For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles...
1 Corinthians 1:22-23
Paul first arrived in Corinth during his second missionary trip around AD 50. During his stay, the Jews took Paul to court for breaking the law. The governor threw the case out because it was a religious dispute. Paul was given freedom to evangelize and converted a number of people and began a Church before he left. This passage is taken from Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth.
The passage talks about Jews demanding a sign to validate the message and Greeks holding to their philosophical wisdom, while Christians continued to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ. What faith it must have taken for these Christians to go out and spread the Good News. There are many of us today who are not comfortable discussing our belief in Jesus Christ, yet these Christians risked their very lives spreading the Word. The early Christians dealt with Jews wanting miraculous signs and when they saw them for themselves some continued to doubt Jesus was the Son of God. In such a dark time, a place where talking person to person was the only way news was spread, it was truly a miracle that Christianity itself was founded. Even though we are true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, many of us continue to search for a sign from God. I believe our search for a sign is not about Jesus' existence, but a search to help us find the right path to follow. We pray about issues, ask for guidance, ask for forgiveness, and give thanks. We must accept the fact that God is with us every day, helping us through the good and the bad. I believe sometimes we look back at a situation and find that God guided us, or "gave us a sign" of the path to follow. We must believe that with God all things will be done as he planned them.
There are many people in this world today who do not believe in God or any spiritual being. It is marvelous when someone recognizes the Glory of God for the first time, or when someone has their faith renewed. To be saved from our ignorance and recognize that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected for our sins is the core of our Christian belief. As we live we know that when we die we will be born again in him. Without this belief we are just existing day to day. We must hold firm to the belief that it is not what we acquire on this earth that matters, but how we treat each other and hold to the Christian way of life.
Gladys Wilson (2009)
