BIG IDEA:
BASIS FOR HIS BOASTING IN HIS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY —
SEVERE PRESSURES IN THE MINISTRY MAKE WEAKNESS THE PLATFORM FOR EXALTING CHRIST’S GRACE AND POWER
INTRODUCTION:
George Shillington: With the rationale for this Fool’s Speech now in place (11:1-15), Paul embarks, however reluctantly, on the speech proper at 11:16. Throughout the whole argument, he matches the situation at Corinth by invoking conventions from the literary world of the time—comparison, self-praise, and irony. (Missionary counterparts are using the same conventions to undermine his authority as a missionary in a congregation founded by him.) Although not convinced of the value of comparison and self-praise for a Christian apostle (10:12-18), Paul is able to use these devices in the context of irony.
Irony is “the use of words or phrases to mean the opposite of what they normally mean” (Forbes: 10). Hence, when Paul praises himself in this speech, the subject matter is the opposite of what it ought to be, weakness instead of power, trials instead of triumphs, etc. His desire is to regain his rightful place in the Corinthian congregation, but not by yielding to the same conventional ground as his opponents. The ironic fool’s discourse provides Paul with a way out of this dilemma. At the same time, the weak character of a fool corresponds admirably with Paul’s gospel, the social-human weakness of the cross, through which God saves the world (1 Cor. 1:18-31).
Frank Matera: Paul’s line of thought in 11:1 – 12:13 can be summarized in this way. Fearful that the community he has betrothed to Christ is being led astray by the intruding apostles who have commended themselves to the Corinthians and accepted their support, Paul reluctantly embarks upon a project of foolish boasting to show the Corinthians that he is not inferior to these super-apostles. In doing so, he distinguishes himself from the intruding apostles in two ways. First, whereas they burden the community by accepting financial support, he does not. Second, whereas they take their boasting seriously, Paul knows that it is foolish to boast except in one’s weaknesses.
Raymond Collins: The fool’s speech consists of an introduction, three principal parts, and an epilogue. In Hellenistic rhetoric the introduction to a speech, its prooimion, or exordium, typically establishes the speaker’s ethos, the person’s authority for speaking in such a way. The introduction prepares the audience to lend a sympathetic ear to the speech. Paul’s introduction departs from the classic rhetorical pattern. He distances himself somewhat from what he is about to say and acknowledges that he is not speaking according to the Lord, whose authority he normally invokes. As far as his audience is concerned, instead of flattering them with a captatio benevolentiae (lit., “the seizing of goodwill”), a rhetorical device used to elicit someone’s sympathy or support, he reminds them that they already tolerate fools—hardly a flattering observation!—so they might as well put up with one more fool. After all, Paul has been weak.
The Fool’s Speech
Introduction (11:16–21a)
Part 1: The List of Hardships (11:21b–29)
Part 2: The Escape from Damascus (11:30–33)
Part 3: The Rapture to the Third Heaven (12:1–10)
Epilogue (12:11–13)
The mystery of the cross can be articulated as the weakness of the crucified Christ being met by the power of God operative in the resurrection. This reality is key to the understanding of an apostolic chain. As the power of God was operative in the weakness of the cross, so the power of Christ is operative in the weakness of Paul. As the power of Christ, God’s power, is operative in Paul, so the power of Paul is operative among the Corinthians. As the power of Paul, Christ’s power, God’s power, is operative among the Corinthians, so their power is operative . . . . The apostolic chain continues to be realized in the church at Corinth. It continues to be realized in the church of today. When the church, its ministers, and its faithful are conscious of their own weakness, the power of God is effective in them.
(11:16-21a) PRELUDE: BOASTING IN THE LORD’S GRACE AND POWER CAN LOOK LIKE WEAKNESS AND FOOLISHNESS TO OTHERS
R. Kent Hughes: Fearing that some of his hearers might imagine that his boasting is anything but foolish, Paul restates his warning: “I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast” (vv. 16-18). Paul reasons that though he doesn’t want to be thought to be a fool, it’s okay, if the Corinthians will then listen to his boasts. And he knows that though such boasting is not something Jesus himself would have done, it is a necessary foolishness.
Paul’s loathing for what he is about to do is evident in his biting sarcasm as he ironically calls the Corinthians “wise” for their putting up with his enemies’ boasting: “For you gladly bear with fools, being wise your-selves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face” (vv. 19, 20). In effect, Paul says, “You are so brilliant that you put up with fools while they exploit you.” To which he adds with mock shame, “To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!” (v. 21a) — that is, “I was too weak to enslave you and devour your resources and ensnare you and lift myself up and abuse you. Shame on me!” The Apostle Paul knew how to make a point. Ouch!
A. (:16-18) Foolish or Not . . . Listen to My Boasting
“Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, that I also may boast a little. That which I am speaking, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also.”
John MacArthur: Before reluctantly launching his defense, which he regarded as foolishness, Paul distanced himself from the true fools. He did not want anyone to think him foolish like the false teachers; he was not habitually given to commending himself like they were. But if any of the Corinthians really did think him to be a fool, Paul asked that they grant him the same privilege that they did the false apostles and receive him even as foolish. The false apostles boasted incessantly; Paul would boast only a little. The apostle was no fool; he was merely answering fools as their folly deserved (Prov. 26:5) to protect the Corinthians from spiritual disaster. And it was their folly in being seduced by the false apostles that had necessitated Paul’s boasting (2 Cor. 12:11).
