Second Corinthians Chapter 12
Outline: I. II. III.
Paul’s visions and thorn in the flesh: 12:1-10 His behavior on previous visits: 12:11-13 His upcoming visit and his concerns: 12:14-21
“It is important to realize that Paul, consistently with what he has recently said (11:30), is still glorying in his weakness, and that his rapture of ineffable exaltation which he is about to narrate is a necessary prelude to his mention of what was his most obvious and disabling physical weakness, the thorn in the flesh with which he was afflicted (12:7). To have omitted reference to his ‘thorn in the flesh’ would have been to leave his flank wide open to the enemy. To include it required mention of this remarkable experience of which, in a certain sense, his ‘thorn in the flesh’ was a consequence. It is for this reason, then, that he now reveals what has hitherto humbly been withheld from public knowledge” (Hughes p. 429). 2 Corinthians 12:1 “I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord” “I must needs glory”: “My opponents drive me to it” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 108). The Corinthians readiness to believe Paul’s opponents also necessitated that he continue to boast. “Though it is not expedient”: “Though it is not profitable” (NASV). “Paul’s embarrassment increases as he is on the point 1
of disclosing what was probably the most intimate and sacred of all his religious experiences as a Christian” (Hughes p. 428). False teachers continued to exist at Corinth and have influence but this was only because some in Corinth continued to listen to them. Error only has power is there is an audience. Paul says that such legitimate boasting is not expedient because it was taking precious time and effort away from other areas and subjects (Hebrews 5:12-14), and it was unprofitable in the sense that this controversy should have never come up in the first place. Why should Paul ever have to defend himself to the people he had personally converted and who had witnessed the power of his preaching and the manifestation of his miraculous powers? “But I will come to”: “For it would seem that Paul’s opponents were boasting about their (supposed) visions, and Paul now counter-attacks them on their own around just as he has done in the previous chapter” (Tasker p. 169). It is noteworthy that Paul does not bring up his personal encounter with Jesus in Acts 9. “Visions and revelations”: “The difference between visions and revelations is that in the former something is visually presented to the observer, while ‘revelations’ are not always mediated through what can be seen. Most visions, however, contain a revelation” (Tasker p. 170). “Of the Lord”: Granted by Jesus Himself. Paul repeatedly claims that his message originates from God (Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 3:3-5; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; 11:23; 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). 2 Corinthians 12:2 “I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; nor whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven” “I know a man”: Clearly this “man” is Paul (12:7). “The somewhat enigmatic reference to himself as a man in Christ is due partly to his reluctance to speak about the subject, and partly to a desire to give the impression that any Christian (for a Christian cannot better be described than as ‘a man in Christ’) might have been privileged to experience this vision” (Tasker p. 170). “So far is he averse from personal boasting that he begins to speak of himself impersonally” (F.F. Bruce p. 246). “So far is Paul from vaunting himself that, in describing an experience which his boastful adversaries would have welcomed for their sake, he speaks of himself in the 2
third person, almost as though he is speaking of someone else. It only comes when he comes on to mention the humiliating thorn in the flesh that he returns to the use of the first person. His modesty is further displayed by the way in which he quite frankly admits his ignorance as to whether or not the rapture in question was experienced in the body” (Hughes pp. 429430). “Who fourteen years ago”: Fourteen years before this letter was written. This would place the year in question around 44 A.D. Therefore, this vision under consideration is not the same experience that that mentioned in Acts 9:3ff. “As far as we can estimate in A.D. 44 Paul was probably in Antioch, where he spent a whole year (Acts 11:26)” (Hughes p. 430). “Another person might shout: ‘It have been in Paradise!’ and might exalt himself above all his fellow men. Another man might tell about it on every possible occasion. Paul kept it a secret for fourteen years; it is now forced from him only by utter necessity. Even under this compulsion he is able to tell about it only as though it had happened to another person. We have the rarest of all examples: a boastless boast. More than that, an extreme boast without a trace of common boasting” (Lenski p. 1292). “Whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not”: “I don’t know whether it was an actual physical experience; only God knows that” (Phi). “Paul does not know whether, at the time, the spirit and the body of this ‘man’ were united or whether, for the time, his spirit had left the body. Whether disembodied or not, he found himself passing through vast spaces” (Erdman p. 122). “God knoweth”: And that is enough. “It is not a confirmation for an assurance to the readers but only a statement that God alone knows so that no one must ever press Paul for answers” (Lenski p. 1293). Seeing that death is the point at which the spirit leaves the body (James 2:26), this passage reveals some interesting information concerning the condition of the dead: 1. They are conscious, in fact, they are so conscious that Paul couldn’t tell if he had left his body or not. 2. A bodily ascension into heaven is possible (Genesis 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11; Acts 1:11). “Caught up”: “Makes it clear that the initiative was not Paul’s (1 Thessalonians 4:17) (F.F. Bruce p. 246). “Caught up accentuates the truth that Paul himself, though he was conscious of what was happening, remained entirely passive during the vision, which was in no 3
way self-induced (see Acts 8:39)” (Tasker pp. 170-171). In the Bible we do not find prophets or apostles attempting to create a vision by working on building some special atmosphere or mental state. “It was not by virtue of some natural psychic propensity or any acquired capacity for mystical experiences” (Hughes p. 432). “To the third heaven”: “Might convey to anyone the idea of the most sublime condition conceivable” (Tasker p. 171). The first heaven being that of the clouds and the earth’s atmosphere (Genesis 1:20). The second heaven being the realm of the planets and the stars (Genesis 1:17), and the third heaven being the one which is a spiritual place. “The distinction, then, it between the heavens, atmospheric and stellar, and that which is entirely other, limitless and unlocalized—between the visible and invisible, the material and the spiritual” (Hughes p. 433). Carefully that Paul, nor does any other writer speak of the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh heaven. Equally absent are all the Mormon and Muslim degrees of heaven. This third heaven is further defined as “paradise” in the next verse. 2 Corinthians 12:4 “How that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” “Caught up into Paradise”: The equivalent of “caught up even to the third heaven” (12:3). “Paradise”: “The word paradise comes from a Persian word which means a walled-garden. When a Persian kind wished to confer a very special honor on someone who was specially dear to him he made him a companion of the garden, and gave him the right to walk in the royal gardens with him in close and intimate companionship” (Barclay p. 286). In the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, it is this Greek term that is used for the expression, garden of Eden. In the New Testament this term is only used three times (Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7, and here). When the word Paradise is used in reference to heaven, this means that: 1. We get to live and walk with God in His garden of delight, and we are allowed to experience and enjoy the environment that surrounds God. 2. A perfect relationship with God, such as existed in Eden prior to the Fall is available in heaven. 3. And a perfect relationship with all the redeemed (Genesis 2:25). “Paradise, then, is not a shadowy waiting-room” (Hughes p. 438).
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“And heard inexpressible words”: “Unlike the marvelous details of the heavenly journeys in apocalyptic and Gnostic literature, Paul’s account gives no information except things which it was impossible as well as impermissible to describe” (F.F. Bruce p. 247). “Which it is not lawful for a man to utter”: “Which no human lips can repeat” (Mof). “It is often asked why such was granted to the apostle if he was not to be allowed to relate the things which were revealed. It was for his own comfort and encouragement and inspiration” (Erdman p. 123). “The date of the vision fourteen years ago is evidence that Paul was granted this encouraging experience a year or two before embarking upon his great Gentile missions” (Tasker p. 172). “Yet this extraordinary revelation, though not communicable to other ears, must have exercised an incalculable influence on Paul’s whole ministry and apostleship, providing, it may be, a key to his astonishing zeal and indefatigable labors through which untold blessings flowed not only to his own generation but to every subsequent generation in the history of the church. Though he was its sole recipient, its effects did not end with him” (Hughes p. 439). 2 Corinthians 12:5 “On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses” “On behalf of such a one will I glory”: “Of an experience like that I am prepared to boast, but not of myself personally” (Mof). Paul knew that this experience was not due to his own greatness or merit. “In any case, how could he take glory to himself for an experience which, being beyond every human capacity, was attributable only to the omnipotence of God” (Hughes p. 440). “But on mine own behalf I will not glory”: “Yet in and of himself he will not glory. His glorying is as one who was a mere passive recipient of divine favor, a mere undeserving object of divine grace” (Erdman p. 123). “That is, of myself in my normal state” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 110). “Save in my weaknesses”: Which repeats the thought of 11:30. 2 Corinthians 12:6 “For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account of me above that which he seeth me to be, or heareth from me”
