II Corinthians 1:12-24
I have a lot of difficulty weighing through Paul’s difficulties with the Corinthians. There are a lot of references to letters that Paul might have written to the Corinthians that have been lost and of visits to them that are not recorded. So it’s difficult to follow his relationship with them when the critical evidence may have been lost. For now, as I said yesterday, scholars believe that Paul wrote this letter from Macedonia, having determined (in the Spirit) not to visit them immediately. And it’s probably good that he did not visit them; he has some harsh words and feelings that he shares. I will point out two. First, he appears very defensive when he says Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? (v. 17) He wants the Corinthians to believe him when he speaks, but he is not sure that he has their confidence.
Second, he uses powerful language in verse 23: But I call God to witness against me… Again, it looks like he is thinking that the Corinthians do not trust him, that he thinks that they think that he may be lying to them. These verses make this section of II Corinthians very difficult to follow.
I don’t know what to make of these thoughts – in one sense it’s true that face-to-face conversation is far better than letter writing (or texting or e-mail notes!). In addition, it appears that the Corinthians themselves, have some serious problems within themselves. But, don’t we all…??!!
Slava Bohu!