead, we patiently endure all things so that we wouldn’t give any hindrance to the good news of the Anointed.
- 13 Don’t you *know that the men working in the temple eat the food from the temple? And don’t the men serving at the altar have a share in the altar sacrifices?fnquotation/allusion to Numbers 18:8-20; Deuteronomy 18:1-8; Leviticus 6:16-18, 26; 7:6-10
- 14 And in this way, the Lord appointed for the men proclaiming the good news to live from the good news.fnquotation/allusion to Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:7 CFParallel teachings: 1 Timothy 5:17-18
- 15 But I haven’t used any of these rights. (And I didn’t write these things so that it might become this way with me.) For it’s better for me to die rather than for anyone to makefn“to make” is literally “will make” my boasting empty.
- 16 For if I proclaim the good news, there isn’t a boast for me, for a compulsion is placed on me, for woe is me if I don’t proclaim the good news.
- 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
- 18 What then is my reward? That by proclaiming the good news [of the Anointed] free of charge, I might offer the good news without needing to make full use of my right in the good news.
All things to all men
(Thematic parallels: Acts 16:1-3; 21:20-26)
- 19 For while being free from all men, I made myself a slave to all men so that I might win more of them.
- 20 And I became like a Jew to the Jews, so that I might win the Jews. To men under the law, like I’m under the law – though not being under the law myself – so that I might win men under the law.
- 21 To men without the law,fn“without the law” is one word in Greek. It can mean “lawless” in the sense of wicked, but it can also refer to those without the Mosaic Law; i.e. Gentiles. That is likely the intended sense here. like a man without the law – though not being without God’s law, but lawful in the Anointed – so that I might win men without the law.
- 22 I became weak to the weak, so that I might win the weak. I *become all things to all men, so that by all means I might save some.
- 23 But I do all things for the sake of the good news, so that I might become a fellow partaker in it.
- 24 Don’t you *know that the men running in a race all indeed run, but only one receives the prize? Run like this so that you might seize it.
- 25 And every man competing uses self-control in all things. So these men indeed compete so they might receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
- 26 Therefore, I run like this, but not like I’m running aimlessly. I box like this, but not like I’m punching the air.
- 27 But I discipline my body and make it my slave, lest after having preached to others, I myself might become disqualified.