2 Corinthians 12:20 Komentář

In this chapter the apostle proceeds in maintaining the honour of his apostleship. He magnified his office when there were those who vilified it. What he says in his own praise was only in his own justification and the necessary defence of the honour of his ministry, the preservation of which was necessary to its success. First, He makes mention of the favour God had shown him, the honour done him, the methods God took to keep him humble, and the use he made of this dispensation (Co2 12:1-10). Then he addresses himself to the Corinthians, blaming them for what was faulty among them, and giving a large account of his behaviour and kind intentions towards them (Co2 12:11 to the end).

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS 12 The apostle in this chapter proceeds upon the same subject, in vindicating himself against the false teachers, and giving proof of his apostleship; he takes notice of a very remarkable and unusual vision he was favoured with; makes mention of an uncommon temptation of Satan, how he was delivered from it, and the use it was of to him; excuses his boasting to the Corinthians; lays the blame of it upon them who obliged him to do it, though they had such undeniable proofs of his apostleship among them; signifies he intended to come and see them, and expresses his strong affection for them, and good will towards them; removes the calumnies of covetousness, guile, and craftiness; reproves them for their sins, and threatens them in case of impenitence. Though in some respects glorying was not so convenient, and quite disagreeable to the apostle himself, yet such were his circumstances, that it was become necessary for him to do it, and therefore goes on with it; and to his character, qualifications, labours, sufferings, and deliverances, adds the visions and revelations of the Lord he had been honoured with, Co2 12:1 and singles out a very particular one, which he describes by the time when, about fourteen years ago; by the person who saw it, himself, whom he speaks of in the third person, that there might be as little appearance of boasting as possible; by the place where it was seen, the third heaven, into which he was caught; by the form or manner of the vision, or the circumstance and condition in which he was when he saw it, of which he could give no account; as whether in or out of the body, Co2 12:2, which last circumstance is repeated to denote the certainty of it, and his ignorance as to this part of it; for the truth of which he appeals to God, Co2 12:3, and affirms again, that such an one as he had described was caught up to paradise; by which he explains what he meant by the third heaven, and further declares, that being there he heard words unutterable, Co2 12:4. Now though this vision was matter of glorying, yet since he was the person that was so highly honoured with it, he would not dwell any longer on it, but rather speak of his infirmities, as he afterwards does, Co2 12:5, yet if he had shown a design of boasting, it would not have been acting a foolish part; however, he thought it best to forbear, lest it should lead any into too high an opinion of him, Co2 12:6, and indeed, these high enjoyments were apt to fill himself with pride and vanity, wherefore God, in his infinite wisdom, thought fit to take some methods to humble him; which leads him to give an account of a sore temptation that befell him, which was grievous to him, and in which he was buffeted by Satan; the end of which was to keep down his pride, and hide it from him, Co2 12:7. The use this was of to him, and how he behaved under it, and the request he made to the Lord to be freed from it, are declared in Co2 12:8, to which he received an answer, which was full and satisfactory, gave him pleasure, and determined him to glory in his infirmities, Co2 12:9, which he does in Co2 12:10, and gives an enumeration of them, and his reason for glorying in them: and whereas he knew he should be chargeable with folly, in glorying in other things as he had done, he blames the Corinthians for it, who had obliged him to it; for had they engaged as they should have done in the vindication and commendation of him, there would have been no need of his own; and they were furnished with matter and arguments enough for such a purpose, since it must have been a plain case to them that he was not inferior to the chief of the apostles, Co2 12:11, of which they had a full demonstration, partly by the signs, wonders, and mighty deeds which were done in the midst of them by him, Co2 12:12, and partly by the gifts of grace bestowed on them through his ministry, on account of which they did not come short of any other churches; unless it was in this, that they had the Gospel preached without charge unto them, Co2 12:13, the apostle goes on to acquaint them that he had a third time intended to come and see them, when he would be no more burdensome and chargeable to them than he had been before; have no regard to theirs but to them, acting the part of a father that lays up for his children, but takes nothing from them, Co2 12:14, and expresses his strong affection for them, even though they should show but little to him, and his earnest desire to be serviceable to them, and the pleasure he should take therein, Co2 12:15, and whereas it was suggested by the false teachers, that though he did not take money of them in person, he had used some underhand crafty methods by the means of others to drain them of it, Co2 12:16, he replies and vindicates his innocence, by putting the question to them in general; whether he had made any gain by any persons he had sent to them, Co2 12:17, and particularly inasmuch as he had sent Titus and another brother, whether he had made any gain of them, and whether the apostle and he were not of the same spirit; and whether they did not take the same steps, Co2 12:18, and then observes, that all the pains that he took in the vindication of himself, was not so much on his own account as theirs, even for their edification, that that might not be hindered, for whom he had the most endeared affection: and for the truth of all this he appeals to God, Co2 12:19, and closes this chapter with observing the many evils which were among them, which he feared he should find among them, when he came, unrepented of; and which would be matter of grief and humiliation to him, and oblige him to use that severity among them which would not be agreeable to them, Co2 12:20.

