Just Because You Can

By Father Casey

This weekend we will hear a passage from one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. It was written a long time ago, and on the face of it, it’s about an issue that we don’t give any thought to today – whether or not to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols. And yet, I think this little passage has a ton of godly wisdom for our current moment.

To understand it, you have to know a few things. First, the Corinthian Church was a mess. Bitterly divided, separated into factions, slowly poisoning their own souls with anger and hostility. You also have to know this was a largely Gentile church; that is, they didn’t really know the Law of Torah, or any of the prescriptions about what to eat and what not to eat. Third, Corinth was a leading Roman city, so there was a major cultic practice in the city related to the Roman gods; one has to imagine that the meat market may have been right next door to many temples and shrines.

So, it seems that one of the most hotly debated matters for the Christians of Corinth was whether or not they could eat meat that had been offered to idols. Surely it doesn’t matter, since the idols aren’t real, said some. In Christ, we are free from all the old laws, and besides, “it’s not what goes into a person that defiles, but what comes out,” right (Matt 15:11)?

Addressing the matter, Paul essentially said you’re confusing the issue. The question is not whether the food is good or bad. The heart of the matter is that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. There are others in your community who are confused by your behavior, Paul says, and your actions are confusing them to the point of spiritual damage. Your freedom to eat that food doesn’t make it right, because sometimes the most faithful act is to restrain yourself from doing what you are quite free to do.

All these years later, we are still in need of this lesson. Too often, we confuse liberty with faithfulness. We mistakenly believe that personal freedom is a core Christian value. We think that because we are able – religiously or legally – to do something, it makes it right. But just because we can (eat/drink whatever we want; watch whatever we want; post whatever we want), doesn’t mean we should.

A big way we can help heal our society from all our toxic divisiveness is by learning Paul’s lesson to the Corinthians. We need to focus on taking better care with each other. We need to remember that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. We need to practice more disciplined restraint, out of consideration for the wellbeing of others. Because Christians model our lives after Jesus, and Jesus always put others ahead of himself. He never asked, “What am I free to do for my own benefit and enjoyment,” but instead was forever oriented by the question, “What is good for me to do for the sake of others?”

So, I wonder, what are you free to do that you might actually refrain from this week? Where will you show some disciplined restraint for the sake of others? How might you practice the idea, “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should?”