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“I shall not be foolish”: “Like so many are who actually make fools of themselves by exaggerating, by even outright lying just to aggrandize themselves” (Lenski p. 1297). “For I shall speak the truth”: “I should only be telling the truth” (Knox). “There were certain things in which, unlike his opponents, he could glory with perfect veracity” (Hughes p. 440). “Lest”: “For I do not want anyone to be influenced by the wonderful character of these revelations to think more of me than is justified by my words or conduct” (Gspd). “I desire no exaggerated reverence, but seek only that goodwill and esteem which my conduct merits” (McGarvey p. 236). “In subsequent centuries, however, and indeed right up to the present day, many people have fallen into this very error which Paul sought to prevent, regarding him and the other apostles of Christ as more than human and elevating them to a position which they would without hesitation have repudiated, notably blessed among men though they were. To see how ordinary they were in themselves, it is necessary only to read the account of them in the Gospels” (Hughes p. 440). The Thorn in the Flesh 2 Corinthians 12:7 “And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch” “By reason”: “It was for this reason” (TCNT). “We arrive at the true purpose behind Paul’s disclosure of his rapture to the third heaven: it was in order that, while glorying in weaknesses, he might expose and explain his greatest disability of all. And it is remarkable how, by a kind of condign paradox, the explaining of his deepest humiliation requires the revealing of his highest exaltation, so that the very point where his adversaries hold him to be most contemptible is linked with an ineffable experience far outshining the tawdry tinsel of their vaunting. Thus by an unexpected justice the tables are turned against them and the hypocrisy of their position is exposed for all to see” (Hughes p. 441). “Exceeding greatness”: :Magnificence of such revelations” (NEB). “Revelations”: Note the plural. Paul received many revelations from God, but this one is being cited as the highest or most impressive among them. “That I should not be exalted 6
overmuch”: “And to prevent my thinking too highly of myself” (TCNT). “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh”: “That a thorn was sent to pierce by flesh” (TCNT). “A messenger of Satan to buffet me”: “An instrument of Satan to discipline me—so that I should not think too highly of myself” (TCNT). Paul was not a perfect man and he realized that even he could become inflated by pride, thus, he even had to buffet himself (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). “Thorn”: “It seems to us that Paul is thinking graphically of a body helplessly impaled. He sees himself as it were transfixed, painfully held down and humiliated” (Hughes p. 447). “May denote agony so excruciating as to be properly depicted by language borrowed from the barbarous custom of impaling captives or criminals by driving stakes through their quivering bodies” (Erdman p. 124). “Is the sharp, piercing pain that is produced when a thorn is driven deeply into the flesh” (Lenski p. 1300). “In the flesh”: This expression would seem to denote physical flesh; and the ‘thorn’ would most naturally be something embedded in it, and, therefore, something malignant, for thorns embedded in the flesh tend to fester” (Tasker p. 174). Various views exist among commentators concerning what this “thorn in the flesh” might have been: Some suggest that it may have been an individual or individuals (2 Timothy 4:14). Hence, the “thorn” is viewed as opposition or persecution. The Catholic position has been that this thorn in the flesh was carnal temptations or carnal lust. This view we must reject seeing that God does not entice anyone to sin (James 1:13). Remember, this thorn was “given” (12:7). “When monks and the hermits shut themselves up in their monasteries and their cells they found that the last instinct that could be tamed was the instinct of sex. With their ascetic ideals they wished to eliminate it and they could not for it haunted them. They held that Paul was like that” (Barclay p. 287). Some have suggested that the thorn was Paul’s physical appearance. It has been suggested that he suffered from some disfigurement which made him ugly and which hindered his work. Yet when we 7