"For I fear, lest by any means when I come, I should not find you such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not." He is going to say something great and offensive. And therefore he also inserts this excuse [for it], both by saying, "All things are for your edifying," and by adding, "I fear," softening the harshness of what was presently going to be said. For it was not here out of arrogance nor the authority of a teacher, but out of a father's tender concern, when he is more fearful and trembling than the sinners themselves at that which is likely to reform them. And not even so does he run them down or make an absolute assertion; but says doubtingly, "lest by any means when I come, I should not find you such as I would." He did not say, 'not virtuous,' but "not such as I would," everywhere employing the terms of affection. And the words, "I should find," are of one who would express what is out of natural expectation, as are also those, "I shall be found by you." For the thing is not of deliberate choice, but of a necessity originating with you. Wherefore he says, "I should be found such as ye would not." He said not here, "such as I would not," but, with more severity, "such as ye wish not." For it would in that case become his own will, not indeed what he would first have willed, but his will nevertheless. For he might indeed have said again, 'such as I would not,' and so have showed his love: but he wishes not to relax his hearer. Yea rather, his words would in that case have been even harsher; but now he has at once dealt them a smarter blow and showed himself more gentle. For this is the characteristic of his wisdom; cutting more deeply, to strike more gently. Then, because he had spoken obscurely, he unveils his meaning, saying, "Lest there be strife, jealousy, wraths, backbitings, whisperings, swellings." And what he might well put first, that he puts last: for they were very proud against him. Therefore, that he may not seem principally to be seeking his own, he first mentions what was common. For all these things were gendered of envy, their slanderings, accusations, dissensions. For just like some evil root, envy produced wrath, accusation, pride, and all these other evils, and by them was increased further.

Do you see what fatherly care? Others sinned, yet Paul is alarmed, and does not state his thought directly, but with uncertainty. "Lest, when I come," he says, "I shall find you not such as I wish," that is, corrupted; and by necessity — "and that I shall be found by you not such as you wish," that is, an avenger and punisher. He ought to have put "pride" in first place, because they were puffed up against him, but so as not to appear to be seeking his own interests, he first speaks of what is of common concern; for from envy and slander everything else proceeds, and in turn all the rest kindles envy. "Gossip" is when someone brings a dispute against another over something; by "pride" he means haughty and arrogant ways, or when conceit becomes, as it were, someone's nature, for being puffed up against him, they esteemed the false apostles.

Having cited as one of the causes for commending the failure of the Corinthians to do the good things they should have done and for which he rebuked their ingratitude, he now states the other cause which arose from what they did in regard to the evils they should have avoided. In regard to this he amplifies their wickedness and does two things. First, he mentions their fault in general; secondly, he explains it in detail (v. 20b). He says therefore: I have praised myself not only because you have failed to praise me, but also because of your danger, which consists in clinging to the false apostles, because by fostering sin among you they were exposing you to great danger. Therefore he says, I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, namely, just, but sinners and uncorrected, and that you will be displeasing to me and I to you, because sinners as sinners are not pleasing to a just man; and that you may find me, i.e., sad and meting out punishment, not what you wish to have me. For evil persons hate correction and the truth: "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16). Thus their evil is clear in general, namely, that he feared lest they were not yet fully repentant. Then he manifests their sinfulness in particular, when he says, that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. In regard to this he does two things. First, he enumerates their present evils; secondly, he reminds them of past evils of which they have not yet repented. In regard to the first it should be noted that after their conversion the Corinthians fell into sins of the flesh, as is evident from the one who had his father's wife; and for this they were corrected by the first epistle, although not completely, because something still remained among them. In addition to this there remained among them many spiritual sins which are directly opposed to charity. Now charity does two things: first, it makes men's hearts consent to one another; secondly, it induces men to mutual progress. Spiritual sins, on the other hand, set men disagreeing and make them offend one another. First, therefore, he lists the spiritual sins which pertain to dissention; secondly, those which make for offense (v. 20c). In regard to dissensions he proceeds in reverse order. For according to the right order, men first disagree, inasmuch as one wants one thing and another the contrary; secondly, they pass from this to inflicting injury, inasmuch as each one wants to obtain his desire; thirdly, when he cannot obtain his desire but fails, he burns with the zeal of jealousy [envy]; fourthly, the result of this is verbal argument. It is from the last of these that the Apostle begins, saying, that perhaps there may be quarreling [contentions]. As if to say: not only do I fear your evils in general, but also in particular, lest perhaps there be among you contentions over the merits of prelates and baptizers: "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife" (Prov. 20:3). "Contention is an attack on the truth, accompanied by the confidence of shouting" (Ambrose). This contention springs from jealousy; hence he says, and jealousy by those who are inferior and have less: "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (Jas. 3:16); "Jealousy slays the simple" (Job 5:2); "But through the devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis. 2:24). Envy comes from animosity; hence he says, anger, in revenge and inflicting injury: "Go not on the way with a bold man, lest he burden you with his evils" (Sir. 8:18, Vulgate). Animosity comes from dissensions; hence he says, selfishness, i.e., hatreds and conflicts of spirits: "Take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught" (Rom. 15:17); "All of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you" (1 Cor. 1:10). Then he lists their present evils in regard to offending. But because such evils consist mainly in injuries from words and not from deeds, he passes over injuries from deeds and lists those from words. Here too he proceeds in reverse order, beginning from the last; and this is when a person explicitly says something evil of another. If this is in public, he is a detractor; hence he says, slander [detraction]: "Slanderers, haters of God" (Rom. 1:30). If it is in secret, he is a whisperer; hence he says, gossip [whisperings]. For whisperers are persons who discreetly sow discord: "The whisperer and the double tongue is accursed" (Sir. 28:5, Vulgate). These two proceed from evil words against others; therefore he says, conceit [swelling]. These swellings arise from seditions, which are the preparations made by the parties to a fight, because they are always quarrels among the proud; hence he says, disorder, i.e., uproars for fights: "An evil man always seek quarrels" (Prov. 17:11, Vulgate). Thus their wickedness is made clear in regard to present evils, which are many both in dissensions and in injuries.

