In the verse preceding our text, Paul writes, "Jews demand miraculous signs." They said, "Moses performed miracles; let us see miracles performed, and then we will believe," forgetting that all the miracles that Moses did were completely eclipsed by those which Jesus did while he was on the earth as the God-man.

Then there were certain Judaizing teachers who, in order to win the Jews, preached circumcision, exalted the Passover, and endeavored to prove that Judaism might still exist side by side with Christianity, and that the old rites might still be practiced by the followers of Christ.

So Paul, who was "all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some," put his foot down, and said, in effect, "Whatever others may do, we preach Christ crucified; we dare not, we cannot, and we will not alter the great subject matter of our preaching, Jesus Christ, and him crucified.