B. (:19-20) You Have Listened to the Boasting of the Truly Foolish
- (:19) Sarcastic Rebuke
“For you, being so wise, bear with the foolish gladly.”
David Garland: They appear to welcome those who enslave them and lead them around by the nose.
These rivals understand power as something to force others to become compliant slaves. It is the power of coercion, not the power of the cross. The Corinthians, however, seem to welcome being exploited. The verb translated “exploits” (katesthiei) means “devour,” and Barrett translates it “if anyone eats you out of house and home.” It refers to the rivals’ avarice and suggests that they, not Paul, plunder churches. To gather the fruit, they chop down the tree. They eat up the community’s resources and will earn God’s judgment who says, “Will evildoers never understand? They consume my people as they consume bread” (Ps 14:4).
The church has been “taken in” and “taken advantage of.” Paul uses the same verb (lambanei) in 12:16, where he says, “Yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit!” The image is one of baiting a trap and catching the unsuspecting, which is something Satan does. Paul’s rivals took the Corinthians in and took their money. He did not and refused to take advantage of them in any way.
The rivals also were arrogant. They put on airs and lifted themselves up. The Corinthians apparently preferred this approach to that of Paul who humbled himself so they might be exalted. The Corinthians also seemed to endure, if not welcome, being slapped in the face. This may be a reference to actual physical violence or a metaphor for verbal insults and general browbeating. The rivals may well be so puffed up with themselves that they smack anyone who crosses them. This is how superiors in the ancient world often treated inferiors. This behavior is a telltale sign that their gospel is false.
Paul paints a picture of rivals who are aggressive, acquisitive, and authoritarian. They also attack others to build up their own authority. He has never acted this way, and some Corinthians apparently are proud of their new, more forceful authorities. They interpret the meekness and gentleness of Christ (10:1) that characterizes his demeanor toward them as weakness and faintheartedness. The Corinthians would not be the first to prefer tyrants to more gentle leaders. The Israelites rejected Samuel for a self-willed and despotic king (1 Sam 8).
- (:20) Specific Failures in Discernment
“For you bear with anyone”
a. Bondage — “if he enslaves you”
b. Destruction — “if he devours you”
Robert Hughes: “Devours” relates to the Corinthians’ food, drink, and hospitality being freely eaten up by the false apostles. Only true apostles had a right to eat and drink from the hospitality of others, while ministering the gospel (1 Cor. 9:4). Those false apostles were like those “who devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40).
c. Exploitation — “if he takes advantage of you”
Robert Hughes: “Takes advantage of” amounts to robbery. Paul sarcastically uses this concept in 12:16: “I took you in.”
d. Pride — “if he exalts himself”
e. Shame — “if he hits you in the face”
Frank Matera: The list of insults that the Corinthians endure contains five items, each beginning with the words “if someone” (ei tis), each item building upon the one that precedes it.
First, the Corinthians have allowed themselves to become “dominated” or “enslaved” (katadouloi) by the intruders who, in contrast to Paul (see 1:24), have apparently exercised their authority over the faith of the Corinthians. The only other occurrence of this word is in Gal 2:4 in reference to the false brothers who “slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us.” One might be tempted to identify the intruders of 2 Corinthians with the false brothers of Galatians, but there is no indication that circumcision or the works of the law were an issue at Corinth as they were at Galatia.
Second, having allowed the intruders to exercise authority over them, the Corinthians are now being “exploited” (katesthiei) by the very people whom they are supporting (see Gal 5:15 for the only other occurrence of this verb in Paul’s writings). Thus, whereas Paul works with his own hands so that he will not be a burden to the Corinthians (11:8–9), the intruders exploit the Corinthians by depending upon them for support and “devouring” their goods.
Third, the intruders have “taken advantage” (lambanei) of the Corinthians. The verb that Paul employs here is the least descriptive of the five verbs that he uses, but it serves the purpose of reinforcing what he has just said, namely, by “exploiting” the Corinthians the intruders have taken advantage of them. Although Paul is accused of such behavior, he forcefully denies that he, Titus, or “the brother” has ever taken advantage of the Corinthians (12:16–18).
Fourth, having enslaved, exploited, and taken advantage of the Corinthians, the intruders are now in a position to “act haughtily” (epairetai). Here Paul employs the same verb as in 10:4b–5, where he wrote, “we tear down sophistries and every proud obstacle arising (epairomenon) in opposition to the knowledge of God.” Whereas Paul has “abased” himself in order to “exalt” the Corinthians (11:7), the intruders have “enslaved” the Corinthians in order to act “haughtily” or exalt themselves.
The end result is that the intruders have abused the Corinthians. Paul’s fifth and final item, therefore, is that the super-apostles have “struck” (derei) the Corinthians. Whether this last item is to be taken metaphorically or literally, it is apparent that in Paul’s view the behavior of the intruders has been abusive. In contrast to them, he has acted as the father of the community who has spent himself and will willingly be spent for his children, since parents should provide for their children, not children for their parents (12:14–15).
