2 Corinthians 11:21b-27 Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones.
Paul now lists his catalogue of hardships in order to compare himself with the false apostles who had come to Corinth and deceived the church there. He continues to speak as a fool, with sarcasm and irony, in order to highlight Christ’s grace at work in his life. His confidence is in God and not his own abilities, compared to the false apostles who boast in their own abilities. If they want to play the resume game, the he will play along, but not in a selfish way that boasts in terms of the world but in terms of service to God’s kingdom. This list can more or less be divided in different topical sections, though the edges blur with some of these categories.
Paul begins in v. 22 with his religious heritage. This verse also tells something about the opponents. All three ideas–Hebrews, Israelites, and Abraham’s descendants–have the same impact to show that Paul and the opponents are from the same specially chosen people of God. They appear to boast in these three things, but they Paul turns it around to boast in the same things. The opponents may have come from Israel or even Jerusalem. The book of Acts, especially ch. 15, indicates that there were legalistic Jewish Christians who had a different interpretation of the gospel. To be labeled with these three descriptions was a status symbol and perhaps a reason for the opponents to boast. Since it comes first in the list, it be at the top of the list of their self-commendation and reason for boasting. We can almost sense some racism in their thinking.
The beginning of v. 23 continues the religious boasting but focuses in on ministry (diakonos). These opponents boast in their ministry for Christ. This is the challenging point because serving Christ is a sign of honor for Paul and many early Christian leaders. That may be why he gives the parenthetical statement about talking out of his mind about all of this. There is nothing wrong in being a minister for Christ. The problem is everything else that this people are doing surrounding this. It is how they go about this ministry. Ministry is significant and honorable, but if it is done for selfish reasons, it can deteriorate into deceit and wrong teaching. There are pastors who begin with good motives, but somewhere along the line, they shift in their motives, possibly through giving in to temptation. The drift may be subtle, only giving a compromise but that will give the devil a foothold for further deception.
Paul next will list in vv. 23-25 the various ways he has physically suffered by serving Christ throughout his travel’s. If these opponents think their ministry has been great, wait until the Corinthians hear about Paul’s hard work. This is where Paul’s foolishness begins to be more evident. Who would want to boast about their suffering? Usually people like to boast about their triumphs and where they came in first.
Paul had been in prison many times, probably more than what is listed in Acts or implied in his letters. We know of at least three major times, in Philippi, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Rome, and possibly also Ephesus. Clement of Rome, who lived just after Paul, wrote Paul was imprisoned seven times. Some of these were short and others many years. Prison was not a pleasant place at that time. It brought many physical depravations. It would not usual for people to die in prison. Prisons were not seen as the punishment itself but as a way to hold people until a trial, after which the penalty came (which often was death).
Paul was also beaten many times. Flogging was a cruel form of punishment and often included bits of bone or other hard objects that embedded into a person’s back. It is noteworthy that Paul says right after flogging that he was exposed to death again and again. The context suggests that the reason for this was the physical trauma he experienced through the flogging. The possibility of this interpretation is supported by the next item of being beaten five times by the Jews with 39 lashes. Another form of beating was with rods or sticks. Even once would be traumatic. Another form of beating he experienced was being stoned. I imagine Paul’s body had many scars from these beatings. These experiences would be enough to cripple a person. That he was still alive to tell of these beatings is proof of God’s sustaining grace and protection.
For older posts, click here.