Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?
η μονος εγω και βαρναβας ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν του μη εργαζεσθαι
12 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Do you see how humble-minded his soul is, and how pure of all envy? See how he does not pass over in silence the one who shared his labors. If all else is common to us with them, why should this not also be common? Both they and we are apostles, are free, have seen Christ, and have done what befits apostles. Therefore we too have the right to live without labors and receive support from the disciples.
That is, do we not have authority to live without working and to be supported at the expense of our disciples, without laboring? He did not keep silent about Barnabas either, whom he knew to be equally exact in this regard, for he lived by his own labor.
The Lord commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the Gospel, that is, to receive necessary food and clothing from believers.
“Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no authority to refrain from working?” That is, from doing rough labor to feed ourselves?
According to Christ’s commandment, the holy Apostles had to go into the world to preach without money, without a bag, without a change of clothes, and without any instruments for acquiring food.
For, according to Christ’s word, they were to receive food for their preaching from those being enlightened (Mt 10:10). Therefore the chief apostolic work is preaching and concern for piety in the world.
It is not a craft or another worldly occupation, for example one undertaken for a piece of bread (Acts 6:2). For this reason the Apostle Paul says that he has the right and authority not to work to obtain food for himself.
The faithful must give drink and food to him and his companions. He uses all his time for another work, and his neighbor must give him a portion of his time and labor.
This means that we have authority to do so, but do not wish to.
That is, the Lord allowed all who preach the Gospel "to live from the Gospel." Are we alone deprived of this right? Then the Apostle proves its justice and necessity also from ordinary human customs.
Each of the Apostles, one may say, received one country as his allotted portion and set it in good order. But Paul, like a winged husbandman, traversed almost the whole world.
He visited the very furthest limits of the earth, setting in good order those who heard him and sowing the divine preaching even among those who had not heard.
Therefore women also followed the other Apostles, not for childbearing and cohabitation, but to supply and feed the preachers of non-possessiveness from their own possessions.
But they did not have permission or ability to follow Paul, who, as I have said, reached the very ends of the earth. And what wonder is it that women remained behind?
Even Barnabas, who bore one yoke with him, grew weary of this unending journey and labor and yielded the first place to Paul.
When Barnabas had not yet separated from him, Paul wrote the following: “Do we not have authority to lead about a sister, a woman, as do the other Apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no authority to refrain from working?” (1 Cor 9:5-6).
This does not mean that these counselors of virginity and preachers of chastity, who set in order companies of virgins, lived with wives.
For who would have agreed to heed their counsels to live in virginity, if they themselves were seen to be sunk in pleasures?
Therefore the Apostle does not say this. Otherwise he would have spoken as the writers of marriage contracts do: “to feed and clothe a wife and spouse, as befits a wife and spouse, according to one’s strength.”
They say “wife” to denote the sex, and “spouse” to denote cohabitation. But since women followed the Apostles in order to feed the teachers of non-possessiveness from their own property, the Apostle said “sister” to show purity, and “woman” to denote sex.
For even a virgin is called a woman, though she be untouched. She is a woman in appearance, though innocent; a woman by nature, though a stranger to intercourse with the male sex.
That this designation is not used without special intent is evident from this. The same Paul, whose saying some dare to distort maliciously, spoke of the Savior, born according to the flesh from the Holy Virgin Mary, and said: “born of a Woman” (Gal 4:4).
What are you doing, Paul? Do you call the Virgin a Woman? Yes, he says, I call Her Woman according to nature, but I understand Her in thought as Virgin.
For the Virgin, though She knows not marriage, is a woman. She is a woman in appearance and bodily constitution, but Virgin in innocence and purity.
It is clear from this that not only Paul demanded nothing from the Corinthians and did not wish to lead a woman about with him for service. He served himself and fed himself by his own labors.
The all-praised Barnabas also did the same. Therefore Paul acknowledges this from sincerity of heart, speaking thus: Is it only I and Barnabas, of all the Apostles, who have no authority to refrain from working?
That is, have we no authority to be free from our handiwork, and to have our disciples serve us and feed us?
Having thus proved that, by reason of his authority and by the example of the other Apostles, he justly ought to receive service and food from his disciples, he next explains the same thing again by examples from daily life and the rules of custom.
"Authority not to work," in Russian: "not to work"? The Apostle asks whether we alone, Paul and Barnabas, do not have the right to receive sustenance for our preaching, but must necessarily obtain it by labor.
"Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no authority not to work?" The Corinthians probably knew that Saint Barnabas, even after separating from Paul, acted like him in the matter of supporting himself (Bishop Theophan). Saint Chrysostom observes here: "Do you see how humble-minded Saint Paul’s soul is, and how pure of every envy? See how he does not pass over in silence the one who shared his labors."
The Apostle indicates instructive examples of abstinence in this: he did not use support from those to whom he preached the Gospel. He also did not use those conveniences of missionary travel which some Apostles enjoyed with spouses, such as Peter, Philip, and others, and with pious female companions.
Finally, by manual labor, chiefly by making coverings for tents, he procured everything necessary for his existence.
According to Blessed Theodoret, “as women followed the Lord, so women also followed the Apostles. They showed fervent faith in themselves, were attached to their teaching, and assisted the divine preaching.”
“To refrain from working,” that is, from procuring sustenance for ourselves by the labors of our hands. He speaks as though saying: “The Lord permitted all who preach the Gospel to live from the Gospel. Are we alone deprived of this right?” (Theodoret).
“If everything else is common to us with them, why should this not also be common? Both they and we are Apostles, are free, have seen Christ, and have done what belongs to Apostles.
Therefore we too have the right to live without such labors and to receive support from the disciples” (Chrysostom).
Why is Barnabas mentioned, when Silas and Timothy were with Saint Paul in Corinth? Probably the Corinthians knew that Saint Barnabas, even after separating from Saint Paul, acted like him in the matter of supporting himself.
Saint Chrysostom notes only this: “Do you see how humble-minded Saint Paul’s soul is and how pure from every envy? He does not pass over in silence the one who shared his labors.”
The Apostle takes the second argument from “the customs of life” (Theodoret).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 10 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS