2 Corinthians 11:19-21 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 I am speaking with shame, because we are weak.
The Corinthians were blind to the situation. They did not see the foolishness of these opponents. Foolishness results when people set themselves up against God. The book of Proverbs is full of sayings about the fool. The Corinthians should have known better because Paul gave them the gospel and even had written letters and sent emissaries to remind them of the truth of the gospel. In this text, Paul gets critical of the situation and their response. First Corinthians hints at their pretense to being wise. Paul flips that over and shows that the way of wisdom and strength comes through the cross and accepting Jesus as God’s Savior for the world. Again, that will be Paul’s method, though with a different approach. It all comes down to what to do with Jesus.
Verse 20 sarcastically shows what they are doing. They are foolishly putting up with the deception of these false apostles. If they are aware of this, that only highlights their foolishness. If they are lazy in their knowledge of the gospel, that shows even more foolishness. This verse lists some significant things that these false apostles are doing to the Corinthians. These evidently were being done in subtle ways, and so Paul is trying to help them be aware of this. How did he come to know this? He received a detailed report from Timothy of the situation. This shows that Timothy had excellent discernment into the problems, which may be why Paul sent him on difficult journeys to check on churches like this.
These false apostles are enslaving and exploits the Corinthians. “Exploits” literally means to consume and eat up. These people were using up the Corinthians for their own appetites and purposes. They were abusing the church, making them victims of greed and selfish desires. They were taking advantage of the church, finding ways to support their own purposes and goals. They looked smart and spiritual but this was all an act. They were basically being hypocrites. The church did not realize or perhaps had become mesmerized by the situation and were being slapped in the face. This was an insult to God’s grace in their lives.
This is something leadership must always be aware lest their pride creep up and begin to ruin relationships. This leaning may be subtle but can appear in certain personalities or high ambitions–the achievers. Ambition and achievement, what Paul calls “zeal,” can be good things if channeled in the right direction for God’s glory and kingdom. They can also lose their focus and begin to use people and situations to achieve more selfish desires. Leaders are giving the huge task of being stewards of the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1) and are called to build up the church in humility and example (Ephesians 4:11-13). These so-called self-appointed leaders in Corinth had deviated from all this and had set their own course. If we take our eyes off of the way of the cross, we will soon be controlled again by pride, arrogance, and selfish ambition.
Verse 21 is an odd statement in an odd place. The clue to understanding it is to see what comes after this in the passage where Paul begins to boast of his trials and suffering. This verse is full of irony as will be the following passage. Paul was weak from a human perspective. He is speaking from the position of shame and dishonor when compared to these “super apostles.” They glory in their speaking abilities and good looks, but Paul comes from the perspective of human weakness that relies on God’s grace and power. This is a difficult place to be because it requires that we crucify ourselves with Christ and let Christ live in us (Galatians 2:20).
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