2 Corinthians 12:11-18

Butler's Commentary

SECTION 2

Weakness in Bearing (2 Corinthians 12:11-18)

11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. 12The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls, If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less? 16But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by guile. 17Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

2 Corinthians 12:11-13 Spiritual Signs: Paul's opponents (the Judaizers) had tried to convince the Corinthian Christians that Paul did not have the bearing of a true apostle. His appearance, his attitude was not commensurate with the popular idea of how a true apostle would display himself.

Paul's answer: My opponent's idea of a -true-' apostle is foolishness! They think only in terms of worldly signs and worldly attitudes. They think a -true-' apostle would go about boasting of his miraculous powers and showing them off at every opportunity.
Everything Paul had gloried in was true! But the foolishness of having to glory in things which were his only by the grace of God bothered him. So he says, I have been a fool! They had forced (Gr. enagkasate, compelled, constrained see Matthew 14:22; Luke 14:23; Galatians 2:3; Galatians 2:14) him into the foolish game of comparing and glorying. They should have commended (Gr. sunistasthai, literally, stood beside him) him. They should have defended his apostleship and his personal integrity. Even if his bearing made him to appear to be nothing (Gr. ouden, unsophisticated, unschooled, and unpleasant to look at, he was in no way inferior (Gr. husteresa, behind, destitute, English prefix hyster comes from this word and means, loss of) to these pseudo-apostles who think they are super-duper (note his sarcasm). Bearing or appearance is outward and may be faked. The Pharisees were very religious in their bearing but it was all hypocritical. Modern image-makers have produced a number of men in the religious market who have the bearing of minister of God. But what message do they preach? How does their personal life measure with the Bible? The Corinthians, of all people, should have defended Paul.

First, the signs (Gr. semeia, that which points to, signals, evidences) of a true (Gr. men, indeed, actual, truly) apostle were performed (Gr. kateirgasthe, worked) among these Corinthian Christians. Paul endured (Gr. hupomone, remained under, was patient) much immaturity and stubbornness by the Corinthians in order to win them to Christ and build them up in the faith. He confirmed the gospel message with signs and wonders and mighty works (Gr. semeiois te kai terasin kai dunamesin) to bring them to faith. And then he imparted to them wonderful miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (see I Cor. Chapter s 12-14) to build them up in their faith and to preserve the true apostolic gospel since there were probably no inspired documents containing the gospel readily available to the churches at that point in time. They came behind no church in possessing miraculous gifts by which to be edified. They came behind no church in receiving the services of a true apostle. Paul wrote them three or four letters and visited them at least three times. He sent his most prized co-laborers (Timothy, Apollos, Titus) often to work with the Corinthians (see Acts 18:1; Acts 18:5; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10; Romans 16:21; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 16:12; 2 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 7:5-16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; 2 Corinthians 12:18). They should have commended him. Instead, they defamed him, and were about to repudiate his ministry among them.

Even though he had imparted to them miraculous powers no one but a true apostle could give, they were ready to reject his spiritual leadership. Their rationalization for rejecting him may be found in their attitude toward the spiritual gifts (see I Cor. Chapter s 12-14). While Paul directed them to desire the gift of prophecy (inspired teaching) which would edify everyone, they were so spiritually immature they clamored for the showy gift of speaking in a foreign language (tongues) which edified no one but the person speaking. Paul showed the Corinthians signs, but he emphasized the spiritual, the practical, the teaching signs. They wanted the spectacular, the worldly, the ostentatious. Paul's opponents, the pseudo-apostles, were probably telling the congregation that a true apostle would bear himself more spectacularly than a mere teacher. They probably challenged Paul's claim that he was able to speak in tongues more than you all (1 Corinthians 14:18) and mocked his preference to speak five words with the mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19).

Paul had given the Corinthians all the spiritual advantage he could. The only favor he had not done for them was burden them. He means he had not taken financial support from them (see comments 2 Corinthians 11:7-15). Does Paul mean to ask their forgiveness for an actual wrong (2 Corinthians 12:13)? Had he really wronged them (Gr. adikian, an injustice)? While it is altogether possible that a congregation may be wronged or even do itself an injustice by not having the opportunity to financially support the preaching of the gospel, we think Paul is using sarcasm here. Paul clearly believed he was benefiting the Corinthian church by taking no financial remuneration from them although he took it from others (Philippians 4:15-18). But someone had convinced the Corinthians that the bearing of a true apostle would require being a financial burden on the congregation. This issue must have been very significant for Paul to keep mentioning it!

