July 10 - 1 Corinthians 4: Messiah's Misfits

Earlier this year, I referred to the "island of misfit toys" in a post.   This imagery, from the animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special, is so fitting in many ways.  We all feel like misfits from time-to-time:  The only single in a small group comprised of couples.  The only married couple with no children in a neighborhood of families with multiple children.  The only one in your group of friends who has to live on a budget.  The only person your age with a physical limitation.  The only mom who has a child with a learning challenge.  The list goes on and on ... you can add in your own particular way you feel like a misfit.

Paul is turning this idea on its head and it feeds my misfit soul.  He's celebrating not fitting in!  He's elevating the misfits because they live by another standard - that of Christ - and don't meet the world's standards.

We're something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we're mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don't have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, "God bless you." When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We're treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture's kitchen. And it's not getting any better.  (4:10-13)

Restated, Paul is saying that he is the Messiah's misfit and these are his qualifications:

• frail and uncertain
• not well-thought-of by others; in fact, mistreated and rejected
• no financial security - not enough to eat or fashionable clothes to wear; must eke out a living
• treated like garbage but not retaliating, instead doing good in return

Is this what western Christianity exalts as an obedient Christian life? When we face these kind of difficult circumstances do we say, "Yes, I know I am His."  Or, do we fall into condemnation wondering where we went wrong to miss God's blessing?  Or, do we look for ways to blame others for our poor condition?

I'm thinking that Christ, through Paul, is challenging what we believe life should look like as His followers.  Being a misfit, in whatever form it takes in our lives, is His growing and shaping us into His image.

I'm writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father. I'm not, you know, asking you to do anything I'm not already doing myself. (4:14-16)