Daily Bread 2011 - 2 Corinthians 11
Paul and the False Apostles
1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5 But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” 6 I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
What Does This Mean?
Paul continues on with the theme of defending himself for the sake of the Gospel, and in this chapter, with quite a bit of sarcasm. He says, “I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness.” It is clear, as pointed out yesterday, that apparently a group had come in and undermined Paul’s legitimacy as a true apostle. Paul, “tongue in cheek” calls them “super-apostles”. Paul gives the reason for his concern in that as the person who planted this church he felt an obligation to make sure that after starting with Christ, they weren’t somehow led astray by a different gospel.
Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent through bad thinking, in a similar way, these false apostles sounded good yet they were distorting the gospel. In what way we are not sure, but most commentators feel it had something to do with either mysticism/super spirituality, or extreme Jewish zealousness. Since Paul spends so much time in this chapter outlining his pedigree regarding his Jewish heritage, the latter seems supported. In any case, Paul lets them know just because someone is talking about Jesus doesn’t mean they are a true teacher. I.e. “Even Satan masquerades as an angel of light!”
What Does This Mean For Us?
William Barclay tells the story, “A group of people at a dinner party who agreed that each should recite something after the meal. A well-known actor rose and, with all the resources of elocution and dramatic art, recited the Twenty-third Psalm. He sat down to tremendous applause. A quiet man followed him with his own recitation of this psalm. At first there were a few snickers. But by the time he had ended, his hearers had fallen into a stillness that was more eloquent than any applause. When he sat down, the actor leaned across the table and said, "Sir, I know the psalm, but you know the shepherd" (Barclay 1954:247).
Similarly, Paul's opponents may have spoken with great skill and ability, but Paul preached from personal conviction and in the power of the Spirit. He knew the real Christ. God uses us in spite our weaknesses and limitations, and in fact, in the next chapter, we will learn that our weaknesses show all the more clearly the power of Christ. We remember as declared in the Old Testament verse, “Not by might, nor power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!” (Zechariah 4:6) When we starting thinking it is our natural charisma or giftedness that is advancing the kingdom, we have bought into serpent’s lie once again.
Father, protect us from bad thinking and the cunning craftiness of the evil one. Make us pure by Your Word and by Your Spirit so we might be a perfect bride fit for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ on the day of His return, Amen.
1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5 But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” 6 I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
What Does This Mean?
Paul continues on with the theme of defending himself for the sake of the Gospel, and in this chapter, with quite a bit of sarcasm. He says, “I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness.” It is clear, as pointed out yesterday, that apparently a group had come in and undermined Paul’s legitimacy as a true apostle. Paul, “tongue in cheek” calls them “super-apostles”. Paul gives the reason for his concern in that as the person who planted this church he felt an obligation to make sure that after starting with Christ, they weren’t somehow led astray by a different gospel.
Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent through bad thinking, in a similar way, these false apostles sounded good yet they were distorting the gospel. In what way we are not sure, but most commentators feel it had something to do with either mysticism/super spirituality, or extreme Jewish zealousness. Since Paul spends so much time in this chapter outlining his pedigree regarding his Jewish heritage, the latter seems supported. In any case, Paul lets them know just because someone is talking about Jesus doesn’t mean they are a true teacher. I.e. “Even Satan masquerades as an angel of light!”
What Does This Mean For Us?
William Barclay tells the story, “A group of people at a dinner party who agreed that each should recite something after the meal. A well-known actor rose and, with all the resources of elocution and dramatic art, recited the Twenty-third Psalm. He sat down to tremendous applause. A quiet man followed him with his own recitation of this psalm. At first there were a few snickers. But by the time he had ended, his hearers had fallen into a stillness that was more eloquent than any applause. When he sat down, the actor leaned across the table and said, "Sir, I know the psalm, but you know the shepherd" (Barclay 1954:247).
Similarly, Paul's opponents may have spoken with great skill and ability, but Paul preached from personal conviction and in the power of the Spirit. He knew the real Christ. God uses us in spite our weaknesses and limitations, and in fact, in the next chapter, we will learn that our weaknesses show all the more clearly the power of Christ. We remember as declared in the Old Testament verse, “Not by might, nor power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!” (Zechariah 4:6) When we starting thinking it is our natural charisma or giftedness that is advancing the kingdom, we have bought into serpent’s lie once again.
Father, protect us from bad thinking and the cunning craftiness of the evil one. Make us pure by Your Word and by Your Spirit so we might be a perfect bride fit for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ on the day of His return, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment