The Explanation

Paul was a man who traveled to tell people about Jesus. He ate at many tables, in many houses, with many kinds of people. Some were Jews. Some were Greeks. Some already believed in Jesus, some did not.

At those tables, food was sometimes served that had first been offered to an idol, a fake god made of stone or wood. Paul says something surprising. He says he does not just do whatever he wants at the table. He thinks about the people around him. "I please all men in all things," he says, "not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved."

Imagine Paul walking into a house. The smell of roasted meat fills the room. He is hungry, and there is nothing wrong with the meat itself. But someone at the table leans over and whispers, "That was offered to an idol." Paul looks at that person's worried face. He puts his fork down. Not because he has to. Because he wants that person to see Jesus clearly, without confusion.

What Does This Mean?

Paul is not a man who is easily pushed around. He is not weak or afraid. He is strong enough to give something up on purpose. That is the surprise of this verse. Real strength is not always taking what you are allowed to have. Sometimes real strength is putting it down, for someone else.

Paul was not trying to make everyone like him just to feel popular. He explains why: "that they may be saved." He wanted people to see Jesus so clearly that nothing he did got in the way. His own comfort was not the most important thing at the table. The other person was.

Think of a shield. A soldier does not carry a shield only to protect himself. Sometimes he holds it up to protect the friend fighting beside him. Paul held up his freedom like a shield, for the sake of others.

The Common Thread

This whole chapter talks about a rock that gave water in the desert, and Paul says plainly, "the rock was Christ." Jesus was there, even back then, giving his people what they needed. He is the same Jesus who later gave his own body and blood, the bread and the cup, so that scattered people could become one.

Jesus did the very thing Paul is talking about, but far bigger. He did not seek his own profit. He gave up his own comfort, his own safety, even his own life, for the profit of many, that they might be saved. Paul was not inventing a new rule. He was following his King.

For You

You will not eat meat offered to idols this week. But you will sit at tables too. Sometimes you get to choose the show, the game, the seat, the last cookie. You are allowed to choose for yourself. But sometimes, just like Paul, you can choose to let someone else go first.

Would you give up the front seat so your little brother stops crying? Would you let a friend pick the game, even though you wanted a different one? That is small, but it is the same shield Paul was holding. It shows people something about Jesus, without you saying a single word.

Talk About It

Why do you think Paul gave up things he was allowed to have?

Can you think of one thing you could give up this week so someone else feels loved?

Praying Together

Dear Jesus, thank you for giving up everything for us. Help me to think of others at the table, in my games, and at home. Show me one small thing I can give up this week for someone else. Amen.