read the book of Acts we do not find any of Paul’s opponents calling him ugly. Others claim that the thorn was the “great sorrow and unceasing pain” which he experienced in his heart because of the lost state of his Jewish countrymen (Romans 9:1-3). Then an abundance of physical ailments are suggested, such as some kind of eye disease, epilepsy, recurrent malarial fever, and severe headaches. Yet consider the following observation: “It must be acknowledged that the general impression of Paul that the reader obtains from his Epistles, not least from 2 Corinthians, and from Acts, is of a man with an exceptionally strong constitution and remarkable powers of physical endurance. This is not really compatible with view that he was the constant victim of a severe physical ailment” (Tasker p. 175). Finally, some feel that the thorn was fear, faint-heartedness or a temptation to despair. Yet the character of Paul as described in Acts and the Epistles clearly does not endorse this view (Philippians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 4:8, 16-18). “Messenger of Satan”: Whatever the particular thorn was, it was inflicted by Satan and permitted by God, yet it was not more than Paul could handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). Compare with the example of Job (Job 2:1ff). “Buffet”: “The present tense of the verb ‘to buffet me’ seems to imply that the trouble was permanent. And the word itself means literally ‘to strike a blow with the fist’, and so, ‘to maltreat’, especially in such a manner that shame and indignation are felt by the sufferer” (Tasker p. 177). We should be glad that the particular thorn isn’t mentioned. By leaving the precise nature of this thorn unrevealed, God is telling us that one specific ailment or temptation should not get all the sympathy or focus. 2 Corinthians 12:8 “Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me” “Concerning this thing”: This thorn in the flesh. “I besought the Lord thrice”: As Jesus did in the garden (Matthew 26:44). The term thrice, “seems to point to three special occasions, when his prayers for the removal of this trial were specially urgent” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 111). “That it might 8
depart from me”: “To relieve me of it” (Mof). Paul certainly felt that he had good reasons why this thorn in the flesh should be removed, he was certainly not afraid to suffer for the sake of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23-33), so his motivation was not selfish in such prayers, and obviously his prayers were fervent, persistent and sincere (Hebrews 4:15-16; 5:7). He probably felt that this thorn constituted a hindrance in preaching the gospel. Likewise, we often think of many “good” reasons why God should change something in our own circumstances, yet notice the response that Paul received. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He hath said to me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” “He hath said unto me”: “The tense of the verb indicates that the reply was a continuous answer, one to be accepted for Paul’s whole life, and so for all the hours of agony” (Erdman p. 124). We fail to realize that a “no” answer, is still an answer to our prayers. A “no” answer is equally a great test of our trust in God. Too many approach God with a request and expecting (demanding) a yes answer. We must not approach God as if He was nothing more than a heavenly customer service department and we need to absolutely have confidence in His wisdom. Before we pray we must not have the attitude that “our way” is the best way to happen the problem at hand. “My grace is sufficient for thee”: “My grace is enough for thee” (Knox). “My grace is all you need” (NEB). “Paul is here told that he is to remember that he is the unworthy object of God’s unceasing favor” (Tasker p. 178). God is saying to Paul that the “thorn in the flesh” was not too much to bear, in fact, such a problem had already been tempered by God’s grace (1 Corinthtians 10:13). Applications: In view of the fact that God’s mercy has tempered every trial and hardship that comes our way, this certainly should remove any desire to murmur or feel sorry for themselves in such circumstances.
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God’s faithful in the past understood the truth that God has been more than fair to even, or when we are suffering (Psalm 103:10; Ezra 9:13; Nehemiah 9:30-31). Knowing that when we are experiencing difficulties that God is still looking out for us, is a very comforting truth. Trials never prove that either God does not love us or that He is unable or unwilling to help us (Romans 8:35). “For power is perfected in weakness”: “My strength finds its full scope in thy weakness” (Knox). “Power comes to its full strength in weakness” (NEB). The weakness under consideration here is not unfaithfulness, that is, spiritual weakness. Neither is this an automatic given. We must cooperate with God for His power to be perfected in our state of need. As with other areas of growth, we must “let” this process happen (James 1:2-4). “This brief explanation showed Paul why the Lord gave him the thorn in the flesh. It was done lest he lift himself up unduly and thus become a tool that was unfit for the Lord. The verb shows that the thorn was a gift to Paul, a blessing to him” (Lenski 1305-1306). Applications: When I allow a trial to humble me and face up to the truth that I cannot handle life all by himself, then I am actually stronger and will be more effective than when I left rather self-sufficient. The same is true when I come out of a trial with full confidence in God’s wisdom and His love (Habakkuk 3:16-19). Or when I am going through hardship and yet I am continually grateful for my blessings (Romans 1:14; Luke 6:35; Acts 14:17). “Most gladly therefore”: “More than ever, then” (Knox). “He will glory in them rather than complain of them” (Erdman p. 125). “This is not the cry of a fanatic rejoicing in pain” (Tasker p. 179). “Weaknesses”: Note the plural, his many trials. “To this answer, in which the will of God is revealed, Paul submits. It is not the case of his resigning himself to it as to an unwelcome but inexorable fate. He welcomes it. He commits himself to it without regret or reservation. In the Christian perspective there is no place for the aimless non-resistance of dispirited resignation” (Hughes p. 451). 10
