His task was to follow directions, not second-guess the master. We have seen the Christian teacher as a servant through the concepts of a minister and a stew ard. But there is another quality of character that is found in verse two. There we read, "Morever it is re quired in stewards, that a man be found faithful." This is a wonderful trait, but I have often thought to myself, "Why were not such words as resourceful, innovative, under standing, personable, patient, used instead?" They were not omitted because they are unimportant qual ities of character. Nor is this spe cific reference to faithfulness an attempt to put down such qualities of Biblical character as self-control or humility. Paul just points out that the basic obligation and the overriding quality among servants is that of faithfulness. Now we must ask, who do these servants serve so faithfully? Verse one says they are "ministers of Christ." Do they say prayers for Christ, or provide for Him in some mystical way? No. They are His people serving His followers. A steward or servant spent a good deal of his time taking care of his master's guest in the precise way the master directed. Paul minis tered in this way. Keep in mind, Paul is writing to the Christians at Corinth. He is rendering a distinc tive service to them, a service that God would have him fulfill. He even refers in I Corinthians 2:1 to the time when he visited them and lead many of them to the Lord. There he writes, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to
ship. At the right time, with the proper rhythm, he was to pull on his oar so that the ship would move ahead. Perhaps the best il lustration that we can make today that would parallel the concept that Paul has in mind is that of the racing shell that is used in inter collegiate athletics and in the Olympic games. As you recall, there is a coxswain in the larger shells who will sit and steer that shell. He will also set the cadence for the men so that they will pull on the oars in unison. As they stroke their way on, hopefully to victory, it is the coxswain who sets the pace and who is the master of that particular shell. Teachers, along with all other Christians, man the oars. Christ is the one who sets the pace, sets the direction, and calls the ca dence. In the study of the Word, each Christian can come to see and understand the Lordship of Christ. STEWARDS Look now at another interesting phrase, "stewards of the mysteries of Cod." What is a steward and how does this relate to the concept of a servant that we are exploring? In that day, if a person had a large home or many belongings, he would hire a steward to assist him in caring for his estate. The stew ard would supervise the operation of the entire household. The Creek word that we have translated here for steward very clearly gives the idea that this person is the one who has the control of that par ticular home or that house. The steward is not the master of the home. The owner is the master. But he has been placed in charge to manage that household only as the master would have it managed.
Page 6
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker