Paul's Ministry "Highlights"

2 Corinthians: Paul’s Ministry “Highlights”

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

2 Corinthians 11:16–33 ESV

16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

1. Introduction –Three weeks ago we started in on this section we’re calling “Paul’s Foolish Speech.”

a. It’s a section where Paul told the Corinthians that, like the false teachers, he was going to boast in his own accomplishments.

i. However, up to this point in the chapter, Paul has yet to do so. He started at the beginning of chapter 11 by reminding the Corinthians that he was the one who introduced them to the real Jesus.

1. In vv.5-15, Paul addressed some accusations made against him and his ministry.

a. Paul was accused of not being a trained public speaker, and he also addressed why he never took compensation from the Corinthians for his services.

i. And as we closed last time, Paul exposed the false teachers for what they really were…deceitful works and ultimately servants of Satan himself.

b. In the passage we’re looking at today…vv.16-33, Paul finally engages in some foolish boasting.

i. But not before showing once against that his ministry and the ministry of the false teachers are fundamentally different.

1. Here’s how I see this passage breaking down.

a. In vv.16-21, Paul gives one final disclaimer about his boasting.

i. In v.22, Paul draws a line of comparison between himself and his opponents.

1. In vv23-30, Paul boasts about his work as a servant of Jesus.

a. Though he chooses some odd events to highlight.

ii. And in vv.31-33 Paul shows the Corinthians that persecution and suffering have always been a part of his ministry.

ii. Here God’s Word – 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.

2. Disclaimer – It shouldn’t be a secret by now that Paul absolutely despised what he was about to do.

a. But he knows that in order to win the Corinthians attention, he must indulge them in a little boasting.

i. And Paul wants to make it abundantly clear that when he writes his boast, he’s not writing as the Lord directs him, but as according to the flesh…as the false teachers do.

1. He says he going to writing foolishly, and we have to understand that foolish doesn’t mean nonsensical or dumb.

a. He is simply going to do what the world does.

b. So Paul is going to write as a fool – because the Corinthians gladly entertain fools anytime.

i. Keep in mind, the Corinthians prided themselves on being wise and discerning – and in an ironic and sarcastic way, Paul writes that even though they are ‘wise’ they seem to enjoy putting up with foolishness.

1. And not just fools – they put up with and even follow leaders who enslave, devour their resources, leaders who take advantage of them, who put on airs around them…and leaders who will ultimately slap them in the face.

c. The image Paul is drawing from in v.20 is taken directly from Greco-Roman comedy plays.

i. These plays would satirically represent a leader…but in an over the top way.

1. This character would be abusive and pompous.

a. And as the audience watched this play out on stage, they would laugh at the over top nature depicted by the actor…they would recognize the leader’s actions as ridiculous.

i. However, in real life, people would end up following this abusive, arrogant and pompous leader…even though he did offensive things.

1. It happened in the ancient world…still happens today.

d. This is what happened in Corinth. False teachers came into the church. They enslaved the Corinthians to another gospel.

i. They demanded payment for their services and depleted their resources. They put on airs. They acted like servants of righteousness but really had no interest in righteous living.

1. But the people followed them anyway.

a. And here, Paul sees that the only way to regain the Corinthians’ attention and loyalty is to engage in the same foolish behaviour the false teachers employed.

ii. And in v.21, its as if Paul is saying, “Here goes nothing,” as he begins to boast about his own ministry accomplishments.

1. Though, as you heard when we read the passage earlier, Paul chose some interesting events to highlight.

3. Paul’s Heritage – And as we make our way into v.22, Paul draws a line of comparison between himself and his opponents.

a. He asks 3 questions to make 3 points of comparison. Are they Hebrews? Are they Israelites? Are they offspring of Abraham?

i. On the surface all 3 seem to be asking the same question. And in a way they are, but they are also different.

1. Paul is establishing common traits in order to highlight the vast differences.

b. Are they Hebrews, Paul asks first. What Paul is asking is – are they full-blooded members of the race?

i. Do both their parents trace their bloodlines through the Hebrew race. So does Paul.

1. Both of his parents were full-blooded members of the race.

a. Are they Israelites? If the previous question was about race, this question is about religion.

i. Paul here simply answers the question, “So am I,” but in Philippians 3:4-6, Paul says this about his religious heritage.