Robert Hughes: These five descriptions were not overstatements. They were the bald actions of those whom the Corinthians were actually ready to defend and support against Paul. He deftly moved from asking the Corinthians to put up with him, foolish or not, to asserting that the fools with whom they gladly bore (11:19) were not Paul and his friends but the false apostles (11:20). Irony was in full force. The Corinthians thought that others could be fools, but certainly not those flashy and convincing visitors. The Corinthians submitted to the indignities listed by Paul, while naively believing them to come from superior Christians. How could such actions have been viewed as true apostolic wisdom and authority?
Raymond Collins: Anaphora (or epanaphora) is a figure of speech characterized by the repetition of the same expression at the beginning of a series of successive statements. Often the statements are synonymous. Paul’s use of this figure of speech is characterized by his use of ei tis (“when someone”) to introduce each of his five images in 2 Cor. 11:20. The series uses the personal pronoun “you” in the opening and closing image. The rhetorical device generally adds gravity to an argument, but some ancient rhetoricians believed that it was used merely to embellish the argument. Indeed, some consider anaphora to be contrived, an example of so-called Gorgian assonance. The kind of bombastic language used by Paul enjoyed popular appeal. Demosthenes, the great Athenian political orator, used anaphora to mount a successive attack (see also Longinus, On the Sublime 20.13). This is what Paul does in 11:20.
C. (:21a) Weak or Not . . . Listen to My Boasting
“To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison.”
Frank Matera: Before proceeding to Paul’s boasting, it will be helpful to summarize what can be said about the intruders on the basis of 11:1–21a.
- First, as Paul has already suggested in 10:12–18, they have intruded upon his mission field.
- Second, they preach “another Jesus.” But since Paul never explains the content of this statement, it is best not to read too much into it.
- Third, they have accepted the patronage of the Corinthians and, to that extent, they may have presented themselves as professional orators of the gospel.
- Fourth, they have boasted in their achievements to the Corinthians.
- Fifth, they have imposed their authority over the community.
Scott Hafemann: In stark contrast stand Paul’s pride in, affection for, and willingness even to die with the Corinthians (1:14; 6:12; 7:3–4, 14, 16; 11:11). In yet another statement of biting irony, even sarcasm, Paul therefore admits to the “shame” he feels over being too “weak” to act like his opponents (11:21a; cf. the earlier reference to his physical weakness in 10:10). His “weakness” is the strength of his apostolic calling and character; his opponents’ supposed “strength” reveals the weakness of their claims and the sinfulness of their attitudes and actions.
I. (11:21b-29) WEAKNESS DUE TO SEVERE PRESSURES IN THE MINISTRY
Raymond Collins: The first part of the speech (11:21b–29) consists for the most part of a long list of hardships. Such lists were a classic part of many rhetorical speeches. Speakers used them to enhance their personal ethos. Use of a catalog of hardships implicitly spoke of the speaker’s endurance, perhaps his bravery under fire. Paul uses a list of hardships to illustrate his poverty and his weakness. His mention of innumerable hardships is virtually a concession to the interlopers, who accused him of being weak in mien and poor in speech (10:10). He almost seems to embrace some of the charges that they have directed against him.
Frank Matera: The material may be outlined as follows:
21b Introduction
22–23a Paul’s Jewish and apostolic pedigree
23b Four indications of Paul’s apostolic pedigree: his labors, imprisonments, beatings, and brushes with death
24–25 Five brushes with death
26 Eight dangers while traveling
27 Four hardships resulting from labor and toil
28 Anxiety for the churches
29 Conclusion
A. (11:21b) Introduction of Personal Testimony
“But in whatever respect anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness),
I am just as bold myself.”
B. (11:22) Impeccable Jewish Roots
“Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.”
Richard Pratt: Paul’s Ethnic Qualifications
He began by saying that he had an ethnic background comparable to his opponents. He was a Hebrew—a term that distinguished him from hellenized Jews. He was an Israelite and a descendent of Abraham. As such, Paul was the heir of the grace of God promised to the patriarch Abraham. He was not adopted into Abraham’s family as Gentile believers were (Eph. 2:11–19). From Paul’s point of view, neither Jew nor Gentile was superior in Christ. In the outlook of his opponents, however, it seemed to matter. So Paul responded that he passed even their ethnic criterion.
John MacArthur: The term Israelites (Ex. 35:29; 1 Sam. 2:14; 14:21; 29:1; 2 Kings 3:24; Neh. 11:3; Rom. 9:4) views the Jewish people in terms of their descent from Jacob (Israel); in fact, the Old Testament refers to them as the “sons of Israel” more than six hundred times. It also expresses their theocratic identity as God’s chosen people (Amos 3:2; cf. Ex. 19:5–6; Rom. 9:4–5). . .
Having established that in every way—socially, religiously, culturally, linguistically, and covenantally—he was not at all inferior to the false apostles, Paul presented credentials that actually proved he was superior to them.
C. (11:23-27) Itemization of Severe Physical and Emotional Pressures as a Servant of Christ
- (:23a) Offered as Proof of Authentic Christian Ministry
“Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so”
Frank Matera: It is clearly the fourth and final question, however, that is of paramount importance to Paul. Since the intruders claim to be “ministers of Christ,” can Paul claim the same? Whereas Paul does not draw any distinction between himself and the intruders in respect to his Jewish pedigree, here he does. Not only is he a minister of Christ; he insists that he is “even more so” (hyper) than they are, or claim to be. The use of hyper as an adverb results in an interesting play on words, since Paul has already identified the intruders as hyperlian apostoloi (“super-apostles”). Having given them that ironic title, he now claims to be Christ’s minister in a superlative manner, which he will verify by the list of apostolic hardships that follows.