St. Paul mentions some wonderful revelations which he had received from the Lord, Co2 12:1-5. He speaks of his suffering in connection with these extraordinary revelations, that his character might be duly estimated, Co2 12:6. That he might not be too much exalted, a messenger of Satan is sent to buffet him; his prayer for deliverance, and the Divine answer, Co2 12:7-9. He exults in sufferings and reproaches, and vindicates his apostleship, Co2 12:10-13. Promises to come and visit them, Co2 12:14, Co2 12:15. Answers some objections, Co2 12:16-18. And expresses his apprehensions that when he visits them he shall find many evils and disorders among them, Co2 12:19-21.

I fear, lest, when I come - I think the present time is used here for the past; the apostle seems most evidently to be giving them the reason why he had not come to them according to his former purposes, and why he sent Titus and his companion. He was afraid to come at that time lest he should have found them perverted from the right way, and he be obliged to make use of his apostolical rod, and punish the offenders; but, feeling towards them the heart of a tender father, he was unwilling to use the rod; and sent the first epistle to them, and the messengers above mentioned, being reluctant to go himself till he had satisfactory evidence that their divisions were ended, and that they had repented for and put away the evils that they had committed; and that he should not be obliged to bewail them who had sinned so abominably, and had not repented for their crimes. If this verse be understood in this way, all difficulty will vanish; otherwise, what is here said does seem to contradict what is said, Co2 7:6, Co2 7:16, etc.; as well as many things both in the eighth and ninth chapters. Debates, envyings - From these different expressions, which are too plain to need interpretation, we see what a distracted and divided state the Church at Corinth must have been in. Brotherly love and charity seem to have been driven out of this once heavenly assembly. These debates, etc., are precisely the opposites to that love which the apostle recommends and explains by its different properties in the 13th chapter of his first epistle. Mr. Wakefield translates the original thus: strifes, rivalries, passions, provocations, slanders, whisperings, swellings, quarrels.

REVELATIONS IN WHICH HE MIGHT GLORY: BUT HE RATHER GLORIES IN INFIRMITIES, AS CALLING FORTH CHRIST'S POWER: SIGNS OF HIS APOSTLESHIP: HIS DISINTERESTEDNESS: NOT THAT HE IS EXCUSING HIMSELF TO THEM; BUT HE DOES ALL FOR THEIR GOOD, LEST HE SHOULD FIND THEM NOT SUCH AS HE DESIRED, AND SO SHOULD HAVE TO BE SEVERE AT HIS COMING. (2Co. 12:1-21) He proceeds to illustrate the "glorying in infirmities" (Co2 11:30). He gave one instance which might expose him to ridicule (Co2 11:33); he now gives another, but this one connected with a glorious revelation of which it was the sequel: but he dwells not on the glory done to himself, but on the infirmity which followed it, as displaying Christ's power. The oldest manuscripts read, "I MUST NEEDS boast (or glory) though it be not expedient; for I will come." The "for" gives a proof that it is "not expedient to boast": I will take the case of revelations, in which if anywhere boasting might be thought harmless. "Visions" refers to things seen: "revelations," to things heard (compare Sa1 9:15) or revealed in any way. In "visions" their signification was not always vouchsafed; in "revelations" there was always an unveiling of truths before hidden (Dan 2:19, Dan 2:31). All parts of Scripture alike are matter of inspiration; but not all of revelation. There are degrees of revelation; but not of inspiration. of--that is, from the Lord; Christ, Co2 12:2.

For--Assigning cause why they needed to be thus spoken to "for their edification"; namely, his fear that at his coming he should find them "not such as he would," and so he should be found by them "such as they would not" like, namely, severe in punishing misconduct. debates--Greek, "strifes," "contentions." envyings--The oldest manuscripts read "envying," singular. strifes--"factions," "intrigues," "factious schemes" [WAHL]. Ambitious self-seeking; from a Greek root, "to work for hire." backbitings, whisperings--open "slanderings," and "whispering backbitings" (Gal 5:20). swellings--arrogant elation; puffing up of yourselves. Jde 1:16, "great swelling words" (Pe2 2:18).