Commentary on 2 Corinthians 12.1–13.11

“If one must boast, though it is not expedient for me.” The governor of Damascus, seeing the Jews lay plots against the Apostle, wished to carry out their evil intent by his power, so that he himself, if he could, might seize him, both to please the Jews and to appear diligent in the office entrusted to him, if for the sake of quiet he killed one whom he heard to be a public disturber. This happened in the very beginnings, when the Lord appeared to him on the road as he was going to Damascus; the Jews were inflamed, seeing that he who had come to bring believers in Christ in chains to Jerusalem was preaching the sect that he had come to condemn (Acts 9:1–25); and so it came about that he escaped, let down by the disciples through a window over the wall in a basket. Some say this was done unworthily, because he was not delivered by God's help. But what need was there for him to be delivered by God's aid in what could be done by human beings, since God's aid is needed only when human help fails? By this event he says it is not expedient for him to boast, because the joy of the present life is fragile; for if he had not escaped, he would have achieved martyrdom. But because it is commanded to flee in persecution (Matt 10:23), he took care to escape; for no one ought to wait for a sin to be committed against himself. So he says one should boast because he escaped; but it is not expedient, he says, because of pride; because one grows by humility, and God's help profits the meek, not the proud. Moreover, because he boasts that he escaped the death that is inflicted for the faith, he indicates that it would seem vain to suffer for Christ; therefore it is not expedient to boast.

“But I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” Now he is going to show where he was taken up to, so that in consequence it might be understood how great and of what kind were the things shown and spoken to him; lest, as it seemed to some, he should be believed lesser than the other apostles. “I know,” he says, “a man in Christ fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know, God knows, such a one caught up to the third heaven.” He affirmed both, because he did not deny that either could happen: that he could have been caught up both without the body and in the body. And perhaps it may seem to some no great thing if a man of Christ was caught up to the third heaven, since the moon is said to be in the third circle. But it is not so; for he is understood to have been caught up beyond all the stars of the world; and therefore what he tells is magnificent and marvellous; for he indicates that he himself was caught up above the firmament, into the third in number of the spiritual heavens.

“And I know such a man, whether in the body or outside the body I do not know, God knows, that he was caught up into paradise and heard secret words which it is not lawful for a man to speak. On behalf of such a one I will boast.” He says that he was caught up twice, that is, first from here to the third heaven, then into the heavenly paradise, in which the Lord told the thief that he would be with him “in paradise,” he says (Luke 23:43), of the Father: there where the city of God, Jerusalem our mother, is also said to be (Gal 4:26). What wonder, then, if after the resurrection the body, already purified and made subtle, is believed to be immortal in the heavens, when the Apostle does not doubt that a still mortal body could be lifted into the heavens and taken up into the heavenly paradise of God the Father? “On behalf of such a man,” that is, one so worthy of God as to experience this, he says he will boast; and he does not wish to say openly that he speaks of himself, so as not to seem to praise himself. So too the apostle John, though he is known to speak of himself, says: “This is the disciple whom Jesus loved, who also reclined on his breast at the supper” (John 21:20), lest he seem to speak gloriously of himself. “But on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.” So he does not boast of himself, since he does not openly declare it of himself. “In my weaknesses,” indeed, he says, “I will boast.” For to set out the pressures of sufferings and the weaknesses of distress does not seem glorious but lamentable. Therefore he says he boasts in these, knowing nevertheless that they lead to the advancement of heavenly rewards. For what is so glorious for a Christian with a view to the future as to recount the deaths inflicted on him for Christ?

“For even if I wish to boast, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth.” He says this because if he professed the merit he has before God, he would not be imprudent, for he speaks true things. So if someone speaks of his merits, which have been shown to him, he is certainly not foolish; but if he keeps silent, he is even prudent. But why he does not boast openly here, he now adds, saying: “But I refrain, lest anyone think of me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.” He shows, then, why he does not boast openly: “Lest anyone think,” he says, “that I stretch my glory beyond what the limit of my merits allows.” He means those whom he had as detractors because of the Law, as I mentioned above. For surely it is good not to be silent about the glory of merits, so that believers may be invited.

“And lest I be exalted by the loftiness of the revelations, there was given me a goad of the flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me, lest I be exalted.” He testifies that God provides for good merits when he allows the good to be pressed down by temptations, not only so that they may not be deprived of the fruits of their labours, but also so that by these they may be increased to the full measure of an eternal possession. This remedy, then, was given to the Apostle, so that, pressed by injuries, he could not be exalted in mind because of the greatness of the revelations; for a heart at ease would necessarily have been exalted by what it had seen.

