1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (Food and Four-Year-Olds)

¹ Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? 

Recently, I have really begun to have an appreciation for GOOD food.  Not just Applebee's or Don Pablos, but really good food.  Food that takes lots of time to prepare and requires words like lyonnaise,  bourguignon, and pappardelle (and lest you think too highly of me, I do not make this kind of food, but I like to purchase it at nice restaurants on occasion).   My tastes and appreciations are changing, and it is so exciting!  I love seafood now with a passion that would have make myself sick ten years ago.  And that's just it...I'm a grown-up now, and I like grown-up foods, not the bland, frozen varieties that can be heated in seconds.

Keep this picture in mind as you think about what Paul is saying this morning.  I can hear the love in his voice as he addresses them as 'brothers and sisters', but there must be some undertones of frustration as well.  He is frustrated with their spiritual dealings with one another.  He calls them mere infants in their relation to Christ!  He says that because of this, when he last saw them, he gave them spiritual milk, not solid "adult" food because they weren't ready for it yet.

Isn't that the case with us?  Four-year-olds don't like fish unless it's battered and deep fried, and they certainly wouldn't be ready to deal with the spicy horseradish in shrimp cocktail.  They need bland, easy to swallow food.  The same goes with the Corinthians level of spiritual maturity.  They still need the basics.  How does Paul know this?

He says, "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?"  Why do we quarrel and get jealous?  It's because we're not getting OUR way!  I don't know who that reminds you of, but it sure reminds me of....four-year-olds.  Young children think of themselves and what would make them feel good at any given moment.   I'm sometimes shocked when I do see behavior like this in the adults at my work place or when I'm running errands around town, but I'm even more shocked and saddened when it's happening where Paul sees it -- the Church.  Greater still, I am most saddened when I see this behavior in myself.  There is nothing that makes me hang my head more than when I realize I have been like a four-year-old thinking only of "Me! Me! Me!"

In Paul's situation, people were arguing over who they were following: Paul (who originally came and preached to them when they had never heard preaching before), or Apollos (the "pastor" figure who stayed with them after Paul left who taught and encouraged them as new Believers).  The people have begun to put Paul and Apollos on the pedestals instead of Jesus Christ.  Don't we do this sometimes?  We place certain Christian leaders as the be-all and end-all, following whatever they say we should do rather than looking at Christ Himself.  Often, we find security or pride in the fact that people know "who we follow" in politics, theology, or entertainment.  We have aligned ourselves with someone.

So what do these verses this tell us about what mature Christians would do?  First of all, they are not concerned with themselves.  They don't have to get their way all the time because they are not seeking their own plans but what the Lord desires; therefore, they do not find themselves in many quarrels and fights.  Really think about that: how often are you seeking YOUR desires in a day rather than what God desires?

Secondly, we don't feel the need to align ourselves with certain people for our identity or status.  This could be in the form of politicians, pastors, celebrities, or friends we know.  It's not that we can't have opinions about people, but our identity and focus should be on Christ.  He is the One we follow.  He is the One we want to emulate.  Question:  Do people associate you as being a big fan of the Kardashians or a big fan of Christ?  Do they associate you as Democratic or Republican, or do they associate you as Christian?

These are steps in the right direction to maturity...and isn't that what we want?