2 Corinthians 11:1-2 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a zeal for God. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
Paul prepares the Corinthians for the the boasting he is going to do in this next section of the letter. He calls this “a little foolishness” or lack of good sense. He is going to do what he has just warned about not doing. But he is going to do this boasting in a way that actually shows his dependency and weakness. We can imagine him pacing back and forth, a bit exasperated about what to do in Corinth and finally deciding that the situation calls for this ironic approach. He needs to get their attention and believes this method will do it.
Verse 2 shows his motive for boasting in two parts. Negatively, he is jealous for the Corinthians. This is not a negative, selfish jealousy for something that belongs to him but is a positive jealousy that comes from his zeal for God. He seeks God in his ministry and wants the Corinthians to do the same. His zeal for God is shown in his devotion to Christ. Using the metaphor of marriage, Paul wants to present the Corinthians as pure and undefiled virgins to Christ. He wants them to remain fully devoted to Christ and not be distracted or set off course by following a different path. Paul perceives the Corinthians as being in a dangerous place that could compromise their faith.
Zeal can be a good thing when directed to helping people keep their focus on Christ. Jealousy is an emotion that comes from the protection we want to give to those whom we love and care. God had this type of jealousy for Israel in the Old Testament. The people of Israel had turned to false gods and worshipped idols. This was dangerous and would lead to their spiritual destruction. God acted in strong ways at some points in history to draw Israel back to true devotion to the one true and only Lord God. Jealousy for the devotion of our people to be directed exclusively to Christ may lead us to strong action.
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