No one embodied the greatness of sports more than Mohammad Ali. While his record of 56 wins, including 37 TKO’s, with only five losses has been matched by other fighters, no one has matched the quality of opponents Ali faced. Ali stood on the mountain of greatness and faced some of the other greatest fighters ever, and won. If winning against the best wasn’t enough, Ali was the self-proclaimed GOAT, declaring, “I am the Greatest.” His prowess immortalized in the photo of him standing over Sonny Liston, taunting him to stand up and fight. If being the greatest fighter ever wasn’t enough, Ali could speak in lyrical verse as easily as we can speak in pros, flowing from his lips with entertaining ease and meaning. What separated Ali from all the other great athletes was that he not only believed he was the greatest of all time, but that he wasn’t afraid to say it, either.
We play for bragging rights. My brother and I played one on one basketball in the backyard. The third game and tie breaker was not for a world cup but simply bragging rights. Couples gather around the table for a night of cards. No money exchanges hands, but whoever wins has bragging rights. At least until the next time. Two regional and rival football teams face off. They may be out of contention for a title, and nothing is on the line, except for bragging rights.
In a world where winner takes all, the gospel calls us to play a different kind of game.
Paul was losing his fight to win over the Corinthian church. He was on the ropes and his opponents held the advantage. He was taken a beating, or we might say, “takin’ a whoopin’.” The opponents, antagonistic to Paul, were filled with their own bragging rights. As one reads through 2 Corinthians, their story starts to come into clear focus.
They were proud of their Jewish pedigree (11:22-23a) and promised a more powerful experience with the Holy Spirit, something Paul had supposedly failed to provide (e.g., 3:817,18). They carried with them letters of recommendation (3:1), likely from Jerusalem, giving them some form of authority. Paul never produced such letters, thus Paul lacked true authority. They were trained speakers who waxed eloquently (11:6), all the while accusing Paul of being timid (10:1, 10). They accepted financial support from Corinth, and used that position against Paul (12:16). Paul refused such backing from Corinth, but was collecting funds for the famine relief in Jerusalem. The opponents may have feared the gold mine in Corinth might soon dry up. Seeing a hole to exploit, they used Paul’s “change of plans” as a means to undermine his truthfulness (1:15-22). Paul was not to be trusted. Sure, they preached Jesus (11:4), but not the Jesus Paul preached. They preached a Jesus of success, power, and popularity, unlike Paul’s version of Jesus: weakness, poverty, and shame. And to boot, the opponents self-promoted themselves (3:1), filling their arguments with boasting and bragging rights. Ultimately, the Corinthians’ were buying what these opponents were selling. Why not? If we were honest, we would too.
The story is told of a church looking for the perfect preacher. Candidate after candidate was rejected for the smallest flaw or perceived fault. After going through countless prospects, one of the committee members presented a letter to the board of a potential minister for their church. The letter read as follows:
“I’m over fifty years of age. I have never preached in one place for more than three years. In some places I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because I’ve broken any laws.
“My heath is not too good, though I still get a great deal accomplished. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities. I’ve not gotten along well with religious leaders in towns where I have preached. In fact, some have threatened me and even attacked me physically. I’m not too good at keeping records, as I have been known to forget whom I baptized.
“However, if you can use me, I shall do my best for you.”
The member looked over the rest of the committee, “Well, what do you think? Shall we call him?”
That the committee was aghast might have been an understatement. How could this member believe that their good church would even consider a man who has nothing but a troublemaking, absentminded, ex-jailbird? Was the board member crazy? They demanded to know who sent the letter.
The board member eyed them keenly and replied, “It’s signed, the ‘Apostle Paul.’”
Rome played for bragging rights. They boasted an unprecedented era of world peace and marketed it as Pax Romana, The Peace of Rome. But the peace was achieved through terror, intimidation, fear mongering, and the brutal and shaming execution of the crucifixion. On roads, highway, hills and any place visible to the public they crucified those who dared to defy their government. Like a billboard on our interstates, they advertised their reign of terror. “This is what happens to anyone who stands in defiance of the State.” You can almost hear the taunt, “Na nan a na, hey hey-ey, goodbye!”
On a hill outside of Jerusalem God set up his own advertisement. While Rome was owning the bragging rights, God allowed his Son to be humiliated, shamed, abused, scourged, and mocked as by-standers hurled insults like they were hurling stones. The naked victim, no he did not have a loin cloth around his midriff, was exposed and disgraced. The innocent man was executed in the most horrific and indignant way possible. The cross was not a platform for bragging rights, which makes Isaac Watts words so profound: “Forbid it Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my Lord.”
Rome bragged. God was shamed. It’s the biblical narrative often flipped by American churches. For when we distort the narrative of the cross, we will distort the narrative of our faith, our churches, and our ministries. For we will begin to operate out of personal strength, talent, and pride that looks nothing like the cross. It is what Paul was battling and contending with concerning the outside influences in Corinth.
Paul could go head-to-head with these opponents, and no doubt win a no-contest against them if not a TKO. But that might be playing into their hand. He certainly has the right pedigree himself along with proper training. And no one can doubt his service to Christ. But instead of continuing that road, Paul takes another path as he redefines boasting and bragging rights.
As Paul will say, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Cor. 11:30). Wow, talk about flipping the narrative!? Paul is willing to self-disclose the very things we try to hide and minimize. He’s willing to show his pain, his weakness, his vulnerability, and his suffering so that whatever good happens is credited to Jesus. That is why his list includes prison time. He lists floggings, lashings, beatings, and stoning’s. He’s been shipwrecked, more than once, and spent a night and day on the open sea. Danger threatens him at every turn. He’s known hunger and thirst and gone without food. He’s been cold and naked. He carries around the burden of the church and when members are led into sin, he feels the burn too.
Sometimes I think our image of the Apostle Paul looks too much like a Mohammed Ali hovering over Sonny Liston, taunting and thumping his chest, defeating some of the greatest around him like George Foreman and “Smokin’” Joe Frazier. But such an image is imposed by our American mindset of greatness. If we were to meet the Apostle Paul personally, I believe we’d find someone less imposing, someone less impressive. The Corinthians knew him, and that’s how they felt about Paul. Why should we who have never met Paul think any differently?
Where most want to talk about their wealth, Paul talks about his poverty. When most want to speak about the ease their life has been, Paul reveals how hard his life has been. While most will keep count of the people they converted and baptized, but draws a blank on that number. If most want to let everyone know what they’ve won, Paul makes sure everyone knows what he’s lost. While most want to brag about what they get right, Paul confesses about what he’s gotten wrong. Why? Because the weakness exposed in our lives means we are relying not on ourselves, but on God. That’s why Paul’s bragging rights don’t look like much to boast about.
I wonder what my bragging rights might entail. Would I talk about being ADHD and the difficulties that come with keeping focused on task, or how ADHD is linked to anxiety and depression making the peace of God a challenging experience? Do I let you know that as much as I love to read now, as a child I hated reading? I was slow and reading compression meant I studied twice as hard for half the grades. Sometimes my people skills are lacking. My debating skills are weak, I stumble to find my words while speaking, and as much as I want to I cannot “free bird” preach, often relying heavily on my notes. And after thirty-five years in ministry, I am the walking wounded to which I feel more like a failure than champion.
No, I don’t have much bragging rights. But then again, no one else does either. And that may just be Paul’s point.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)