II Corinthians 11:1-15

When someone is awarded a Ph.D. they are “hooded”. A very fancy, but cumbersome “shawl” (hood) is placed around his/her neck, with folds in the cloth open in the back. I was told that the tradition of these hoods came from ancient Greece where scholars and rhetoricians would wear a similar “hood” and listeners would place money in the hood to the extent that they felt that the message they had heard was worthy. The folds open to the back allowed for anonymous giving – the speaker never knew who gave how much. Their speaking was how these scholars and rhetoricians earned their keep. As you can see from today’s reading, Paul was not “hooded”. He preached God’s gospel … free of charge. (v. 7b)

I well remember in my early born-again days that I was drawn to a number of activities on campus that would help me grow my new faith. One such activity to which I was invited was someone new to campus who was beginning a new teaching on I Corinthians. In this introductory session this guy spoke for about 30 minutes, first simply introducing himself, then covering only maybe five or six verses in those 30 minutes. Then he began to talk about his ministry and the need for funds to continue to carry out his work. This went on for another 30 minutes or so, truly another 30 minutes of his trying to guilt us into funding him. I left, feeling somewhat embarrassed at being the only person to walk out, but still I left. And as I walked home I was comforted in my spirit that I did the right thing – and later readings of Scripture, like what we read today have shown me that I was right to leave.

Gospel preachers should not have to beg for funds. They know that the Lord will supply their needs if they are truly following Him. Unfortunately, in reality long-term overseas missionaries are often forgotten by their sending churches and income support becomes a major challenge in their continuing ministry. Talk with Mission Committee members from our church; ask them about the needs of those we support at St. Andrew’s. You’ll find that the reality of funding for these overseas missionaries is often the biggest problem they face if they are to continue in this work to which God has called them.

See also: June 3 / II Cor. 11:1-15

II Corinthians 10:1-18

Paul truly has a missionary heart, but he is so wordy that it’s hard to really see what he is saying in verses 16 and 17: …our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. Let me break it down a bit, by eliminating the middle section: …our hope is that… we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. This last phrase is also a bit confusing. My sense is that Paul is saying that he wants to bring the Gospel where no one has gone before him. That’s the way it’s been with him – in Cyprus, in Galatia (Antioch, Iconium, Derbe), in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea), and in Achaia (Athens, Corinth). He does not want to build on what someone else has started; I think that’s because he fears that those new converts may have had some bad (or incomplete) teaching. Here is an example: Paul … came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:1b-2) Someone else had come to Ephesus before him and preached Jesus, but not the Holy Spirit. Incomplete teaching!

So Paul wants to go somewhere beyond Greece (Macedonia and Achaia). My Study Bible and a large number of scholars suggest Spain. My first thought had been Rome, in that Paul had a desire to go there (see Romans 1:9-13). But if he went to Rome, he would be building on another man’s foundation (see Romans 15:20). To that end I can agree that he had Spain in mind for his future travels. We have no Biblical account that he ever visited Spain. However some scholars claim that he did get to Spain. I covered that last year when we started I Timothy (9-15-2020). So I’ll wait a while before I share that information with you.

See also: June 2 / II Cor. 10:1-18

II Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. (v. 14a) I’ve often heard this verse quoted with respect to Christians dating and marrying Christians, often as advice from older believers to younger believers. However, in context with the rest of this section and the Corinthian culture’s idol worship it’s clear that Paul is speaking more of Christian relationships in general rather than marriage specifically. These relationships could include business partnerships, temple prostitution, or simple friendship. But clearly Paul does not want these Corinthian believers to be drawn into the idol culture that pervaded Corinth.