Remember, these weaknesses that Paul rejoices in are not self-induced. There is no murmuring here, no defiance or complaining, nor threats to quit. And no questioning God under the pretense that one loves or engage in theological and spiritual discussions or that one is wrestling and trying to get a handle on divine truths. “That the power of Christ my rest upon me”: The expression power of Christ seems equivalent to “My power” in the previous verse. “Rest”: “To fix a tent upon” (Robertson p. 266). Thus, rejoicing in one’s trials in one way in which the Christian can take advantage of heavenly resources. When we rejoice in our trials, we are manifesting true and genuine power. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” “In weaknesses, in injuries”: Like those mentioned in 11:23ff. “For Christ’s sake”: “Only a morbid fanatic can take pleasure in sufferings he inflicts upon himself; only an insensitive fool can take pleasure in the sufferings that are the consequences of his folly; and only a convinced Christian can take pleasure in sufferings endured for Christ’s sake” (Tasker p. 179). “For when I am weak, then am I strong”: Truly strong. He remained patient, hopeful, optimistic, faithful, genuine, joyful, humble and compassionate. Paul had learned the valuable lessons in the school of suffering (Psalm 119:71; 1 Peter 1:6-9; Romans 5:3-4). Shame on Them 2 Corinthians 12:11 “I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing” “I am become foolish”: That is, by presenting his credentials and by talking about himself (11:1,16; 12:1). “Ye compelled me”: “Ye forced me to do it” (Gspd). They had forced this boasting by being willing listeners to the slander that the false teachers were spreading about Paul and the false claims they were making for themselves. “I ought to have been commended of you”: “For any praise of me should have come from you” 11
(Nor). This self-defense (11:23ff) should have been unnecessary, rather the Corinthians should have stepped in and defended Paul’s character, integrity, and apostolic authority. Yet as it was, he had been forced to defend himself because such a defense was absent from the Corinthians. “You should not have left it to me to speak my own praises” (Gr. Ex. N.T. 112). “For in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles”: “I have done no less than the very greatest of the apostles” (Knox). See 1 Corinthians 15:10. “Quite apart from questions of spiritual integrity and responsibility and even indebtedness, this was a grave failure in the basic loyalties of friendship. The simplest comparison would have been sufficient to convince them that these self-inflated false teachers were not his spiritual superiors” (Hughes p. 455). “Though I am nothing”: This is yet another example of a “boastless” boast. God is always given the credit (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 10:17; 11:30; 1 Corinthians 3:7). 2 Corinthians 12:12 “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works” “Signs of an apostle”: “They had in hand abundant evidence for refuting the proud claims and the impertinent charges of his enemies. That his authority was genuine and real, the Corinthians should have had no doubt. The credentials of which Paul reminds his readers had been placed before them in the works which he wrought in their midst” (Erdman p. 127). “The signs that mark a true apostle” (Gspd). Those who claimed to be apostles could be tested (Revelation 2:2). The “signs” were the miraculous gifts, but more than this, a true apostle could actually pass on the ability to perform such gifts (Acts 8:14-18). In addition, it seems evident as well that apostles could perform a vast array of miracles, for Paul could speak in all sorts of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:18), had the gifts of inspired teaching and preaching, could heal (Acts 28:8), and was immune to poison (Acts 28:5-6). “Wrought among you”: Therefore, no excuse for not believing that Paul was a genuine apostle. “The testimony was decisive. They were fully wrought out” (Vincent p. 357). “In all patience”: “With steadfast endurance” (Con). “Were most patiently shown” (Gspd). “Which called for such constant fortitude” (NEB). It is interesting that modern day “faithhealers” often blame their failures on the mood, setting or lack of faith 12
