Paul was reluctant to boast about
himself for he knew that any valid reason for boasting would be when one boasts
about the Lord. He had earlier said so in 2 Corinthians 10:17, quoting Jeremiah
9:24, saying that “…he who boasts is to boast in the Lord.” Yet to prove that all
he had said were as good as those of his adversaries, he had to engage in a
little boasting, although he had condemned the adversaries for engaging in it.
To him boasting was foolishness.
Sensible people would concur with Paul. But even though it would be foolish to
boast, if it’s the only way to unsettle the adversaries he would do it. He
wanted the Corinthians to know him as a valid apostle and not a fool. But if by
being a fool, and engaged in a bit of foolishness could bring them to that
realization of his apostleship, then he wouldn’t mind indulging in it.
In verses 17-18 Paul pointed out that his boasting was not
according to the Lord but to the flesh. Although he would rather not do it
according to the flesh, but the circumstances in Corinth compelled him to do
so. Therefore, he would do it as one disguised as a fool. He would use materials
that would appear foolish to his adversaries, who were the real fools. Although
the Corinthians were wise, they tolerated foolishness gladly. They allowed
themselves to be enslaved by those false apostles. They even allowed themselves
to be exploited and had their rights violated. They also tolerated their violence.
In verse 21a, Paul then sarcastically told them that he felt weak in comparison
to his adversaries’ demands on the Corinthians.
The opponents of Paul had no qualms in doing anything, even
those that would go against their conscience. So wisdom dictates that Paul
should indulge in a bit of their foolishness to wake up the Corinthians. Yet in
doing it, Paul also remained very sensitive to the Lord and to the people. Paul
always had the good of the people in view. What about us in our dealing with
others? Let’s seek the best outcome for those whom we are helping.
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