Paul Barnett: This passage teaches us two things about Paul as an example. The first is that as Christians we are humbly to serve others in the gospel. Paul possessed the Christ-given authority to be an apostle. He exercised this ministry faithfully and yet he remained a humble servant and truly human. The great apostle is a good example of one to whom authority was given but who did not become manipulative or authoritarian.
The application to Christian ministers is clear. It is a temptation to use one’s position (for instance, ‘rector’ or ‘pastor’) or one’s gifts (such as leadership ability), or both, to create a circle of admirers. Such people exercise their ministries in the name of Christ but are really involved in an ‘ego trip’. More subtly, ministers may encourage people to lean on them like a crutch, out of their own need to be needed. Alternatively, ministers are capable of being corrupted by the power given them in the church so that they become bossy authoritarians who must always have their own way. It must always be remembered that the word ‘minister’ means ‘servant’.
- (:23b-27) Manifold External Pressures – every kind imaginable
“in far more labors”
“in far more imprisonments”
“beaten times without number”
“often in danger of death”
“Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.”
“Three times I was beaten with rods”
“once I was stoned”
“three times I was shipwrecked”
“a night and a day I have spent in the deep”
“I have been on frequent journeys”
“in dangers from rivers”
“dangers from robbers”
“dangers from my countrymen”
“dangers from the Gentiles”
“dangers in the city”
“dangers in the wilderness”
“dangers on the sea”
“dangers among false brethren”
“I have been in labor and hardship”
“through many sleepless nights”
“in hunger and thirst”
“often without food”
“in cold and exposure”
John MacArthur: The false apostles had their letters of commendation (2 Cor. 3:1), but Paul had “on [his] body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). The first credential he listed was suffering, because that is what Jesus said would characterize His apostles. False teachers, on the other hand, frequently seek a life of ease and comfort. And since they are part of his kingdom, Satan does not attack them.
D. (:28-29) Incessant Pastoring Pressures in Christian Ministry
- (:28) Heavier in Weight than Pressure of External Circumstances
“Apart from such external things,
there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.”
Frank Matera: Paul now draws the first stage of his boasting to a conclusion. Having mentioned those hardships that can be seen, he turns to the kind of hardship that cannot be externally verified: the daily pressure he experiences in his anxiety and concern for the churches. The disputed phrase that begins this verse, chōris tōn parektos, can be taken in two ways:
- “apart from what is left unmentioned,” or
- “apart from what is external.”
In the first instance, Paul would be saying that he is cutting short the list of his hardships (since what he has said is sufficient) in order to go on to other kinds of hardships that he endures. In the second, he would be establishing a contrast between the visible and external hardships that he has just listed and his daily anxiety for the churches that cannot be seen. The majority of commentators argue for the first interpretation on philological grounds but the second certainly makes good sense within this context. In either case, Paul’s main point remains the same: his daily anxiety and concern for the churches is a hardship that most do not know of, even though it afflicts him every day.
Raymond Collins: The interlopers apparently boasted about many things, but it is hardly likely that they were able to boast about a concern for the churches. Paul’s reference to the churches provides a context for all his hardships. What he has endured is for the sake of the communities that he evangelized.
- (:29) Empathy With Weakness of Others
a. Their Physical and Emotional Struggles
“Who is weak without my being weak?”
b. Their Spiritual Struggles
“Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
John MacArthur: Paul further expressed his passionate concern for the churches by asking two rhetorical questions. The first, Who is weak without my being weak? expressed his empathy (cf. 1 Cor. 12:26) with the pain and suffering of weak, immature believers (1 Thess. 5:14; cf. Rom. 14:1; 15:1; 1 Cor. 9:22). Selfish, prideful false teachers do not care about people’s struggles. Far from helping the weak, they are oppressive and ruthlessly take advantage of them (Jer. 23:2; Ezek. 34:2–6; Zech. 11:16; Matt. 23:2–4; Luke 20:47).
Paul was also concerned about the “unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14), as his second rhetorical question, Who is led into sin without my intense concern? reveals. Intense concern translates a form of the verb puro?, which literally means, “to set on fire,” or “to inflame.” Paul burned with righteous indignation when God’s people were led into sin, as did Jesus, who solemnly warned, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). Love is not the enemy of moral indignation but its partner. Holy indignation toward those who lead believers into sin is an expression of the purest kind of love.
Scott Hafemann: The counterpart to Paul’s weakness is his strong anger over the thought of someone falling away from Christ (11:29bc). The reference to his “burning” in verse 29 is therefore an apt metaphor for the intense passion he experiences over those who are led astray (cf. 1 Cor. 7:9).
II. (:30-33) WEAKNESS MAGNIFIES DIVINE DELIVERANCE
Raymond Collins: Paul’s escape from Damascus is clearly an example of his weakness. He did not escape on his own. He needed the help of others in order to escape from the clutches of the ethnarch. Because it is an example of his weakness, Paul can boast about it, as he does. He has, however, said that he boasts in the Lord (10:17). Paul may be boasting about his escape not only because it is an example of his weakness but also because he believes that it was the Lord who enabled him to escape as he did.
A. (:30) Boasting in Weakness
“If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.”