2 Corinthians 12:14-18 Sacrificial Service: The signs of a true apostle are (1) having seen the risen Lord Jesus; (2) performance of miracles; (3) preaching a gospel of grace. But what Paul is dealing with here, in context, is another important sign of a true apostlesacrificial service. Humility, dependence on God's grace, working to edify Christians and congregationsthese are what a true apostle does. How much edifying had the pseudo-apostles done? None! They were tearing apart. What had the pseudo-apostles given to the Corinthians? Nothing! They were taking.

J.B. Phillips translates 2 Corinthians 12:14-15: Now I am all ready to visit you for the third time, and I am still not going to be a burden to you. It is you I wantnot your money. Children don-'t have to put by their savings for their parents; parents do that for their children. Consequently, I will most gladly spend and be spent for your good, even though it means that the more I love you, the less you love me. Paul is not contradicting the rest of the Bible saying that children have no responsibility to honor (support financially) their aged parents who may need it. Paul is the one who told children that supporting (honoring) their parents was the first commandment with a promise (Ephesians 6:2). Paul is referring here to young children at home who are not mature enough to work and support their parents. Paul is not going to ask the Corinthian church (his baby) to support him. They still need to be matured, built up, strengthened. He will support them! Like a father, his heart's desire is to give of himself so that his children may grow into adulthood.

Whatever it takes to accomplish that Paul is glad (Gr. hedista, sweetly) to give. His children are sweet to him. He loves them with all his being. He will sweetly spend (Gr. dapaneso, expend, consume, squander, see Luke 15:14) and be spent (Gr. ekdapanethesomai, first person, singular, future, indicative passive, allow myself to be consumed, exhausted)for your souls (Gr. huper ton psuchon, on behalf of your souls). He is willing to be completely used up, depleted of energy, strength and worldly possessions for their spiritual good (souls). A man who would be willing to be anathema from Christ for the sake of his Jewish brethren (Romans 9:1-2) would be sincere in this promise as uncommon as it may be even among Christians.

If Paul had shown more love for the Corinthians than he had for other churches, this would not be strange. Love must necessarily be more often shown to problem children than to others. This does not mean he loved the Corinthians more. He is trying to cajole them or chide them and call them back to their devotion to him. Abundant love to the problem child is often repaid by rebuff and rejection (see the prophet Hosea).
They (opponents and the few Corinthians they had seduced) were saying Paul was being crafty by not taking financial support from the congregation. They were probably accusing Paul of some ulterior scheme, some nefarious plan to really defraud the congregation, setting them up by faking humility and sacrificial service. They were saying that if he had been a true apostle he would have taken their money and bossed them around and made a spectacular show of his miraculous powers. The Greek phrase alla huparchon panourgos dolo humas elabon is a participial phrase, and, literally translated is, But being cunning with guile, you I took and means, being thoroughly unscrupulous. They accused Paul of snaring, trapping or baiting the Corinthians like one who hunts animals.

His answer is four straightforward, rhetorical questions: (1) Did I take advantage (Gr. epleonektesa, defraud, lead astray) of you through any of those whom I sent to you? (2) Did Titus take advantage of you? (3) Did we not act in the same spirit? (4) Did we not take the same steps? Evidently they were saying Paul had taken no support from the Corinthians, but that the offering he took for Judea was going to go into his pocket. They knew Titus had not taken advantage of them. They knew Titus had not acted dishonestly. Timothy and Titus and Apollos had ministered among them for many months. They were Paul's children in the faith. They had not defrauded the Corinthians. Now, Paul asks, Was my behavior among you any different than theirs? How can they believe a man who could produce such exemplary Christian servants as these would be dishonest with them? How the great heart of this selfless servant of Christ must have ached! What stress it must have caused, what sadness, what temptation he must have had to quit the ministry to leave the Corinthians to their fate! But he didn-'t. He exhausted himself for them.