2 Corinthians chapter 11

Long chapter for a change

vs 1

Paul is going to talk about some silly subject now, is he? Or perhaps he's talking a bit tongue in cheek, as if someone has already called his words foolishness.

If Paul is using sarcasm like that, I wonder if that means it's ok to do? I don't think so. But what if Jesus used such sarcasm? People'd probably say that it was "holy sarcasm".

vs 2

Paul sees the Corinthians very much as a ministry of his beginning, and wants them to be totally committed to Christ.

vs 3

But oh? Are they being led astray somehow? This would obviously upset Paul, because they are his offering to Christ. And anyone who has seen someone they led to Christ go off the rails knows how Paul feels.

vs 4

There are other people going around preaching a different gospel to Paul's gospel. And rather than deny it or speak against it, they sit patiently and listen to it. They don't accept it per se, but they put up with it. Which is one step away from being led astray. Now this puts us modern people in a bit of a bind - are we allowed to listen to different points of view? Or are we supposed to block our ears to everything that doesn't agree with Scripture? The church is never going to grow and mature that way, especially if we accept that any gospel they have heard is tarnished with a certain doctrinal disposition! Well, Paul hasn't say for them to stop yet, let's see where he's going.

vs 5

They've even got a name: super-apostles! And Paul reckins he can go toe to toe with them. He's an original apostle, after all. Well, sort of. Better than these other guys no doubt.

vs 6

So the difference between the super-apostles and Paul is that they are trained speakers but are talking out of their arses, whereas Paul is just a guy, but he at least knows the truth.

vs 7

And apparently these other speakers are charging for their wares? Which was pretty normal at the time - remember, no TV, no radio - a good speaker was worth paying to hear. So perhaps some of the Corinthians are saying "If his message isn't worth paying for, then perhaps it's not worth hearing". And Paul has to defend himself against that, by pointing out that it was for love that he came to the Corinthians, not money.

vs 8

Now, robbed is a darn strong word. So you can see that Paul very much believes that "a worker deserves his wages", and he believes that those listening to him had a responsibility to pay him, but in this case he denied that right, for their sake, so that it wouldn't stumble them.

vs 9

Paul got the message from Corinth early on, I guess, that taking money from them would become an issue, so instead he had to source his income from the much poorer Macedonian churches, who are more generous apparently. And he now says he will keep doing so.

vs 10

If Paul has anything to boast about, it is that he never preached the gospel ot anyone (at least in Corinth) for the purposes of making some cash. That's an important boast, because the idea has obviously caused some manner of trouble. And so Paul went out of his way to make sure that it was so.

vs 11

And the purpose of all this, even his boasting, is out of love! His unwillingness to take money from them shows his love for them all the more.