Frank Matera: The real function of the unit, however, may be to mark a turning point in Paul’s boasting. To this point (v. 29) he has boasted in his Jewish heritage and the hardships that show the superlative degree to which he is a minister of Christ. In effect, he has boasted in the kinds of things in which the super-apostles may also have boasted. Having boasted in his hardships and heritage, he now turns to an episode that highlights his weakness, an ignominious escape from Damascus that paradoxically shows the power of God to save him despite his weakness. Paul’s opening statement clearly introduces this theme of “weakness” (asthenia), which will be the leitmotif of the remaining units in this section (see 12:5, 9, 10; 13:4). Moreover, the manner in which he begins this statement (“if I must boast”) will find an echo in 12:1 (kauchastha dei). For these reasons, it would appear that the function of the unit is to signal a turning point in Paul’s boasting.
B. (:31) Divine Witness to Veracity
“The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever,
knows that I am not lying.”
C. (:32-33) Example of Divine Deliverance from Hopeless Situation
“In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city
of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket
through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.”
Anthony Thiselton: In vv. 23–33 he “boasts” of his trials and weakness. He highlights matters of difficulty and hardship: hard work, imprisonment, floggings, and threats to his life. He is again ironically inverting the ancient convention of boasting.
This reaches its grand climax in vv. 32–33. It was well-known in the ancient Greco-Roman world that special commendation was given to the brave soldier or mercenary who was literally “first over the wall,” when a city was besieged. Imagine how the besieged defenders would pour molten lead and whatever was to hand on the head of any soldier rash enough to climb rickety ladders up the wall of the city. Paul, with supreme irony, does not directly use the phrase “first over the wall,” but people would see the allusion: he points out that his travel “over the wall” was in the opposite direction: he was escaping from King Aretas (v. 32) in order to escape opposition from enemies in Damascus! He was indeed “first over the wall,” but in the opposite direction! This is a clear example of an outstanding Pauline “joke.” Many scholars, including E. A. Judge and Stephen Travis, have since made the point very clear. It may look like boasting even in a cowardly escape!
Richard Pratt: Paul introduced this boasting with an oath formula, acknowledging God as the one who is to be praised forever. Paul swore that God knew that he was not lying, and then proceeded to describe the time he barely escaped from Damascus with his life (Acts 9:23–25). This event demonstrated his devoted service to Christ, but it also made it clear that God cared for him and deserved all the praise.
Scott Hafemann: Hence, to wrap up his boasting in his weakness as the consequence of his calling to be an apostle, Paul provides one final and especially poignant example of his suffering. Like his suffering in Asia recounted in 1:8, his opponents may well have used this incident against him as an example of his cowardice. But from Paul’s perspective, his narrow escape in Damascus, like his despairing even of life (cf. 1:8–11), serves to highlight God’s deliverance and sustenance. It forms a paradigm of his calling to suffer for the sake of Christ and the gospel. In Heckel’s words, Paul’s flight from Damascus is the “counter-history to the vision that brought about Paul’s calling.” Paul’s litany of suffering in 11:23–29 is nothing new; weakness was the contour of his calling from the very beginning of his apostleship.
III. (12:1-10) WEAKNESS KEEPS ONE DEPENDENT ON CHRIST’S GRACE AND POWER DESPITE THE MOUNTAINTOP PRIVILEGE OF VISIONS AND REVELATIONS
Charles Swindoll: Ours is the age of the self-made person who is more than adequate. Not only do we want to appear as though we have our lives together, but we want it to appear that we have put our own lives together better than most. The word “adequate” originally comes from Latin and means “make level to” or “being equal to a requirement.” The common colloquialism “I’m equal to the task” would be a good way to put it in today’s idiom. But the idea of more than adequate brings with it a touch of conceit, doesn’t it? “Not only can I do it, but I can do it better than most. I’m self-sufficient.” The sense is that we can measure up to any task. We dislike the thought that we might be unequal to any challenge . . . or that someone else might be more “equal” than we are! This kind of thinking tends toward competition, rivalry, and even open conflict.task. We dislike the thought that we might be unequal to any challenge . . . or that someone else might be more “equal” than we are! This kind of thinking tends toward competition, rivalry, and even open conflict.
In our era of self-sufficiency, three kinds of people appear to have it all together. First, the highly intelligent seem to have an edge on everybody. With keen wits and a couple of academic degrees to boot, the intellectuals try to stay on top of every situation with a cascade of golden phrases meant to outdo the competition. Second, the greatly gifted tend to dominate pop culture. Talented musicians produce smash hits. Sports icons rake in an obscene amount of cash. Good-looking orators can demand a huge honorarium or draw votes in the political realm. For the gifted, winning comes so easy. Third, in our Christian circles the deeply religious appear to glide through life with an appropriate Scripture on their tongues and an abundance of faith to move mountains and create joy in their hearts. They describe their prayer and devotional lives as rich and rewarding and they exude a sense of calm and tranquility. They seem to be so aligned with the Holy Spirit that nothing could pull them off course.
What we don’t often see among the highly intelligent, greatly gifted, and deeply spiritual, however, are the great gaps of inadequacy that they live with. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” That verse should cut every one of us down to size. Nobody gave themselves their smarts, talents, or spiritual devotion. Everything we have —from ability to opportunity —comes to us as a gift from God. James said, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jas. 1:17).
