The Strong and the Weak

“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.” Job 36:5. By nature we are very prone to despise others. That is why God gives great promises to the one who is compassionate and good. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness . . . .” Is. 58:9.

“And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one an­other.” 1 Cor. 12:21-25.

We must not be harsh but treat those who are weak in a way that they are comforted and strengthened, and that they come to faith that they too, are part of the body. Certain indi­viduals have acted in a way that exposes others’ weaknesses. That is extremely base and far away from God’s heart. The most despicable of all joys is pleasure that is derived from other people’s calamities. God works in hope and prefers to hide that which is weak and imperfect. This attitude of heart comes forth clearly in the letter to the angel in Laodicea: “Be­cause you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Rev. 3:17-18.

Jesus also gives strong exhortations to his servants, and they learn to know the fire of zeal burning in His heart: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent!” But already in the next verse, hope comes with a warm, fervent invitation to glorious fellowship with Him if re­pentance occurs. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Rev. 3:19-20. This is God’s heart—it does not keep any account of evil when there is repentance and conversion. He wants all of us to grow to life and power, spirit and strength. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

It is good for those who are strong to consider that God has created all people, and that we have nothing that we have not received from Him. “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” 1 Cor. 4:7. None of us has received anything to gloat over others. Everything we have received from God should be used in the service of goodness, so that it becomes an ever­lasting blessing to us.

Those who are weak have a tendency to listen to Satan, and therefore one must not run the church according to their feelings, wishes and understanding. Otherwise, Satan will di­rect the church through them. A whole-hearted brother has the liberty to say and do things that perhaps a weak one can­not say or do. In this case, the weak must not judge the strong, which is easy for them to do. Instead think this way: The strong one is my brother and my example. I can become strong too. At the same time, the strong can easily despise the weak. Paul did not do that. He humbled himself and served them in love. “To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Cor. 9:22.

Fathers can be extremely unmerciful to their own children and almost violent toward those who are weak. We realize that this is far from God’s heart. Consider an example of two people out jogging. One is in good shape and in much better condition than the other. It would be easy for him to set a fast pace to impress the other one, who would soon be left behind. When the strong one gets to the top of the hill and rests a minute to catch his breath, the slower one will still be strug­gling up the slope. And when he finally reaches the top, he might be welcomed by: “That was a nice warm-up! Let’s con­tinue.” The weak one is still trying to catch his breath and lower his pulse, and this certainly won’t improve his self-confidence. The fast runner needs to understand to stay at the slow one’s pace, to help him improve. This is how he can be an example for the others.

The weak must not judge the strong, and the strong must not despise the weak. The Lord cares for him—maybe one day he will come to a greater glory than you. It is absolutely vital to respect all those whom God has placed in the church, so we can avoid violating the laws of the body of Christ. A schoolteacher who was very good and caring to his pupils thought this way: Who knows what will become of these chil­dren? Maybe one of them will be the prime minister!

Paul didn’t want to show his strength if it was going to have a negative impact on the faith of the weak. The love in his heart drove him to this attitude: “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” 1 Cor. 8:13. It is no surprise that he received such an abundance of grace over his life and ministry.