Philippians 3:4–6 ESV

4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

ii. And finally, Paul asks, are they offspring of Abraham. Are they part of the faithful remnant of Israel? So is he.

1. Paul draws a line of comparison between himself and the false teachers…there is common ground, which only serves to widen the differences.

4. Paul’s Boasting – Because in v.23, Paul finally gets into his long-promised boasting.

a. Look at v.23 – after establishing common ground, Paul asks the question – are they servants of Christ?

i. And that is where the commonalities stop.

1. Because in answering this question Paul writes, I am a better one! And the he admits he must be out of his mind for writing that.

b. And after making a statement – I am a better one – most people, Paul’s opponents especially, would expect Paul to dive into a list of his many accomplishments.

i. It would be expected that he would write about the miles that he traveled, how many churches he planted, how many converts he’s made.

1. But what Paul lists are events that circumstances that most people would be ashamed of…events that society would detest.

ii. Imagine for a moment, when I was being hired here 10 years ago the search committee present my name, Michael, he’s educated, he’s had a little experience…

1. But imagine they said, “He’s done some jail time, he’s been charged with disturbing the peace and seems to cause trouble wherever he goes.”

a. I imagine if that had been on my resume – the vote would have looked decidedly different…if it made it to a vote at all.

i. Well its not shameful events that Paul choose to highlight as facts that he is a better servant of Jesus than his opponents are.

c. If we want to understand what Paul is doing in this section, we need to look ahead to v.30…and then with v.30 in mind, make our way back.

i. V.30 is Paul’s concluding statement, his purpose statement for this section.

1. If I must boast, if that’s what you want me to do and the only way you’ll listen to me, fine , I will…but I will boast in things that show my weaknesses and make me look bad.

a. And he’ll say in the next chapter, when he’s weak, the he’s strong, because the power of Christ rests on him.

d. We aren’t going to look at each item in the list – that would be horrific and a little depressing.

i. But I want you to understand what Paul is doing here – he’s mocking human strength.

1. At the time of writing – there was famous document going around the Roman Empire. It was written by Caesar Augustus. It was inscribed on monuments. It was called Caesar’s Eulogy.

a. Only this eulogy was written by Augustus himself.

i. It highlighted his various accomplishments.

1. He made sure to include numbers so it was clearly obvious how great he was.

ii. How many honours he received, how many battles he won…and so on.

1. Well here, Paul models his foolish speech after Caesar’s eulogy…only he turns it on its head.

a. Instead of boasting about the numerous letters he wrote and the number of churches he planted…

i. Paul boasts about imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, and his perilous travels.

2. Paul chose to highlight these experiences.

e. Before we look at a couple specific items listed here, I want you to realize something. We have in our Bibles a book called The Acts of the Apostles…and in chapters 9-28, the writer, Luke, describes Paul’s missionary journeys.

i. But we have to understand that even the book of Acts isn’t exhaustive. It doesn’t detail every minute detail of Paul’s life and ministry.

1. Of the events listed here in 2 Corinthians, only a handful of them are mentioned in Acts.

a. The stoning in Lystra, the beating and imprisonment in Philippi.

i. The 3 shipwrecks Paul mentions here in 2 Corinthians – happened before the famous shipwreck of Acts 27. So Paul suffered 4 shipwrecks.

f. But for a few minutes I want to draw your attention to v.24 and the first half of verse 25.

i. Pau talks about receiving the 40 lashes minus 1 on 5 separate occasions. And he writes about being beaten with rods 3 separate times.

1. As Paul writes in v.24, the 39 lashes was a Jewish punishment.

a. It was a whipping…a 3 stranded whip would be used 13 times on a victim.

i. 3 stranded whip…times 13 lashes = 39. Or 40 lashes minus 1.

1. 1 third of the blows would be delivered to a victims chest, while the remaining two-thirds would be dealt to his back.

2. It was administered under synagogue law for various things…one of them being blasphemy.

ii. Why do I highlight this? Well, it shows Paul’s love for his own people – a drive to see them come to know Jesus as the Messiah.