among those present, yet Paul performed miracles under the most difficult of circumstances. “That is, with unremitting endurance of oppositions and hardships” (Hughes p. 457). “Signs”: The miracles are called signs, “Because they were not empty shows, but are appointed for the instruction of mankind” (Tasker p. 180). The miracles pointed out beyond themselves to something bigger, that is, that the speak was speaking for God (John 3:2). “Wonders”: “Because they ought, by their novelty, to arouse men and strike them with astonishment” (Hughes p. 457). Compare with Acts 8:13; 2:22; Hebrews 2:4. “And mighty works”: “Because they are more signal tokens of divine power than what we behold in the ordinary course of nature. In other words, miracles are not meaningless exhibitions of force” (Mark 2:10; Tasker p. 180). From such a statement it is clear that false teachers could not perform such displays of power. The Corinthians had failed to believe the most tangible evidence of the presence of a true apostle. 2 Corinthians 12:13 “For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except it be that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong” “For what is there wherein he were made inferior to the rest of the churches”: “He asks with withering sarcasm, if there is any particular in which he has shown to the Corinthians any reason for doubting his authority as an apostle” (Erdman p. 127). Paul had spent plenty of time with them, they had been given all sorts of spiritual gifts, in fact, Paul had probably paid more attention to them, than to most other congregations. Therefore, Paul could only think of one thing that might have caused them to complain. “Except it be that I myself was not a burden to you”: The old issue of not taking financial support from them comes up again (1 Corinthians 9; 2 Corinthians 11:7-12). “Forgive me this wrong”: “Forgive this injustice!” (Wey). “If this was wrongful, that he had not been a dead weight upon them, then he begs their forgiveness for it” (Hughes p. 459). This should have awoken the Corinthians to reality. Is the only real thing that some of them can complain about, is that he did not act like a parasite while among them? Is that it? 2 Corinthians 12:14 “Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for 13
the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” “This is the third time”: See 13:1 and 2:1. “I am ready to come to you”: Evidently this will be his third visit and not merely the third time he had intended to visit them (13:1-2). “And I will not be a burden to you”: He will still refuse financial support from them. “And it is still not going to cost you anything” (Tay). “Knowing that if this letter moved them to repentance or shame, the Corinthians would wish him to accept some compensation for his services, Paul makes it easy to decline any such offer on their part by declining it now beforehand” (McGarvey p. 238). “For I seek not yours, but you”: “I desire not your money, but yourselves” (Wey). “For the children out not”: The Corinthians are the “children” in this illustration. “He prefers and elects to exercise the privilege of a father, who is driven by love to give his substance and his very self for his children, seeking nothing in return but the response of their hearts. This is expensive love” (Hughes p. 463). “Paul is saying, in effect, ‘You must allow me a parent’s privilege’” (Tasker p. 182). 2 Corinthians 12:15 “And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?” “I will most gladly spend”: No bitterness or resentment here, Paul is happy to expend himself for them. Paul will gladly spend his time, energy, life and all his resources to help them grow spiritually. “And be spent”: “To spent utterly” (Vincent p. 357). “Be utterly spent for the good of your souls” (Wey). “So in my own case, I will most happily spend my money and myself for your sakes” (Wms). Jesus manifested the same attitude, He was willing to completely exhaust Himself for our salvation (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:4-5). “The price to be paid might well be impoverished health and premature old age; but such a price was not too great in so high an endeavor” (Tasker p. 182). “He was ready to give his very life to them, but he was not willing to accept gifts from them until he was absolutely certain of their love” (Erdman p. 182). Far beyond sacrificing financially for them, Paul was willing to spent himself entirely for them. “If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?”: “If I love you so intensely, am I the less to be loved?” (Wey). “Should not such self-sacrifice he rewarded by trust and affection?” (Erdman p. 128). 14
2 Corinthians 12:16 “But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile” “But be it so”: “This the Corinthians grant as indisputable, but they allege a sinister reason” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 114). “But, being crafty, I caught you with guile”: “There is, however, yet another despicable calumny which his opponents have whispered in the ears of the Corinthians: ‘The very fact that he remained independent of your support when with you is suspicious’, they suggest. ‘It was a device to make you believe that he is a man of integrity, but, crafty fox that he is by nature, he has trapped you in another way, for it is obvious enough that, of the money you have sacrificed for the Jerusalem church, a sizeable sum will go into his own pocket’” (Hughes pp. 464-465). 2 Corinthians 12:17 “Did I take advantage of you by anyone of them whom I have sent unto you?” “I have not exploited you through anyone I sent you, have I?” (Ber). “Paul goes right to the point without hedging” (Robertson p. 268). Paul had sent Timothy and Titus to the Corinthians. “By this series of questions Paul reminds his readers of the course of unselfish service which he and his delegates have followed” (Erdman p. 129). 