Still, the application for today often has to do with Christian dating and marriage relationships. We hear stories of young men and women dating unbelievers with a professed hope of bringing their girlfriend/boyfriend to the Lord. I’ve heard the analogy more than once that it’s easier to pull someone down from a ledge (or chair or table) than it is to pull that person up to join you. So just back away! Carol and I watched from afar (sadly) as the young people to whom we had ministered in Mark Bruner’s (Czech) English Camps so often became more interested in the local non-Christian boys and girls – their party life was much more exciting than youth group activities! Unfortunately, the Christian life was just not attractive to these young people. Paul closes this section with …let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit… (v. 7:1b). That “every defilement” begins at the beginning, that first step down a wrong path. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)

II Corinthians 9:1-15

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (v. 7) In my comments from last year I discussed God loves a cheerful giver. In my many years as treasurer at St. Andrew’s I have had a major focus on the revenue side of our budget while Todd has focused on the expenditures side. And as I have analyzed our revenues and reported on them to the Vestry and to the congregation I can say with absolute certainty that the rest of us also love cheerful givers! When I can report pledge amounts year by year exceeding the previous year’s pledges, when I can report that pledged givers as a whole have exceeded their combined total pledge amount, when I can report that unpledged amounts have shot far above our budgeted numbers – when I can report these positive outcomes, I see joy in the faces of those listening to my reports. So yes, God loves a cheerful giver, but the rest of us do also! So bring joy to all of us – give cheerfully!!

See also: June 1 / II Cor. 9:1-15

II Corinthians 8:1-24

As I said in a second note yesterday, I would strongly encourage you to read John’s post from yesterday morning before (or after) you read today’s passage – which begins in the middle of this letter!

Some difficult translation issues here… The ESV has some verbs in the present progressive tense: “he is going” (v. 17) and “we are sending” (vv. 18, 22). But the ESV also has a note that these verbs could be in the past tense, as in “he went” and “we sent”. This past tense usage is also how the NASB and NKJV translate these verbs, in the present perfect tense: “he has gone” and “we have sent”. These differences in tense make it difficult to understand whether Titus is still with Paul as Paul writes this letter or whether he has already gone. Specific to that point, the present progressive tense usage (“he is going” and “we are sending”) could also be reflecting a future activity, as Carol just now noted to me, often an immediate future. John, in his post from yesterday touches on the importance of time frames in our understanding of II Corinthians.

As to the content of today’s reading… Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything … see that you excel in this act of grace also. (vv. 6-7) Reading between the lines here… I get the sense that Titus on his own, or Titus at Paul’s urging had begun in Corinth a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. Then, in my mind, some of the Corinthians had become cross with Paul and stopped their giving to the Jerusalem ministry. Now with his letter-writing and his envoys Paul has done what he could to repair that breach and he has asked that the Corinthians continue with this collection for the Jerusalem church. Whether that is true or not, it is my sense that some people hold their giving as a weapon, withholding or threatening to withhold if things aren’t going their way. Leaving a congregation to go somewhere else is one thing, but staying behind and refusing to donate is quite another. I don’t know of cases like this at St. Andrew’s, but in my mind it is a wrong, wrong thing to do! Donating to a church is our responsibility, our stewardship, available to us by the grace of God: …for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee. (I Chronicles 29:14, KJV)

See also: May 30 / II Cor. 8:1-15; May 31 / II Cor. 8:16-24

The text that we know as the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians has come down to us through the centuries in its current form as a single letter. However, as Fred mentioned last year, many — perhaps most — scholars believe that 2 Corinthians is not really one single letter but an amalgamation of a few partial letters. That notion arises primarily due to difficulties in the text itself. So what are these internal textual difficulties that have led scholars to think that 2 Corinthians may not be just one single letter? Here are a few:

• There are a few places where the text seems to jump abruptly, both in content and in tone. For example, 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 appears to be largely unrelated to anything else in the letter, while 2 Cor 7:2 seems to follow much more naturally directly upon 2 Cor 6:13. That is, 6:14-7:1 seems just to be inserted suddenly (and somewhat randomly) between 6:13 and 7:2.
• Different parts of the letter appear to reflect different time frames and circumstances. Paul indicates in 2 Cor 8:17,18,22, for example, that he (currently) is sending Titus and “the brother” and another brother to Corinth, but in 2 Cor 12:18 Paul says that he (previously) sent Titus and “the brother”; that is, chapters 10-13 seem to have been written sometime well after — and separately from — chapters 8 and 9.
• With the exception of the benediction in 2 Cor 13:11-14, the tone of 2 Cor 10-13 is markedly different from the rest of the letter. In those four chapters Paul seems exasperated, frustrated, even angry (and sarcastic), having to defend himself against others who have been attacking his ministry, whereas he seems much more conciliatory and warm in the rest of the letter.

