And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1

Today's Scripture Reading (February 10, 2021): 1 Corinthians 2

A story is told of a church that had a wonderful stained-glass portrait of Jesus at the front of the sanctuary. If you came into the church in the morning, looking toward the front, this image of Jesus glowed as the sun shone through the pieces of colored glass. But the platform was high, and the pastor was a reasonably large man. So if you wanted to see the glowing Jesus, you had to come into the church during a time when a church service was not taking place; on Sunday mornings, the image was hidden behind the pastor as he presented his morning message.

One Sunday, the pastor was away, and in his place stood a much smaller man. And as he spoke, this beautiful image of Jesus peaked out over his head.

Amongst the congregation listening to the morning message was a little girl. And as she looked up from her play, she noticed that something was different at the front of the church. Finally, she figured out what it was and cautiously leaned over to whisper a question into her mother's ear. "What happened to the man who usually stands there so that we can't see Jesus?"

It is a challenge for all Christians, how do we reveal Jesus with our lives? More importantly, how do we refrain from hiding him. It was a question that Bob Hartman (Petra) asked in the early 1980s.

The world is looking for a revelation
We're always under their investigation
They look at us to hear we got to say
They can't see Jesus when we stand in the way
They don't need no more elevated speeches
We're keeping Jesus just beyond their reaches
Can't see the forest for all of the trees
They won't see Jesus till we fall on our knees (Lift Him Up, Bob Hartman, 1983).

There seems to be no doubt that Paul was well trained in the art of making philosophical arguments. He had made them, persuading many, when he was an enemy of the church. Paul knew how a great debater could sway people from one side to the other. He also knew that the best orator is not necessarily the one in a position of the truth. As Paul preached to the Corinthians, he wanted to leave that behind. His purpose was not to come as a salesman, selling people on Jesus. He was a witness. He understood that the "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:22), but Paul was committed not to give his audience what it is that that they wanted. He wanted to be the messenger and not the message. And the message he intended to preach was Jesus. Paul would do everything in his power to make sure that he did not stand in the way of the message. He intended to simply lift Jesus up and firmly believed that that was all that was necessary.

Hartman agrees. In the chorus of his 1983 song, he writes.

Lift Him up, higher and higher
Lift Him up, set the world on fire
It doesn't take much theology
Just lift Him up so the world can see
Lift Him up, tell the gospel story
Lift Him up, left them see His glory
It doesn't take any Bible degree
Just lift Him up so the world can see (Lift Him Up, Bob Hartman, 1983).

We don't need eloquence, and sometimes, to preach Jesus, all any of us need is a willingness to get out of the way.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3