Reading
for Epiphany 2B: 1 Cor. 6:11-20
January 15, 2006
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Saint Paul said to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” [1 Cor. 6]
I have waited 15 years in my ordained ministry to preach on today’s letter from Paul to the Corinthians. Every three years, this reading comes up in the lectionary. But, either I am not scheduled to preach, or I end up preaching on today’s reading from the Book of Samuel (one of my favorites), or on the issue of justice (given that this is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday). However, the opportunity has finally arrived. So, without any further hesitation, I am going to delve into some fabulous Pauline theology and talk about what Paul means when he says, “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” For those of you who dislike Paul and believe that he is an uptight prude who preaches the oppression of women, I ask you to put your perspective aside for a moment. I ask you to open your heart and mind to one of the greatest spiritual insights that has the power to transform.
In order to understand today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, I think it would be helpful to start off with some cultural facts about 1st century Corinth. Corinth was a major maritime and commercial center, located about 50 miles from Athens Greece, with a population of over 1/2 million people. Immigrants were attracted to this city from all parts of the Mediterranean world. They would bring with them their diverse cultural heritages, distinctive, social customs, and differing religious beliefs and practices. There were many pagan temples in Corinth, including the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Many believed that the gods lived in these temples, made by human hands (much like the early Jews who believed that God lived in the temple in Jerusalem.) At a time when public morality was at a low ebb in the Empire, Corinth was notorious for its lax morals. Prostitution, exploitation of young boys and girls, incest, and slavery was common everywhere. Most of the prostitutes were female slaves who were forced into service at pagan temples. It was into this city of slavery, debauchery, and the exploitation of women and children, that the church in Corinth attracted its members.
These newly formed Christians brought with them the many different cultural habits and morals of their society. Since there were so many divergent religious views and practices in this city, it was difficult for these early Christians to know what was appropriate and what was not. For instance, Gnosticism was a popular philosophy at the time. It was a philosophy which believed that the body was fallen and depraved, and had no part to play in the spiritual or moral life. Thus many Gnostics interpreted this philosophy as a “free-for-all” when it came to the subject of sex, food, and things.
It is into this context of diverse ideas and practices that Paul lays out for his congregation, the importance of the body in the life of a Christian. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” [1 Cor. 6] He tries to make his point by comparing the commitment made in baptism to the commitment made in marriage.
As you may remember, in marriage, each partner makes a commitment to cleave to the other in a covenantal relationship: “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death.” [BCP 427] Notice that the focus is on commitment, not specific rules and regulations. The marriage rite does not include promises to clean up the kitchen, to cook three meals a day, to make a certain salary, to have good sex, or to buy a big house. Rather, the marriage vows are meant to orient each of the partners in such a way that they grow in love and peace with God and each other all the days of their lives.
The same level of commitment is expected in baptism; this time, a commitment to God in Christ. Instead of laying out hundreds of rules and regulations to follow (as the Jewish legal system prescribed), the baptismal vows are meant to orient the believer to a life in Christ, by requiring the candidate for baptism to renounce evil, to turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and to put one’s whole trust in his grace and love. [see BCP 302]
There are two ways to follow the Christian Path. One way is to be extremely disciplined and to follow the highest ethical and moral principles laid out in our Christian heritage. We all know what those ethical and moral principles are. If Christians over the centuries had followed them, this world would be a very different place. Unfortunately, there is within the human condition, a propensity to try hard but to fail time and time again. This is especially true when the going gets tough. A prime example of this is that of the German people after World War I. After experiencing hunger, economic depravation, and shame, something tarnished the soul of these very disciplined and intelligent people. Their passions and needs and feeling of injustice superseded their ability to follow moral and ethical precepts. World War II was the result, culminating in the deaths of over 20 million people worldwide.
Paul does not believe that simply following rules and regulations ultimately works or has the ability to save. As a Jew, he tried to follow the legal code, but time and time again he failed along with his colleagues. Paul believes that the successful religious life begins with a commitment and an orientation. In the case of a Christian, it begins with an orientation toward Christ, “the Light of the world.” The true Christian life is not about following a legal system of rules and regulations. It is rather a commitment to follow Christ by putting our whole trust in his grace love and power. And from this holy orientation and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will receive grace after grace, transforming us into the likeness of Christ. This is the goal!
Now in regards to the body, Paul believes that the body is significant in one’s spiritual journey; one’s ability to follow Christ. Using the metaphor of a temple, Paul believes that God resides in each one of us; a temple of the Holy Spirit. He does not believe God resides in a temple made of bricks and stones or wood. We are the body of Christ. In Baptism, we make a commitment to become a sanctuary for God. Each member of the body of Christ is a living stone and together we make a spiritual house.
We are to act and to treat our bodies with the perspective that we are God’s dwelling place. And as such, we are to keep our temple holy and healthy. This means that using the body for sexual pleasures that result in the exploitation of others, is simply wrong, if one truly believes that his or her body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. If we cleave to Christ and follow him, we will use our bodies in ways that glorify God rather than use them to harm ourselves or hurt others.
Now let’s try to apply this insight, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” to 21st century America. I will use the issue of food and lifestyle as my example. If you read the New York Times, you will have noticed that during this past week, an excellent series was presented on one of the most serious epidemics to hit the United States: diabetes. Diabetes is a disease which prevents the body from effectively processing the sugar in the blood. This results in infections and the destruction of the circulatory system, kidneys, limbs, and eyes. As this disease advances, people go blind, end up on dialysis, and have their toes, legs, and arms amputated.
There are two kinds of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 affects about 5-10% of the people afflicted with this disease and is believed to be an inherited trait. However, 90% of all new diabetics have type 2 diabetes. At one time, type 2 diabetes affected only older people but it is now epidemic among children and teens. The good news is, most cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable. Type 2 is usually caused by bad eating (e.g. too much sugar and fat), being overweight, and lack of exercise. With healthful living, the condition can be reversed, thus restoring the individual to good health and wholeness. The bad news is, if we do not put an end to this epidemic, our work force will become disabled and our medical system will become bankrupt and overburdened in about ten years.
Today, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx is filled with a universe of afflictions. “In truth, these assorted burdens were all the work of a single illness: diabetes. Room after room, floor after floor, diabetes. On any given day, nearly half of the patients are there for some trouble precipitated by diabetes…It is estimated that more than one in every eight New Yorkers now have diabetes and city health officials describe the problem as a bona fide epidemic.” [New York Times, 1/9/06]
In spite of all the education in nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle, most diabetics are unable to keep to a healthy routine of eating and healthy living. Some of the resistance is cultural, some of it is economic, but most of it is the inability or refusal to follow the rules and regulations. It is into this context of crowded hospitals, swelling disability rolls, and mounting costs, that Paul says: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” [1 Cor. 6]
I think that most Americans have distanced themselves from their bodies, thinking of their bodies as a possession; something to treat when sick, feed when hungry, and exercise when clothes get too tight. We do not treat our bodies as something precious, something fragile, something that deserves love and care. This attitude is similar to the 1st century Gnostics who disregarded the body and believed in free-for-alls when it came to food, sex, and things.
Imagine desecrating this church by spray-painting it with four letter words, stomping on the holy Eucharist, and throwing feces at the altar? We would be appalled to see “this temple made by human hands” being harmed. And yet, we harm our bodies, which are sacred vessels containing the Holy Spirit, without giving it a second thought. I wonder how differently we would treat our bodies if we truly believed and acted as if our body was the temple of the Holy Spirit. This would be a lot more helpful than simply following rules and regulations. Perhaps with this different perspective, we would experience healthier lives; perhaps we would celebrate life more fully; perhaps we would end this terrible epidemic, thus saving our medical system from shutting down.
“Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth.” [Collect of the Day, BCP 215]
| Updated 1/15/06 |
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