In addition, 2 Corinthians itself refers to another “tearful” or “painful” letter. (See 2 Cor 2:3,4; 7:8.) Although some scholars assume that the other letter is 1 Corinthians, I think that is very doubtful since that letter does not appear to have the characteristics described, as Fred pointed out last year. Most scholars therefore think either that this other “tearful” or “painful” letter has been entirely lost or that chapters 10-13 constitute part of that letter. I am largely of that latter view, or at least that chapters 10-13 could form part of yet another difficult letter that might similarly have caused tears and grief.

As a result of these internal difficulties and clues, I have long been of the opinion that 2 Corinthians might be more easily understood with a little reordering of contents, so here’s my take on a (possible and hopefully reasonable) rearrangement:

• 2 Cor 8:1-9:15
  • I think we can consider chapters 8 and 9 to be just a part of some other letter that has otherwise been lost.
  • As I mentioned above, it seems to me that chapters 8 and 9 cannot have been part of the same letter as chapters 10-13 due to the language about sending Titus, and likewise must have preceded those later chapters by some time.
• 2 Cor 6:14-7:1
  • As I mentioned above, this bit does not seem to bear any particular relationship to anything else in the letter; it seems to stand on its own (but is clearly just a very small excerpt of something larger).
  • Whether it should come first, second, third, or fourth is impossible to say, but I think it makes decent sense to put it here.
• 2 Cor 10:1-13:10
  • Again, I’m considering these four chapters to be (part of) the “tearful” letter to which 2 Cor 2:3,4; 7:8 refer. If so, then these “ending” chapters must necessarily precede those “earlier” chapters.
• 2 Cor 1:1-6:13; 7:2-7:16; 13:11-14
  • That is, everything that isn’t covered by the three prior sections.
  • This part (or these parts) seems to be largely a reconciliation of whatever conflict sparked the “tearful” letter, along with a defense of Paul’s ministry.
  • I’m not entirely satisfied with the notion that all of this goes together, but without doing doctoral dissertation research I don’t have any clear sense of what to break out any differently.

Note that, as far as I know, there is no ancient external evidence to suggest that any portions of 2 Corinthians existed separately on their own. That is, no extra-biblical ancient sources say anything about separate texts being combined together to form 2 Corinthians, and the canon of Scripture has always had 2 Corinthians the way we have it now. The above rearrangement is just my own personal opinion and I am not dogmatic about it. Please take it that way — and with a pretty good sized grain of salt. Nevertheless, I hope you find this suggested reordering helpful in understanding what Paul was saying to the church in Corinth, as well as to us today.

For additional information and other perspectives, see:

• Cliffs Notes
• Wikipedia
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Blue Letter Bible

Acts 19:23-20:1

My comments in the link below from last year are worth reading, in terms of why the reading list was set up to have an Acts passage interrupt the two Corinthian epistles, but also to follow up on what we read yesterday, that Paul had reversed his earlier plan and decided to go first to Macedonia (Philippi) as he left Ephesus, then on to Achaia (Corinth) so he could spend more time in Corinth (see I Corinthians 16:5).

Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. (v. 32) Strange that this verse struck me, but I was thinking that a lot of people in today’s world don’t know why they are doing what they are doing. I started twice to write different musings about this item, that people don’t know why they are doing what they are doing, but my thoughts were not hitting the mark. What is really true in my mind, however, is that we (in this group and in our church) do know why we are doing what we are doing, and we need to share that “why” at every opportunity that the Holy Spirit affords us. Just that…

See also: May 19 / Acts 19:23-20:1

I Corinthians 16:1-24

I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus … for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. (vv. 17-18) There are a couple of other possible translations for the second half of that quote, verse 18. The NASB has “…they have supplied what was lacking on your part.” The NASB also offers a second alternative, “…they made up for your absence.” My sense, as I read these three verses (and all three translations) in the context of the rest of this letter that Paul is feeling some hostility directed toward him from the Corinthians and that these three brothers are bringing good will and good wishes – reporting on the problems in the Corinthian church, but also setting Paul’s mind at ease with their words of encouragement that the situation at Corinth is not as bad as Paul might make it out to be. That’s my understanding.

