It Starts Small

¹³ when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage. 1 Corinthians 4:13

Garbage, Paul?

Did you know that sarcasm is in the Bible? In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul addresses his fellow brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. They had started to preach a type of gospel we label as something new today. It is in fact not new, it has been around for a very long time! They were preaching a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. Paul then points out what their gospel was and what the gospel of Jesus is. He concludes the list with verse 13.

…like everyone’s garbage.

¹³ Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 1 Corinthians 4:13 KJV

¹³ when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. 1 Corinthians 4:13 NIV

¹³ We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.
1 Corinthians 4:13 NLT

The world hates Christians. We are considered the trash of the earth, but why?

²² You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ The one who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.
John 15:17-25

Jesus warned all of us that we would be hated because of Him. Why does the world hate Him so much? I believe He tells us in verse 22, because Jesus points out the sin our lives. He shows us our guilt. He shows us that there is no way to righteousness, except by Him. We are not naturally good people and never will be. People do not want to be told they are sinners and they are not inherently good people.

Yesterday I wrote about manipulation. IN the fallout of that revelation, I started to wonder if perhaps this person had just never received Christ as their Savior, as professed. We were constantly at odds with each other and the actions of this person spoke nothing of Christ, but of pure evil. A type of evil that drives and rules over this world. Perhaps the reason this person did what they did because the Spirit in me was at odds with the spirit that was in them. Evil hates God. Evil can not stand to be around someone who is filled with the Spirit of God. That is not my place to judge or ask. Only God knows the heart of each of us.

But it led me to think about who Christ reveals himself to. He does not reveal to those with a hardened hearts or operate their lives with pride and selfishness. He did not seek out the self proclaimed “righteous.” Christ is always waiting and willing to receive those people, but who he really runs after is what the world deems as trash.

¹⁵ This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 1 Timothy 1:15

I love this scripture! This is me! Who knew Paul would write a verse that had my name and picture in it! Jesus taught in the temples, but he did not go to the temples to save people. No, Jesus went to the red districts. He went into the garbage dumps of society. He did not go there to wink at sin, excuse it, or to take part in it. He showed up, and something amazing began to happen. Other started to draw close to Him. The “righteous” did not draw close, they followed Him around looking for a reason to find Him guilty. These other people, this trash that “righteous” could not stand to be in the presence of, they drew close. There was something about this Jesus.

¹⁶ When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Mark 2:16

² And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2

There seems to be this misconception that Jesus hung out and befriended sinners. What if we flipped this idea on its head? What if, because Jesus went to these places, sinners were drawn to Him? Think about the temples. Were the people in the temples, mainly Pharisees drawn to Him? Of course they were, but not in the way that the trash in the ghetto was drawn to Him. Jesus challenged the authority by His very presence in the temple. He pointed out their sin, and they all hated Him for it. When Jesus sat with the trash, they were drawn to Him and they listened to the hope through repentance he spoke of.

Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32 brings us evidence of this.

In these passages we read of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector to be his disciple. In Mark 2:15 we read:

¹⁵ While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him.
Mark 2:15

Let us picture the scene: Jesus is reclining at a table with sinners and His disciples. Many people had followed Him and joined Him at this table. When the scribes and Pharisees saw this they were deeply annoyed. They grumbled about it. But Jesus says something very interesting!

³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32

Matthew 11:16-19 and Luke 7:31-35 Jesus rebukes the people of this generation. Why? Because they had rejected John the Baptist. He was too tight, in other words, he was blunt. They rejected Jesus because he was too loose. We also find the phrase, Jesus was a friend to sinners. His enemies loved to pour this on Him. Somehow he was abhorred because he went where these “righteous” people dared not.

Luke 7:36-50 Right after this we read another story similar to this one. A sinful, society rejected woman, trash, anoints Jesus with expensive ointment and wipes Jesus’ feet with her tears and the hair of her head. The disciples are appalled. How dare a woman of such colorful history come and touch the Messiah! They attempt to correct Jesus for letting this sinner touch Him. Jesus gently reminds them that those who are forgiven much love much.

Luke 15 In the first two verses we read:

15 All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus set the stage to deliver three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Notice the trash was drawing near to Jesus while the “righteous” were rebuking Him. He showed up, and people drew near to Him. The parables listed were a demonstration of how God seeks out the lost (Luke 15:3,8,20) and how pleased God is when sinners repent (Luke 15:7, 10, 21-14).

Luke 19:1-10 We read AGAIN, the Jewish leaders were grumbling! They still could not wrap their mind around Jesus having come to seek and save the lost. Zacchaeus had repented in front of all to see, but those Jewish leaders, the “righteous” just could not believe their eyes.

The Jewish leaders could not believe the trash had become a treasure.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

The original verse at the very top is not in context with what I am writing about today. It reminded me that when you have truly received Christ and you have taken on His identity and you have tossed your old nature, your old identity in the grave, you will find people who do not have the same identity in Christ will hate you.

They are going to despise you, persecute you, slander you, try to manipulate you, try to deceive you, and do anything they can to discredit who you are. They may even use God’s Word to discredit your transformation. They hate the truth you represent. You represent what the power of God can do to trash. On their self proclaimed pedestal, they can not imagine someone like you is even worthy of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Your transformation points out their self proclaimed righteousness is all a false religion. They hate that you are a walking breathing testimony to what the power of God can do.

Paul says:

¹¹ Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; ¹² we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage. 1 Corinthians 4:11-13

When you are reviled (criticized and abused), bless them.

When you are persecuted, endure it.

When you are slandered, respond graciously.

Take confidence in knowing you are a treasure to your Heavenly Father. No one can take that away from you. Just as we would protect and keep treasures of great value safe, so our Heavenly Father will protect us, give us endurance, and continue to fill your heart with His love, grace, and mercy to be His living breathing and walking testimony of Him.