Today's Scripture
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Job 32-33; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
11 1 Follow my example, just like I follow Christ’s. 2 I praise you because you remember all my instructions, and you hold on to the traditions exactly as I handed them on to you. 3 Now I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered shames his head. 5 Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head. It is the same thing as having her head shaved. 6 If a woman doesn’t cover her head, then she should have her hair cut off. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have short hair or to be shaved, then she should keep her head covered. 7 A man shouldn’t have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is man’s glory. 8 Man didn’t have his origin from woman, but woman from man;9 and man wasn’t created for the sake of the woman, but the woman for the sake of the man. 10 Because of this a woman should have authority over her head, because of the angels. 11 However, woman isn’t independent from man, and man isn’t independent from woman in the Lord. 12 As woman came from man so also man comes from woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him; 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? This is because her long hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if someone wants to argue about this, we don’t have such a custom, nor do God’s churches.
What does this passage mean to me/us? Contributed by Eric Anderson
Paul shares several important messages to the church in Corinth within these verses. First he encourages the congregation by commending their faithfulness to the example of following Christ that he showed them. This behavior allows the believers to keep the message of God’s love through Jesus true. He then takes an opportunity to remind the men and women of the church who are praying and prophesying to be sensitive to the respective cultural traditions while doing so; that is, a man’s head is to be uncovered and a woman’s to be covered. This allows the gospel to be presented without distraction. Paul gives his reasons for doing so by sharing the structure and connection of creation and procreation. He uses the Greek word Kephale for Head which means “source” reminding both man and woman that they depend on each other and that God is the ultimate source of all things.
These verses should give the church today as much encouragement as they did to the church in Corinth. It is always good to be reminded that God is the source of all creation. It is always good to be reminded that we need each other. It is always good to remember to be sensitive to the context we are in when sharing the gospel so the message comes first. And it is always good to remember that we are to live according to the example that Jesus showed us.
Prayer
Creator God, you are the head of everything, from the church to our relationships, indeed life itself. I pray that we would be mindful of the example Christ gave and that we would be faithful in following it. That in following we may lead others to you. Amen.
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