So how does God remind us to acknowledge His generosity and to rely on His strength when He’s given us such marvelous abilities? How does God prevent the arrogance of more-than-enough adequacy and the sin of self-sufficiency? He gives us a thorn in the flesh. Let’s look closely at 2 Corinthians 12 to gain more insight into this significant —and often overlooked —reality.
Frank Matera: The theme of boasting in weakness comes to its climax in this unit with the verb “to boast” (kauchaomai) occurring five times (vv. 1, 5 [twice], 6, 9) and the noun “weakness” (astheneia) four times (vv. 5, 9 [twice], 10). Thus, Paul begins by saying that he must boast even though it is not profitable (12:1). Midway through the narrative he then turns from boasting in the man in Christ who was snatched into paradise to boasting in his weaknesses (12:5). Finally, he concludes with his willingness to boast and rejoice in his weaknesses (12:9b–10).
Eric Mason: Main Idea: God does his best work when you are weak.
- It Is Better to Boast in Our Weaknesses (12:1-5).
- Thorns in the Flesh Expose Our Weaknesses (12:6-8).
- God’s Grace Is Sufficient for Our Weaknesses (12:9-10).
A. (12:1-6) Spiritual Privilege Can Go to Your Head
(In Paul’s case, Spiritual Privilege = Direct Access to Divine Visions and Revelations)
- (:1) Visions and Revelations = New Theme for Necessary Boasting
“Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable;
but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.”
John MacArthur: At first glance, the story of Paul’s vision seems out of place in a section dealing with his suffering and weakness. But the Greeks believed that those who truly represented the gods would experience mystical visions, which some tried to induce through drunken orgies. Undoubtedly, then, the false apostles claimed visions and revelations of their own. The Corinthians, swept away by their phony claims, groveled before those lying braggarts. Thus, it was necessary for Paul (reluctantly) to relate his own genuine vision.
Scott Hafemann: The striking absence of references to visions and revelations in Paul’s letters demonstrates his lack of interest in sharing such private, spiritual experiences. He viewed them as without benefit either for establishing his authority as an apostle or for building up the church (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1–2; 14:18–19). Indeed, that Paul would refer in 12:1 to his “surpassingly great” visions and revelations (12:7) and then only recount one of them is itself a reflection of his conviction that such experiences are tangential to a genuine boast in the Lord (cf. 10:17–18).
- (:2-4) Recounting the Incredible Experience
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I
do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a man
was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man –
whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows –
was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a
man is not permitted to speak.”
David Garland: The use of the third person may derive from the nature of the experience itself. Such an overwhelming event — he is not sure if it was in the body or out of the body — resulted in his observing “himself undergoing the experience” as a kind of spectator.
Frank Matera: By obliquely referring to himself as “a man in Christ,” then, Paul is boasting in the Lord who is the source of his ecstatic experience. . .
It now becomes apparent why it is not profitable for him to boast in this ecstatic experience: Although this experience may have assured him that he was Christ’s apostle, it did not provide him with any “revelation” with which he could build up the church. To that extent it is unprofitable for him or anyone else to boast in ecstatic experiences. If the super-apostles had already boasted in such experiences, Paul is surely making a pointed critique of them.
Richard Pratt: Paul described this level of heaven as paradise, the place that the dead in Christ enter (Luke 23:43). While there, Paul heard inexpressible things, words from angels and God that man is not permitted to tell. Paul’s opponents probably spoke freely about their supposedly heavenly revelation, much like the apostle John was instructed to do when he received the revelation of the Apocalypse (Rev. 1:11). But Paul made the supremacy of his heavenly experience plain by saying that he was not permitted to convey what he heard there. By this means, Paul argued that his authority over the church at Corinth was far beyond any authority claimed by the false apostles. His revelation was greater than any revelation his opponents had received.
R. Kent Hughes: Biblical cosmology views the heavens as threefold. The first heaven is the atmosphere. The second heaven is the place of the stars. And the third heaven is the abode of God. The parallel designation “paradise” seals the locale of the third heaven as the very presence of God. The word “paradise” occurs in only two other places in the New Testament: Luke 23:43 where Christ says to the repentant thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” and Revelation 2:7 where the Spirit says, “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
John MacArthur: The true measure of a man of God does not lie in his claims of visions and experiences with God, or the force of his personality, the size of his ministry, his educational degrees, or any other human criteria. A true man of God is marked by how much he has suffered in the war against the kingdom of darkness, how concerned he is for people, how humble he is, and how accurately he handles the supernatural revelation found in God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15). Like Paul, such men patiently endure the suffering and humiliation of this life, knowing that such “momentary, light affliction is producing … an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17).
- (:5-6) Continued Apologies for Necessity of Boasting
“On behalf of such a man will I boast; but on my own behalf I will not
boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I
shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth; but I refrain from
this, so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears
from me.”
Frank Matera: The visions and revelations came from Christ, who presumably transported him to paradise. Boasting in this man is boasting in the Lord. . .
Since Paul wants the Corinthians to evaluate him on the basis of what they have seen and heard from him—rather than on the basis of what he boasts that he has done—he writes that he is refraining from such boasting (v. 6b). This statement is also a bit off-putting, since he has in fact engaged in boasting. But here Paul seems to have in mind any further boasting about his pedigree, hardships, and revelations. Having reluctantly boasted in these, he will not boast further, except in the thorn for the flesh. Unlike his rivals, he wants the Corinthians to evaluate him on the basis of what they can see (his ministry among them) and hear (the gospel he proclaims), rather than on the basis of what he boasts about himself.
