“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow — the agricultural metaphor (from Psalm 126) distributes roles while centralizing power: Paul's planting and Apollos's watering are necessary but instrumental. 'God has been making it grow' (auxanō, present tense, ongoing) is where real power resides. The Corinthians' boasting in Paul or Apollos misses the agent whose work actually transforms soil into fruit: God.
Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” That is, I first cast the word into the ground; but, in order that the seeds might not wither away through temptations, Apollos added his own part. But the whole was of God.
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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