2 Corinthians 12:18 “I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?” “There is no question of Paul’s trying to ‘spead’ the responsibility in the matter of this collection. On the contrary, he stands squarely on his own feet. It was at his instigation that Titus had gone to Corinth, and it was he again who was responsible for sending ‘the brother’ with him. They trusted Titus: Well, in all reasonableness they must trust Paul equally. But they also knew Paul at first hand: he had given them no possible justification for mistrust” (Hughes p. 466). When all is said and done, the only thing that we can stand on is our prior example when it comes to handling false accusations (Proverbs 22:1). 15
2 Corinthians 12:19 “Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying” “Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you”: “It may seem to you that all this time we have been attempting to put ourselves in the right” (Bas). “If the Corinthians imagine that all along he has been as it were standing trial before them, they are very much mistaken. It was before God’s tribunal that he stands and answers” (Hughes p. 469). See 1 Corinthians 4:3ff. “Ye think”: “Progressive present, ‘for a long time ye have been thinking’” (Robertson p. 268). “Beloved”: In spite of all this opposition, he still loves them. “They are not his judges, but they are his dearly beloved” (Tasker p. 184). “For your edifying”: “Of which you sorely stand in need” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 114). Paul was not seeking to build himself up in their eyes, rather he was seeking to edify the Corinthians. He placed the spiritual best interests of his listeners ahead of his own comfort and feelings. Marks of an UnChristian Church 2 Corinthians 12:20 “For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means there should be strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults” “For I fear”: “His spirit is that of a father’s affectionate restraint, who will not pass judgment until he has seen the situation himself. He utters, not denunciations, but misgivings” (Hughes p. 470). “I would find you not such as I would”: Paul will not ignore sin among God’s people, he will not come with the attitude, “Well, no one is perfect”. “And should myself be found of you such as ye would not”: That is, stern (1 Corinthians 4:21). “On his second brief visit his forbearance seems to have been misinterpreted as weakness. This will not happen again” (Erdman p. 471). Such a warning equally gives the Corinthians time to clean house. “Lest by any means there should be”: The word “lest” should have suggested to the Corinthians that it does not have to be this way. They can repent right now. “Strife”: 16
The following is an analysis by the apostle of what ingredients compose a carnally-minded congregation. “Party-intrigues” (Tasker p. 185). “It denotes rivalry and competition, discord about place and prestige. It is the characteristic of the man who has forgotten that only he who humbles himself can be exalted” (Barclay p. 294). “Jealousy”: “The characteristic of a mean and little mind” (Barclay p. 294). “Wraths”: Outbursts of anger. In this congregation such outbursts had led to lawsuits (1 Corinthians 6:1ff). “Fits of temper” (Tasker p. 185). “Factions”: “It describes that utterly selfish and self-centered ambition which has no idea of service and which is in everything for what it can get out of it for itself” (Barclay p. 295). See 1 Corinthians 1:11. “Backbitings, whisperings”: Public and private slander and innuendo. Paul himself had been the object of much of this. “It describes the whispering campaign of malicious gossip, an underground movement which will not face him” (Barclay p. 295). “Swellings”: “Self conceit” (Knox). “Bombastic manifestations of pride” (Tasker p. 185). See 1 Corinthians 4:6, 18-19; 5:2; 8:1, 13:4. “Tumults”: Disorder, disharmony and anarchy (1 Corinthians 11:20ff; 14:26ff). 2 Corinthians 12:21 “Lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed” “Lest again when I come”: See 13:1-2. “God should humble me before you”: “He refers here to the shame he had felt at finding professed converts of his falling into such a depth of moral degradation” (Erdman pp. 131-132). “Instead of experiencing legitimate pride in the progress of his converts” (Tasker p. 185). “And I should mourn”: The only alternative that the righteous person has when people refuse to repent. “Many”: A sizeable group in Corinth needed to repent. “Sinned heretofore, and repented not”: Those who had sinned in the past and have yet to express any godly sorrow. This means that sin is not forgiven unless one repents. “The perfect tense denotes the continuance of the sin” (Vincent p. 358). “Uncleanness”: “The general term for the impurity of lustful, luxurious and profligate living” (Tasker p. 185). “Fornication”: A term that covers all 17
unlawful sexual relations, including premarital sex (1 Corinthians 7:1). “Lasciviousness”: “Describes misconduct committed with a willful defiance of public decency” (Tasker p. 186).
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