2Cor 11:16-33 | Burkitt | STEP | Here our apostle returns again to his own just and necessary vindication of himself; he acknowledges it unbecoming and unseemly in itself to boast much: and that boasting is the usual mark of a fool; but it is no folly when the interest of God and souls require it: It was only seemingly, and not really, his folly; though it had the appearance of folly, in ostentation; yet with respect to the scope, the aim, and end, and design of it, it was needful and necessary, But yet he tells them, that what he had before spoke, and was now farther about to speak, he spake not after the Lord: that is, as if the Lord commanded any such boasting and glorying in ourselves, as for ourselves. He did not pretend to have any special command from God, to enlarge so copiously in his own commendation: for the Spirit of God no where advises us to commend ourselves, or to glory either in the sufferings we have undergone, or the services we have done: Yet what the apostle here said and did, though not after the Lord, yet was it not contrary to the Lord, or to the direction of his word, which no-where commands us to conceal what grace God has wrought in us, or the good done by us, upon a fitting occasion, and with a sincere design, that he, and not ourselves, may have the praise and glory of it.

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Here our apostle returns again to his own just and necessary vindication of himself; he acknowledges it unbecoming and unseemly in itself to boast much: and that boasting is the usual mark of a fool; but it is no folly when the interest of God and souls require it: It was only seemingly, and not really, his folly; though it had the appearance of folly, in ostentation; yet with respect to the scope, the aim, and end, and design of it, it was needful and necessary,

But yet he tells them, that what he had before spoke, and was now farther about to speak, he spake not after the Lord: that is, as if the Lord commanded any such boasting and glorying in ourselves, as for ourselves. He did not pretend to have any special command from God, to enlarge so copiously in his own commendation: for the Spirit of God no where advises us to commend ourselves, or to glory either in the sufferings we have undergone, or the services we have done: Yet what the apostle here said and did, though not after the Lord, yet was it not contrary to the Lord, or to the direction of his word, which no-where commands us to conceal what grace God has wrought in us, or the good done by us, upon a fitting occasion, and with a sincere design, that he, and not ourselves, may have the praise and glory of it.

Here our apostle, with some kind of salt and smartness, reflects upon the Corinthians (whom ironically he calls wise men) for suffering themselves to be imposed upon by their false teachers, to be tyrannized over, to be spunged upon and exhausted, to be brought again into bondage to Jewish ceremonies, to be smitten on the face; that is, to be upbraided to their very faces, because they had subjected themselves to so mean and weak a person as Paul, a tentmaker. However, he assures them, that in any thing according to the flesh, wherein the false apostles could glory, he could glory also.

Here note, That by glorying after the flesh, is meant glorying in any external privileges and outward advantages, particularly in glorying that they were the seed of Abraham according to the flesh; for the Jews had a very high opinion of themselves, as being the seed of Abraham, and the only people of God, by visible profession, at that time in the world; having contemptible thoughts of all others, whom they called the profane, and the people of the earth, likening them to dogs.

Now the apostle tells the Corinthians plainly, That although there is nothing after the flesh which deserves greatly to be gloried in, yet seeing that the false apostles did pride themselves in these things, he could boast of the same carnal privileges with them, and glory after the flesh as well as themselves; and accordingly, thus he speaks in the following verses:

That is, I have suffered more for Christ, by stripes, by imprisonments, by daily dying, that any of them have done.

Here note, That these false teachers, the Judaizing doctors, were most certainly of the Jewish race; and that they were not only converted to, but did preach up the faith of Christ; but withal, the necessity of circumcision, and the observation of the Jewish rites. These teachers went from Judea, and gave great disturbance to all Christian churches; as Corinth, Galatia, and Philippi: And we often find St. Paul complaining of them, by the name of those of the circumcision; because they required of such as did embrace Christianity, to submit to circumcision and the Jewish law.

The law in Deut 25:3 allowed forty stripes to be given to them that were worthy to be beaten, but forbade them to exceed that number: But it being their custom to beat them with a whip that had three cords, they must either stop at thirty-nine, or exceed and go to forty-two.

Here observe, That the apostle contending with these false teachers, proves the truth of his ministry and apostleship; not, as elsewhere, from the miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, which did accompany his preaching, but from his sufferings, as being the things which these false apostles could not pretend unto, and so could not glory that they were like unto him in them.

Behold what a catalogue the apostle here gives of his sufferings and services: He was scourged by the Jews with whips, beaten by the Gentiles with rods, stoned by the rabble, thrice suffered shipwreck, a night and a day tossed to and fro upon the sea, and in great danger of perishing; in journeyings often from one country to another, to preach, plant, and propagate the gospel; in perils at sea and land, by pirates and robbers; in perils by his countrymen the Jews; in perils in the cities, Damascus, Ephesus, and Jerusalem; in perils in wildernesses and deserts; in perils amongst false brethren, men of the Christian profession; in weariness and painfulness, by travelling from place to place; in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, that is, in necessitated hunger often, and in voluntary fastings frequent, for spiritual purposes; in cold and nakedness, that is, very poor and thin in clothing.

