“For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.”

Paul’s sarcasm begins to wind through the thread of his actual experience. He was the one who first preached the gospel to them, without whose ministry they would still be dead in their sins, apart from Christ and Him crucified. There is a cost to serving God, and he reminds them of his sacrifice. He has certainly paid his dues. If we only had this snippet of Paul, we might conclude he was self-centered and was inviting what might be called a pity party. However, that would be totally out of character for Paul and would misunderstand his thrust.

He begins with “I think,” which conveys the sense of perception. If a Corinthian believer “thinks [perceives] that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise” (1 Cor. 3:18). By contrast, Paul perceives himself to be on display as a condemned man, the complete opposite of the Corinthians’ self-perception! One pictures the triumphal marches staged by the victorious Roman generals, with the long line of captured and condemned prisoners of war being marched into the imperial city, with the conquered leaders saved for the end, put on display with cruelest treatment and scorn in front of the masses. Their death would be entertainment for the masses. That was how Paul perceived his experience as an apostle—and not just in front of men, but also within the spiritual world.

Did Paul really feel this way, or was this hyperbole, a dramatic over-statement to shame his readers? Me thinks not. Being an apostle was not easy, as a careful reading of both letters to the Corinthians reveals (e.g. 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Against their self-acclaim to wisdom, he sees himself as a “fool for Christ’s sake.” I think he is saying that he has been willing to accept the flow of criticism from non-believers, whom they think are foolish in their thinking and behavior. Paul wanted very much for the Corinthians to step into the same line of fire (1 Cor 3:18). Not because he was a sort of masochist who liked trouble, but that he was willing, and they should also be, to accept the hardships that accompany being a true follower of Christ and Him crucified. So whenever we are tempted by pride to see ourselves as prudent, strong, and distinguished, remember that the apostles viewed themselves as fools, weak, and without honor. That should humble us.

Lord, I humbly accept the world’s label “fool’ for following the crucified One.