COMMENTARY

Old Testament: Isaiah 49:8-18
Through the prophet, God speaks words of consolation to his captive people in Babylon. The frightened and defeated people are beckoned from their hiding places. God promises that he will protect them, heal their wounds, feed them and lead them back to their homeland. The created world joins in the celebration for the redeemed but the downtrodden people find it difficult to receive the good news saying: "The Lord has forsaken me" (v. 14).

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4:1-13
Paul pens this passage with a hurting heart because he and his cohorts are judged to be wanting by the Corinthian church. They did not fit their image of what successful leaders should look like. Paul stakes his leadership claim on his relationship with Christ, not worldly standards. …