16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. – 2 Corinthians 11:16-28 ESV
Paul is about to do something he really doesn’t want to do; he is about to boast, and he feels like a fool for doing so. But he is driven by a desire to wake up the Corinthians so they can see the stupidity of their logic. Paul’s adversaries were constantly boasting about their own reputations and qualifications and set themselves up as superior to Paul. So, against his better judgment, Paul decides to play their game of one-upmanship.
He begs the Corinthians, “Listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little” (2 Corinthians 11:16 NLT). Then he sarcastically adds, “Since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too” (2 Corinthians 11:18 NLT). He accuses the Corinthians of being “so wise” and yet allowing themselves to be enslaved, devoured, taken advantage of, easily impressed, and humiliated. It was like being slapped in the face in public.
Since they seemed to be attracted to the boasts of his adversaries, Paul decided to play their game, all the while admitting, “I am speaking as a fool” (2 Corinthians 11:21 ESV). Paul is much more comfortable and at home with his weaknesses, viewing them as assets rather than liabilities. In the next chapter, Paul writes, “That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT).
But at this point in the letter, he is attempting to show the Corinthians the foolishness of their obsession with qualifications and outward appearances. So he gives them a rather exhaustive outline of his credentials, matching his critics line by line. These “false apostles” bragged of being pure-blooded, Aramaic-speaking Hebrews. Well, they had nothing on Paul. They boasted of being Israelites, part of God’s chosen people; so was Paul. They claimed they could trace their roots all the way back to Abraham; so could Paul. And they presented themselves as servants of Christ. But Paul flatly asserts that he is a better one, and then goes on to explain why, all the while admitting that his words sounded like those of a madman.
I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. – 2 Corinthians 11:23 NLT
Then he backs up his claims with specific details.
I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. – 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT
His long list of unpleasant experiences includes suffering at the hands of men who falsely claimed to be believers. This blunt assessment of his adversaries was intended to expose them as false apostles who were teaching a different gospel and a version of Christ that was unacceptable.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that every difficulty he had faced was due to his commitment to his calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ. His suffering was faithful due to his faithfulness to the commission given to him by Jesus. If the Corinthians were looking for someone with the proper qualifications to be an apostle, they need look no further than Paul; he had the scars to prove it. His resume, while not pretty, was a powerful statement of his calling and commitment. When many other men would have given up and walked away, Paul had stayed the course, fighting the good fight, and running the race all the way to the finish line.
While Paul hated boasting, he did so for a good reason. He wanted the Corinthians to wake up and smell the coffee. In their display of “wisdom,” they were bearing with fools. They were listening to these false apostles and giving credence to their words, all based on nothing more than their self-proclaimed qualifications. These men had no track record of service to the Lord. They had played no part in bringing the gospel to the Corinthians and, if anything, were actually undermining Paul’s work. They had preached a contradictory gospel based on a different Jesus, and promoted a different Spirit than the one the Corinthians had received at salvation. This was dangerous stuff.
Paul knew that their work among the Corinthians was not stopped in its tracks; the result would be deadly. So he resorted to boasting, lowering himself to their level to expose them for what they really were: charlatans and liars. Paul cared for the Corinthians. He was willing to die for them if necessary. He would gladly take a bullet or a stone for them. And he was not above being seen as a fool if it helped them see the folly of their ways.
Father, Paul’s unwavering commitment to the gospel is refreshing and inspiring. We live in a day when many are propagating watered-down versions of the gospel that are meant to be inclusive, tolerant, and non-offensive, They offer a radically different view of Jesus than the one Paul preached. Their messages promote love at all costs while refusing to call out sin or broach the subject of judgment. They preach a feel-good gospel that offers a more palatable form of salvation that requires no repentance of sin and no need of a Savior. Paul faced the same situation in his day and he refused to put up with anyone who tried to water down the gospel, softsell sin, or turn Jesus into some kind of cosmic good luck charm. Paul was a fighter and a defender of the truth. Would you raise up a generation of committed, no-holds-barred gospel defenders who will follow Paul’s lead? And may I be one of them. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.