Lord! what tongue can utter, or what heart can conceive, the pains which the apostle took, or the hazards which he run, in preaching the gospel to a lost world? And yet the good man heartily thanks our Lord Jesus Christ for all that, who had counted him faithful, and put him into the ministry. Verily none of the ministers of Christ have any reason or cause to repent of the the choice of their office, whatever services they undertake, or whatever sufferings or reproaches it either hath or may expose them to. Alas! what is all that we feel, to what this apostle underwent? And what is all that he underwent for Christ, compared with that transcendent reward which is in the hand of Christ, both for him and us.

The apostle's burden of outward troubles was discovered before: His burden of inward care is declared now. Besides, those things which were afflicting to him from without, the care and business of all the new-planted churches was daily upon his heart and hand; besides all his bodily labours by journeying and travelling incessantly from place to place, his solicitous care and thoughtfulness of mind, for the prosperity and happiness of all the churches of Christ, both near and afar off, was great and pressing; the holy man felt as much by sympathy as he did by sense. Many were the personal troubles which he had felt, but more were the churches troubles of which he had feeling; concerning which, he thus expresses himself in the next verse:

That is, "What particular church, or what particular Christian in any of the churches of Christ, is weak in faith, or wavering in their profession: Where is the person that is assaulted with inward temptations, or outward troubles, and I do not sympathize with him, yea, burn with holy zeal and fervent desire for his settlement and establishing?" Sympathy among all the members, but especially in and among the ministers of Christ, is a great Christian duty: They ought to have a tender compassion to the whole flock, and also a quick sense both of the sins and the sufferings of every particular and individual member and part thereof.

As Christ, our head, is afflicted in all his church's afflictions, so ought we, as his ministers and members, to be afflicted in the afflictions of our fellow-brethren. He that has no cross of his own, must take up and bear his brother's: yea, he that has many of his own, must yet bear a part of all his brethren's crosses. Good men ever have been and are men of tender and compassionate dispositions, ready to mourn over, and lament for, both the sins and sufferings of others, from the overflowing of a Christ-like spirit in them. True goodness evermore promotes compassion.

By infirmities here, we are to understand sufferings, reproaches, and disgraces, afflictions and persecutions, for the sake of the gospel.

Where note, That the apostle chose rather to glory in what Christ had enabled him to suffer, than what he enabled him to do for him; he had wrought divers tongues, had done very great and eminent services for Christ; but not a word of these, because these indeed were evidences of the power of God in him, and of the favour of God towards him, but no demonstrations of any inherent grace or goodness in him; whereas his patient bearing of such sharp, long, and continual undeniable proofs of extraordinary measures of faith, and patience, of holy self-denial, and eminent love to God, and consequently were a truer and greater cause of boasting than extraordinary gifts and miraculous operations.

Observe here, How the apostle, in a most awful and solemn manner, appeals to the all-knowing and heart-searching God, that the foregoing account of his sufferings for Christ and his gospel was the exact truth and no lie. He calls God to bear witness to the certainty of all that he had said of him the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is blessed for evermore, affords an undeniable argument to prove the Godhead of Christ; this doxology, blessed for evermore, being a term of honour usually annexed by the Jews at the naming of God.

The apostle concludes this chapter, containing a relation of his sufferings, with a remarkable deliverance which God gave him from danger and death, at the city of Damascus, soon after his conversion, of which mention is made, Acts 9:24-25.

The Jews, whom he confuted and confounded with his arguments at Damascus, sought to kill him; to effect which, they had by some means or other, brought over Aretas, who was king, under the Roman emperor, at Damascus, and he engages with the Jews in persecuting the holy and innocent apostle. He shuts up the gates of the city, keeps his soldiers in arms, and uses all possible means to prevent the apostle's escape.

But what saith the Psalmist? Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain, Ps 127:1 either to keep out those whom he will have in, or to keep in those whom he will have out. All the wall shall be an open gate to those whom Divine Providence will have to escape; as here to St. Paul, being let down over the wall by a rope in a basket. Neither was it any evidence of cowardice that the apostle now fled, nor in the least degree sinful; our Lord having given us a particular license in the case, saying, When they persecute you in one city, fly to another. Besides, the persecution now raised was directly levelled against the apostle in particular.

It was therefore piously done in the disciples, and prudently done in himself, to attend the means of his own preservation. As the husbandman doth not commit all his corn to the oven, but saves some for seed; so doth God in persecution. All are not martyrs; and none shall be so presently: they must first finish their course of obedience before they finish their course with joy.

Happy soul, that can say with this great and good man, I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, I am ready to be offered up: henceforth is laid up for me a crown of glory, which fadeth not away. Amen.