1. Paul was an apostle – a minister of the gospel…to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.

a. This meant that wherever Paul would go – whatever city he visited…he would first go the local synagogue and preach there…which would inevitably upset the Jewish religious leaders.

i. So think about it…Paul desired to see his race come to know Jesus as he had…so he went to preach to them.

b. But his teaching caused him to be charged with blasphemy, which in turn lead to a whipping.

i. Maybe it was a shock and surprise the first…but Paul kept doing it.

iii. It was five times at the time of writing 2 Corinthians…were there more? Probably.

1. But even though Paul knew what was coming – he still went to the Jew first.

a. Even though he knew the excruciating pain of the blows…

i. Even though he knew the painful recovery as his body scabbed over and healed…

1. Even though he knew what a visit to the synagogue would entail for him…he went anyway because of his love for his own people.

g. And in verse 25, Paul writes about being beaten with rods. This was Gentile – a Roman – punishment.

i. It was administered for disturbing the peace. And we know that Paul’s preaching induced riots sometimes.

1. But even though Paul knew his preaching would most likely land him before a magistrate resulting in a beating…

a. Paul preaching anyway – because he was compelled to.

i. Because he was called by Jesus himself to be his apostle to the Gentiles.

1. So no matter where he went or who he preached to – Paul knew he was looking at some sort of physical abuse…but he went and preached anyway.

h. And if that’s not enough, Paul dealt with numerous other factors on the road – hunger thirst, inadequate clothing, the threat of robbers.

i. Danger on land, danger in water…danger because of false teachers.

1. And if that’s not enough, Paul felt anxiety because of trouble in churches or seeing churches fall into false teacher.

a. He feels pressure and anxiety when he sees Christians and churches falling into sin.

ii. And again, Paul writes this career highlight package to boast about his weaknesses.

1. Something he’ll continue to do into chapter 12 when he writes about his thorn in the flesh.

5. Out the Window – And in case the Corinthians were tempted to think this was a new development in Paul’s ministry or a product of Paul’s own making…

a. Paul take them back to the first few days after his conversion and call.

i. He writes o the time when he was hunted in Damascus for preaching about Jesus.

1. He was chased and pursued through the whole city – and to escape, Paul was let down outside the city wall in a basket…

a. The book of Acts says it was a fish basket.

b. Paul went to Damascus to persecute Christians…but he left Damascus as a persecuted Christian.

i. It wasn’t a triumphant and successful operation. Paul writes all of these lowlight highlights to show the Corinthians that there’s great power in weakness.

1. When we are weak, God’s power is able to shine through all the more. More on that next week.

6. Application – So, how does a list of miserable circumstances and experiences apply to us today?

a. Well, I think this passage draws a contrast between Paul’s zeal for gospel ministry and our zeal for gospel ministry.

i. Paul faced hardships, persecutions, dangerous travel…he faced the 39 lashes when he preached to his people in the synagogue and beatings with rods when he preached to the Gentiles…and he went anyway.

1. A few weeks ago we talked about Paul’s zeal for gospel ministry…what compelled him to keep going.

a. It was the displayed love of Jesus on the cross that drove Paul’s zeal…and he was zealous to seem everyone encounter Jesus the way he had.

ii. Paul faced all of that…and he still went.

b. Are we that zealous for gospel ministry? We seem to stop dead in our tracks at any minor inconveniences or even at the thought of ridicule.

i. We don’t face the same harsh circumstances that Paul did – yet sometimes…a lot of the time… we lack even an ounce of his zeal.

1. Paul was compelled by the love of Christ, a love we see displayed on the cross…a love that tells us to go into the world and make disciples.

a. Hearing and reading about Paul’s hardships, yet knowing about his faithfulness, should cause us to take a long hard look at our gospel zeal…and become compelled to take the gospel with us wherever we go.

7. Conclusion – Paul’s foolish boasting is a reminder that God uses the foolish things of this world to reveal his power and strength.

a. Paul experienced all this and more…yet was still a successful missionary, church planter, and pastor.

i. And it was because Paul recognized his own limitations and weaknesses…and relied on God’s strength to see him through.

1. That’s a lesson we all need to learn…and it’s a topic we’ll pick up next week when we study chapter 12.