2 Corinthians · chapter 11 of 13
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2 Corinthians 11 is the most intense part of Paul's defense. Jealous for the Corinthians' purity, he warns against false apostles who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, and as forced foolishness he lists his credentials and sufferings: beatings, shipwrecks, dangers, labors and the daily concern for all the churches.
After rejecting measuring himself against others, Paul now reluctantly agrees to a kind of comparison: boasting as a fool, following the logic of his critics. What he lists is not a catalog of successes but of sufferings. This is one of the most striking lists in the New Testament on the cost of ministry.
Paul wishes they would bear with him in a little foolishness, for he is jealous for them with a godly jealousy, since he betrothed them to one husband, to present them as a pure virgin to Christ. He fears that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, their thoughts will be led astray from a sincere devotion to Christ. If someone comes proclaiming another Jesus, a different spirit or a different gospel, they put up with it readily. Paul does not consider himself inferior to the super-apostles; though no trained speaker, he has knowledge.
He tells how he served them without charge, robbing other churches, and how brothers from Macedonia supplied what he lacked. He will continue so, to cut off the opportunity from those who want to be regarded as his equals. Such false apostles, deceitful workers, disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder: Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and their end will match their deeds.
Paul will boast as a fool, since many boast according to the flesh. They gladly put up with anyone who enslaves, devours or strikes them. Are they Hebrews, Israelites, offspring of Abraham, servants of Christ? So is Paul, and more: far more labors, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, often near death. Five times he received the forty lashes less one from the Jews, three times he was beaten with rods, once stoned, three times shipwrecked, and a night and day adrift at sea. He has faced dangers from rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles, the wilderness, the sea and false brothers, with hunger, thirst, cold and sleepless nights. Besides all this, there is the daily pressure of his concern for all the churches.
If he must boast, he will boast of his weakness. He tells how in Damascus, under King Aretas's governor, who guarded the city to seize him, he was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Paul is jealous for them with a godly jealousy, having betrothed them to one husband, Christ, and fears that, as the serpent deceived Eve, their thoughts will be led astray from sincere devotion to him. His concern is pastoral, not personal.
Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light, so it is no surprise that his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Spiritual deception often comes looking like good.
Paul lists his credentials: labors, imprisonments, beatings, near-death experiences, shipwrecks, hunger, cold and sleepless nights. His apostolic authority is shown in what he has suffered for Christ, not in success.
Besides all this, there is the daily pressure of his concern for all the churches. One who truly serves does not only work: he carries people in his heart.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: A pure virgin presented to Christ. — 2 Corinthians 11:2
Answer: That their thoughts will be led astray from sincere devotion to Christ. — 2 Corinthians 11:3
Answer: An angel of light. — 2 Corinthians 11:14
Answer: Five times. — 2 Corinthians 11:24
Answer: Three times. — 2 Corinthians 11:25
Answer: He was let down in a basket through a window in the wall. — 2 Corinthians 11:32-33
2 Corinthians 11 puts us on guard against messages that sound good but lead away from Christ. Before accepting a teaching, it helps to compare it with what the Scriptures say. In a small group a simple question can serve: does this message point to Jesus and the gospel we received?
The chapter also redefines success in ministry. Paul does not boast of numbers or eloquence but of what he has suffered and his burden for the churches. For those who serve wearily and with little recognition, this text gives encouragement: the Lord sees the faithfulness others do not notice.
2 Corinthians 11 ends with a humble scene, the escape from Damascus in a basket. In chapter 12 Paul will continue his forced boasting, speaking of visions and his thorn in the flesh, and of how Christ's grace is made perfect in weakness.
It is an ironic expression Paul uses for teachers who presented themselves as superior to him. Interpreters debate whether they were the apostles of Jerusalem or rival missionaries who had come to Corinth. The context indicates they were those proclaiming another Jesus and another gospel.
The law of Moses limited beatings to forty, and Jewish practice was to give thirty-nine so as not to exceed the limit. Paul received that punishment five times from Jewish authorities, which shows the opposition he faced.
Because boasting about himself seems foolish to him. But the Corinthians were impressed by those who boasted of credentials, and Paul shows that if there was to be a contest, his were greater, though they consisted mostly of sufferings and weakness.