But my real comment is directed at the first half of that quote, the beginning of verse 17. Paul is rejoicing at this visit from the brothers. Carol and I have made regular visits to missionaries in Czechia and Slovakia. And I assure you, they are refreshed by our visits! We are welcomed into their homes and into their worship services and other fellowship occasions. We are regularly asked to share on these occasions whatever “word” we might have. I write this to encourage the rest of you to consider a missionary visit to someone you know serving overseas or to one of the missionaries that our church supports through our Mission Committee. Or be part of a small mission trip, perhaps to Uganda the next time that a formal trip is organized (in 2022, as I recall). Now you may think that the $$ you spend might be better served as support money for that missionary. You’re wrong! Your visit will refresh their souls! Or, do both – visit and send money!! ?!

See also: May 17 / I Cor. 16:1-12; May 18 / I Cor. 16:13-24

I Corinthians 15:35-58

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (v. 49) I think Paul is saying here that we currently bear the image of Adam and Eve, but in the future in our resurrected bodies we will bear the image of Jesus. And the image of the resurrected Jesus is worthy of comment. Mary Magdalene did not recognize the resurrected Jesus, thinking Him to be the gardener. (John 20:11-18) And the two disciples walking along the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus until He broke bread with them. (Luke 24:13-35) Immediately thereafter when these two disciples were telling their story to the other disciples Jesus appeared in the midst of them and they barely recognized Him, thinking that they were seeing a spirit. (Luke 24:37) Finally, Jesus came through locked doors to meet with His disciples on that resurrection Sunday. (John 20:19) So Jesus was unrecognizable in all these occasions until He revealed Himself.

So I continue to wonder what our resurrected bodies will look like. I comment in the first link below that we will see one another as we knew each other at our various stages in life. Think how television and movies can slowly morph one person’s face into another person’s face. That’s my image of our resurrected bodies, but an instantaneous recognition of that other person, whether that facial feature is the person at age 20 or 40 or 60 or 80. No matter who we meet or where we met in life, we will bear the image of the resurrected Jesus and that’s enough for me!

See also: May 15 / I Cor. 15:35-49; May 16 / I Cor. 15:50-58

What a strange morning…! Today we are reading, for me, the most energizing passage in all of Scripture. I hope it’s the same for you! But first… The 12-volt battery on our Camry Hybrid was dead – I’ve known that for about a month, but we hadn’t needed it. Today was the day to get it taken care of. So I went out to see if it would start, just maybe. The first thing that I saw was my left front tire, flat. Flat on the ground, wouldn’t even register on my gauge! Got my air compressor out, got that taken care of. But, no battery – had to jump start it with Rachel’s RAV. Done. Drove 20 minutes to Toyota, thank you Lord! And their power is out, all up and down the street! So we wait. Thankfully I’m connected on my mobile hotspot. What a morning!

But back to today’s reading… Yes, energizing!! Those first 20 verses…!! Multiple witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection…! First, “…in accordance with the Scriptures…” (twice mentioned, in verses 3 and 4); second, six persons/groups of witnesses, “…most of whom are still alive…” (v. 5-8); third, Paul’s reasoned arguments in I Cor. 15:12-19 – seven times using the word “if”; and finally, the capstone – “…we are of all people most to be pitied.” Folks, this section lights me up, like no other passage in all of Scripture!

One other intriguing item… Paul is writing this letter to the Corinthian church, a church that is enormously gifted but seriously beset with problems. And after spending time discussing these many problems, Paul writes to this group three of the most beloved passages in all of his letters (maybe in all of Scripture): the Eucharistic celebration in chapter 11, the “love” passage in chapter 13, and this resurrection passage in chapter 15. Very intriguing…!!

Read these verses again, folks, a second or third time. See if you are not energized…!!

See also: May 13 / I Cor. 15:1-19; May 14 / I Cor. 15:20-34