R. Kent Hughes: Paul forbids any assessment of himself and his ministry by standards other than his actions and words. This provides essential wisdom for navigating the currents of the modern church. We must understand that regardless of how great a personal claim is made to visions and ecstasies, nothing can replace conduct and speech as indications of truly following Christ.
B. (12:7-10) Physical Handicaps Can Bring You to Your Knees
1. (:7) God Can Get Our Attention — Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
a. Privilege of the Revelations
“And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations”
b. Protection Against Pride
“for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself . . .”
“– to keep me from exalting myself.”
c. Pain in the Neck
“there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to buffet me”
Robert Hughes: Because Paul had just called the false apostles messengers of Satan (11:14-15), some have concluded that his thorn was the continual distress caused by his many enemies.
John MacArthur: Skolops (thorn) could be better translated “stake,” graphically indicating the intensity of the suffering it caused Paul; it was not a small thorn but a large stake. . .
It is best to understand Paul’s thorn as a demonic messenger of Satan sent to torment him by using the deceivers to seduce the Corinthians into a rebellion against him. At least four lines of evidence support that interpretation:
1) First, in the overwhelming majority of its uses in the New Testament (including every other occurrence in Paul’s writings), angelos (messenger) refers to angels. An angel sent from Satan would, of course, be a demon.
2) Second, the verb translated torment always refers to harsh treatment form someone (Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65; 1 Cor. 4:11; 1 Peter 2;20)_.
3) Third, the Old Testament sometimes refers metaphorically to opponents as thorns (e.g., Num. 33:55; Josh. 23:13; Judg. 2:3; Ezek. 28:24).
4) Finally, the verb translated leave in verse 8 is always used in the New Testament to speak of someone departing. Likely, then, the demonic messenger was tormenting Paul by being the indwelling spirit in the leading false apostle (cf. 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 1 Tim. 4:1). Again, this is consistent with Paul’s testimony that his severest suffering came from his concern for the church (11:28-29).
- (:8) We Can’t Always Get Our Way — Prayer for Deliverance
“Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times
that it might depart from me.”
- (:9) We Need to Learn the Big Lesson of Life = Embracing the Sufficiency of God’s Grace and Power
“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about
my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Frank Matera: The thorn for the flesh then is the necessary antidote to the superexaltation that accompanies visions and revelations, the constant reminder of Paul’s weakness and dependency on Christ. Without this antidote, it is all too easy to boast in oneself and forget the paradox of the cross that underlies the gospel message.
John MacArthur: When God declared to Paul in answer to his prayer, “My grace is sufficient for you,” He affirmed the total sufficiency of His grace for every need in life—to believe the gospel; to understand and apply the Word to all the issues of life; to overcome sin and temptation; to endure suffering, disappointment, and pain; to obey God; to serve Him effectively; and to worship Him. God’s grace was sufficient for the deepest pain Paul (or any other believer) could ever experience.
Raymond Collins: For the Christian, the paradigm is that the Christ, who was crucified in human weakness (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2), was raised in power (2 Cor. 13:4; cf. Rom. 1:4). The paradox of the cross makes sense of Paul’s weakness. The Lord is able to use Paul’s weakness in order to manifest the power experienced in the faith of the communities that Paul has evangelized.
R. Kent Hughes: But what we most need to see is that power in weakness is shorthand for the cross of Christ. In God’s plan of redemption, there had to be weakness (crucifixion) before there was power (resurrection). And this power-in-weakness connection is what Paul reflected on when he contemplated Christ’s praying three times amidst his weakness and powerlessness in Gethsemane before his death on the cross, which was followed by the power of the resurrection! Paul came to understand and embrace the fact that his thorn in the flesh was essential to his ongoing weakness and the experience of Christ’s ongoing power.
- (:10) We Need to Practice Contentment in All Circumstances
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with
distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
R. Kent Hughes: The paradox of power is: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God doesn’t need our perceived strengths, if that is what we depend upon. He wants our weaknesses, our sufferings, our inadequacies, our disabilities, our failures, our fears. Even more, he wants us to boast of our weaknesses, so that Christ in his power will pitch his tent in us.
(12:11-13) EPILOGUE — THE MARKS OF GENUINE APOSTLESHIP SHOULD HAVE MADE SUCH BOASTING UNNECESSARY
George Shillington: Paul concludes his Fool’s Speech as he opened it (11:1-15), with justification for his foolish boasting. The closing word echoes to the same ironic tone that has marked the speech throughout, the only new material being the signs of a true apostle (12:12).
Frank Matera: The material begins with a retrospective statement in which Paul blames the Corinthians for not commending him (v. 11a). He then explains why the Corinthians should have commended him (vv. 11b–12), concluding with a rhetorical question and mock apology (v. 13).
A. (:11) Commendation Should Have Come From Others
“I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me.
Actually I should have been commended by you,
for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles,
even though I am a nobody.”
Frank Matera: Having said that if the Corinthians had commended him it would not have been necessary for him to commend himself by foolish boasting, Paul now provides the Corinthians with two reasons why they should have commended him. First, he is not inferior to the super-apostles. Second, the signs of an apostle were performed in their midst through his ministry.
