2 Corinthians 11:16-18 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.
Paul is actually doing what the false apostles are doing: boasting. The logician could criticize him for doing the very thing he is condemning. Thus, he could be labeled a “fool” or “ignorant.” However, he knows exactly what he is doing. He is doing this on purpose. He knows he is not talking like Jesus would. Jesus would be humble, although he at points clashed with the Jewish leaders and even threw the money changers out of the temple. Humility does not mean weakness or quietness. Paul feels that he needs to exert some sarcastic strength here to wake up the Corinthians to the danger of the situation. Even with this, however, he ends up praising the grace of Christ and not his own abilities or suffering.
Because the opponents are boasting like the world, Paul is going to do that also so the Corinthians can see the utter foolishness of what they are following and what these false apostles are doing. How does world boast? First, it obviously shows their foolishness. What makes boasting so foolish? It reveals human pride, and by doing this, it reveals human weakness. Humans think they are so wise and strong by their abilities. We have more or less just about conquered the world now. There is not much that human ingenuity has not figured out or at least have a theory about it. Yet, is the world a better place? There have been some nice advancements in living conditions, yet there are millions homeless and without adequate food. Wars can be fought with weapons of mass destruction. People live with an overall sense of fear. Pride destroys families and relationships. Many if not most relationship problems result from some form of pride and selfishness. Paul will get to the answer to this problem later in ch. 12, but at this point, he needs to show the absurdity of the situation.
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us of the futility of human effort, which is usually in some form of pride that sets itself up against the worship of God. Life does not need to be futile, although much of what we do is meaningless in the bigger picture of things. Humbly relying on God’s grace will give us a different perspective about the things we do and experience. We realize that there can be a greater purpose in all we do.
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