ABR#6 Two Corinthians

I have begun to read the Bible alphabetically (see here for my rationale), reading each book at least three times (in this case four) and trying to get into the mind of the original author and readers as well as listen to God’s message for today. Here’s what I’ve discovered from reading 2 Corinthians.

General Tone:
This is a letter of explanation, self-defence and reconciliation. Paul’s relationship with Corinth had clearly deteriorated and he is anxious to set it right with a combination of honesty about the nature of his work (both his strengths and weaknesses) and an attitude which ranges between “I love you and I’m trying to help you” and “don’t make me come over there and have to bang your heads together”.

I am reminded of a heated email exchange where after a while someone tries to sum things up by setting down the whole matter at great and tedious length, seeking to explain what they did and why, what they said and what they meant.

According to some scholars, the letter which had upset the church so much (mentioned halfway through) is actually preserved as the last part of 2 Corinthians. If this was an email then this last section would be the ‘quoted text’ from an earlier exchange. I’m not sure it matters whether this is one letter or two letters combined. In either case Paul was taking pains to justify himself to a church he had somehow got on bad terms with, and we can only read part of an ongoing conversation. The healing of the relationship would surely have taken time and not been completely resolved by one epistle.

Dramatis Personae:
Paul writes to the Christians in Achaia (the land to the west of the Adriatic Sea), including the city of Corinth. He speaks highly of the Christians in Macedonia (to the north of the Adriatic).

The first part of the letter uses “we” a lot, presumably referring to Paul, Timothy and their colleagues who are working to spread the gospel of Christ. After an interlude about fund-raising (where the Macedonians are cited as a good example to follow), the emphasis shifts more often to “I” (Paul himself) and includes a section where he bares his soul to them in terms of his hardships, his motives and his weaknesses.

Titus features repeatedly in this letter, which suggests he was at this point one of Paul’s close colleagues, or he was someone known and respected in Corinth – or both.

Some characters remain anonymous – the man who sinned but needs to be forgiven; the reliable brother who was sent with Titus; the man caught up into paradise. Had Paul forgotten their names, or was there need for discretion in these cases?

What can we learn?
This letter reveals a lot about the nature of an evangelist and an apostle in the early church. It reveals little about the precise nature of the breakdown in the relationship between Paul and Corinth. It reveals something about the nature of God and the Christian life because Paul refers to these things as illustrations and arguments to support his main purpose of justifying his role.

I’d hesitate to call any part of the Bible worthless, but it does seem to me that Paul’s occasional profound theological asides are a far better reason for this letter being in the canon of Scripture than his blatant appeals to be understood and respected.

A big question: How on earth was Paul expecting this letter not to be taken purely as a justification of himself and his team? He claims to be writing not in self-defence but to build up his readers. What is there about the content of this letter which will improve the lives and faith of the Christians in Corinth? Is it because the message and the messenger can never be fully separated? Paul needs to establish his credentials (an appropriate word – literally the things which make someone believable) so that they will accept his teaching. Today our Christian witness has become “I think I’m right in what I believe but I wouldn’t want to impose my view on others.” Paul’s attitude is “I’m sure I’m right in what I believe and it’s vitally important that you also believe it. So I’m going to do whatever it takes to convince you that I’m worth listening to.”

Detailed content:
Here is an attempt to extrapolate from Paul’s words what the situation might have been in Corinth and Achaia. (The following quotes are paraphrases and TA indicates a theological aside.)

Perhaps the Corinthians were facing troubles and feeling sorry for themselves – Paul reminds them “we have faced troubles and almost died, but God has helped us and that means God can use us to help you.”

The Corinthians didn’t like Paul changing his mind and writing instead of visiting – Paul explains “I did intend to pass through Corinth twice but decided it would be better for you if I didn’t. [TA: Jesus is God’s YES] Instead I wrote about that person who had done wrong. My letter apparently upset you, but he has now been punished and should be forgiven. My travel plans were also affected by my search for Titus.”

The Corinthians had never seen documents to support Paul’s authority – Paul claims he doesn’t need them. “Because of what we have accomplished (through Christ) in Corinth, you are like a letter of recommendation written by Christ. [TA: in the old law God’s glory was veiled. Now a greater glory is revealed, but still many are blind to it.] Don’t think we are boasting though. We are weak vessels that God is able to use. [TA: the mortal body is a temporary residence, God has a better home prepared for us]”

The Corinthians were no longer impressed by Paul or cared for him – Paul is more concerned with being a friend of Christ. “We don’t want you to fall into the trap of judging by appearances. [TA: through Christ God has turned enemies into friends.] We have patiently endured many hardships. We are being open with you, open your hearts to us.”
[a criticism: don’t have such close dealings with unbelievers.]

Titus has visited Corinth and returned with news of their reaction to a very upsetting letter Paul had sent – “I’m sorry to have upset you, but glad I wrote the letter because it made you put things right. What really encourages us is that we gave Titus a good report of you and you didn’t let us down.”

Interlude: “God’s people in Judea need financial help. The churches of Macedonia have been generous, and we hope you will be too. You’ve begun well. Don’t stop now. Titus and another brother are coming to encourage you and make sure there can be no accusation of financial irregularities. I’ve been boasting about your generosity. Don’t let me down. [TA: God gives lavishly and loves those who do the same.]”

The view of Paul in Corinth was that his letters were powerful but harsh, whereas in person he was gentle but ineffectual; they were more impressed with ‘professional’ apostles who expected payment – Paul responds “what we write and what we say in person is all part of the authority God gives us. He has made us responsible for you (within limits) and therefore we don’t charge anything for our services. If you want me to boast, then here are all the difficulties and hardships I have endured for the sake of the gospel. And God has given me a painful ailment as a constant reminder of my weakness and his strength. The whole point of me writing like this is not to justify ourselves to you, but to help you and build you up. You need to deal with those who sin and get rid of your quarrelling and jealousy so that when I do come I can commend you.”

Miscellaneous insights:
We say ‘Amen’ in the name of Jesus because he is God’s ‘Yes’. This doesn’t mean all our prayers will be answered in the affirmative. It does mean that God wants stuff to happen and Jesus is the means by which it happens. When starship captain Jean-Luc Picard has heard his crew’s ideas and come to a decision, he expects that decision to be implemented – Jesus is God’s way of saying “Make it so”.

It is encouraging to think that our when our earthly tent (our physical body) is destroyed, God has a new heavenly tent prepared for us to inhabit. But even so (if I’ve understood Paul correctly) the thought of putting off this present body doesn’t appeal. Paul is human enough to want to put on the wonderful new body as an extra layer without giving up the body he is familiar with.

In 1 Corinthians Paul was keen to recognise many different ministries as valuable – one sows, another waters – so there shouldn’t be rivalry between factions. Here he has changed his tone and criticises his opponents as pseudo-apostles, comparing them with Satan disguised as an angel of light. How can we distinguish between colleagues who have a different style of ministry and enemies who are promoting a corrupt gospel? Maybe one of the marks of the true apostle is humility and a willingness to give credit to others, whereas inflating one’s own importance at the expense of others is the mark of a false apostle. But on those criteria, how would we rate Paul....? Perhaps these vitriolic passages show Paul at his most human and most vulnerable. And still God could use him! It’s as if the glorious riches of God were stored in a drab earthenware jar (to quote Paul’s own illustration.)

Whatever else we might think of this letter, the final blessing is so simple and profound that it has been adopted as the closing prayer at countless Christian meetings.