John MacArthur: Instead of having to defend himself to them Paul should have been commended by the Corinthians. There was no excuse for their confusion. They should have risen to his defense; after all, he was their spiritual father (1 Cor. 4;15; cf. 9:2), the one who brought the gospel to Corinth (Acts 18:1-8; 1 Cor. 3:6, 10; 15:1; 2 Cor. 10:14). The false apostles had their deceptive letters of commendation, but the Corinthians themselves were Paul’s letter of commendation (3:2). What made their failure to defend him all the more inexcusable was that the Corinthians knew that the allegations against Paul were false. They had observed his life during his ministry among them (Acts 18:11) and knew that he was above reproach. To be silent when aspersions are cast on the lives and ministries of godly men is to share in the guilt of their detractors.
Scott Hafemann: In 12:11, Paul closes his apology by returning to the point with which he began in 11:1. He has become a fool by boasting in his personal distinctives and private revelations. A desperate situation has called for desperate measures. This is the tragedy of the situation. The need to match his opponents in their boast should not have been necessary in the first place, since the Corinthians themselves should have commended Paul as his “letter of recommendation” (cf. 3:2; 5:12; 7:12; 10:7, 14; also 1 Cor. 9:2).
B. (:12) Authentication Should Have Been Obvious
“The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance,
by signs and wonders and miracles.”
Richard Pratt: The apostle admitted that he had made a fool of himself by taking on the strategy of his opponents in boasting as he had. Yet, he insisted that the Corinthians had driven him to it. How was this so? He ought to have been commended by the congregation. They already knew him and his ministry. He was not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles” and they knew this. Of course, Paul was aware that he was nothing in himself, apart from the grace of God. Yet, the Corinthians should have remembered his signs, wonders and miracles that mark an apostle. Paul had performed miracles in many places as he had proclaimed the gospel of Christ, but in Corinth he had done these things with great perseverance. Time and again, he had demonstrated the divine authorization of his ministry before the Corinthians.
R. Kent Hughes: Of equal apostolic significance is that Paul performed these apostolic signs “with utmost patience” (or literally, “with all perseverance or endurance”) amidst incessant beatings and shipwrecks and dangers and pastoral afflictions. Calvin comments, “Such heroic virtue is like a heavenly seal by which the Lord marks out his apostle.” It was not just the signs that proved his apostleship; it was that he did them under great stress with magnificent patience and perseverance. Astonishing apostolic fortitude!
Raymond Collins: The performance of signs and wonders of itself does not, however, establish one’s apostolic credentials. Since Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; and 2 Thess. 2:9 show that signs and wonders were performed beyond the parameters of Jesus’s disciples, discernment is necessary in order to interpret signs and wonders properly. Indeed, although some signs and wonders are done through God’s power, others, like those done by the Egyptian magicians of Pharaoh’s court, have some other power as their source.
John MacArthur: The signs that where the benchmark of a true apostle of Jesus Christ were performed by Paul at Corinth. The passive voice of the verb translated were performed emphasizes that it was God’s power working through Paul that enabled him to perform those signs. The apostles were conduits for divine power, not deceptive magicians. That they saw firsthand the signs Paul performed is another reason the Corinthians should have defended him. In addition to the supernatural signs, wonders, and miracles the Bible lists several other signs, or characteristics, of the apostles.
- First, the apostles were sovereignly chosen by God for their ministry.
- Second, the apostles were personally appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Third, the apostles had to have been eyewitnesses of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
- Fourth, the apostles received the gospel by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, not from other men.
- Fifth, the apostles were the foundation of the church.
- Sixth, the apostles were given unique ministry duties.
- Their first responsibility was to be discipled by the Lord.
- A second essential responsibility of the apostles was to preach the gospel.
- A third responsibility of the apostles was to exercise their divine power in the realm of the supernatural.
- Finally, the apostles collectively were given the task of writing the New Testament.
- Seventh, the twelve apostles were promised a unique place of honor in the future.
The stringent requirements for the apostolic office are such that only the Twelve and Paul qualified. Claims to apostleship made by others throughout the history of the church are therefore false.
C. (:13) Sarcasm Has Become Necessary
“For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches,
except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong.”
Robert Hughes: But, at its heart, the accusation of Paul’s inadequacy was actually caused by the inferiority complex of the Corinthians themselves. Paul treated Corinth just as well as any other church (12:13), with one exception: he did not become a burden to it. The Corinthians concluded that Paul had put them in an inferior position, lacked love (11:11), or, worse, had committed a sin (11:7). Paul was full of knowledge (11:6) and power, but they interpreted his reluctance to take their money as a slam against their self-worth. To this absurd conclusion Paul had given patient exhortations throughout chapters 1-7 and, in 11:1 – 12:10, a most intimate look into his private reasons for boasting in weakness. But he also had reserved a few sarcastic remarks, in case some still missed the message: “Forgive me this wrong” (12:13)! Paul’s sarcasm, however, is always set in the context of patient and careful exhortation, never as an unthinking outburst of criticism.
* * * * * * * * * *
PREACHING CHRIST:
1) In what ways would Christ’s detractors have accused Him of being foolish and weak?
2) What must it have been like to experience such “direct revelations of the Lord”? What subjects would have been covered?
3) How have we found Christ’s grace and power sufficient in our areas of weakness? What is God’s special program for humbling you?
4) How does a nobody like Paul become an eminent somebody in the service of Christ?