“For this I asked the Lord three times that it might leave me; and he said to me: My grace is sufficient for you; for power is made perfect in weakness.” He testifies that he three times entreated the Lord that the goads of the devil, which, bringing them perfidiously into minds, he stirs up to harm God's servants, might cease from him, and that he did not obtain it; not that he says he was despised, but that, unaware, he was asking against himself that the temptations should cease from him through which he was being made more perfect. Therefore he says to the Romans: “For what we should pray for as we ought we do not know” (Rom 8:26). Hence he says this answer was given him, that the grace of God should suffice him, by which either strength to endure was added or the time of affliction was shortened; so that devotion, not being broken by the weakness of the affliction that befalls, might be seen to be proved. “Most gladly, then, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” It is clear that he teaches that one should boast when one is humbled by injuries. But the power to endure is supplied by Christ; so that injuries, which before seemed harsh and therefore to be loathed, are afterwards to be gladly accepted, so that they may be softened by Christ's help. He says, then, that he is gladly beaten, provided he is healed by Christ, knowing that the medicine of Christ adds more to salvation than weakness takes from health.

“Therefore I am content in weaknesses, in insults; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” It is true that a Christian conquers when he is thought to lose, and that unbelief loses when it congratulates itself on having won. So he applauds when he is insulted, and rises when he is pressed down.

“I have become foolish; you compelled me.” He says he was compelled to show what he was. And certainly one who has spoken true things about himself is not foolish; but he bows himself to make plain that it is not by his own will that he shows his merits. “For I ought to have been commended by you.” It is plain that those among whom he founded the church, and to whom he showed the signs and wonders of apostleship, ought to have borne witness for him against his detractors; so that, while he kept silent, they would defend him whom they had as their father in the gospel of Christ. “For I have done nothing less than those very great apostles.” “Very great,” that is, overmuch, as it seemed to some; for they were what the apostle Paul was too. He says this, then: that he is not inferior, either in preaching or in working signs, to the apostles who preceded him, not in dignity but in time. For if precedence is thought to be prescribed by time, John began to preach before Christ; and yet Christ did not baptize John, but John baptized Christ. Does God judge in that way, then? Indeed, Andrew followed the Saviour before Peter; and yet Andrew did not receive the primacy, but Peter. Why, then, did some not consider him an apostle, when by God's grace he could do the same things as the apostles? Therefore he grieves, and, compelled, shows what he merits by the Lord's favour. This is why he was compelled to declare not only that he was not inferior but also that he had laboured more than all. These, then, were displeased with him, and he did not seem to them to be an apostle, who out of emulation for their ancestral law rejected his preaching as an enemy of the tradition of Moses, because he said that it was now ceasing; they favoured the apostles more and humbled him beside them, because those did not assert anything against the Law so constantly.

“And even if I am nothing, yet the signs of an apostle were done among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty works.” He humbles himself so as to raise himself up; yet he mentions patience first, because he long bore with them like impatient sick people, so that, applying the medicine of signs and mighty works, he might heal the wounds of their error.

“For what is it in which you had less than the other churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong.” Still he commends himself through humility; for he shows that they had not less than the other churches but even more; for he preached the gospel of God to them free of charge, which was granted to no churches, though the Lord says: “For the worker is worthy of his wage” (Luke 10:7). If, then, for a good work, he says, I deserve to be counted wrong, forgive me; for every fool is an accuser of the good. So, to show them unskilled, he asks pardon from them for a deed for which he deserves praise.

“Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not burden you.” Lest perhaps he be thought to have done this at the beginning to commend himself, but afterwards to wish to receive payment for preaching the gospel, he shows that he persists in this intention, so that he might not seem afterwards to correct his conduct and give his detractors something to reprove. “For I seek not what is yours, but you.” He shows that he is unwilling to accept from them so as to gain them themselves; so that, understanding that he puts them before money, they might at length recognize his affection toward them. “For children ought not to lay up treasure for their parents, but parents for their children.” He indicates that he is their father, as he says in the first letter: “Through the gospel I begot you” (1 Cor 4:15). Yet it is fleshly parents who lay up treasure for their children; for spiritual parents it is fitting to receive support from their children to sustain the present life. For it is no great thing that those who hand on spiritual things should obtain fleshly ones. But here he so proves himself unwilling to receive that he transfers the case of a fleshly father to the spiritual one, so as not only not to receive from them but even, if it can be, to give to them himself, as I already said above: “I robbed other churches, accepting wages for your service” (2 Cor 11:8). By saying this he touches them, so that they may understand how great he is and what those deserve who neglected the foresight of so great an apostle.

“But I will most gladly spend and be spent besides, myself, for your souls.” Now he openly shows the affection and love he had toward them, when he says he is ready not only to spend his own for them, and to spend more readily, but even to die himself for the salvation of their souls, as the apostle John also says: “Following the Saviour's example, we too ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). “Loving you very much, I am loved less.” He provokes them to love, because they ought to love him more, above all since through him they learned the way of salvation, through him they were won for God, made faithful from faithless and purified from defilement.

“But be it so: I did not burden you; but, being crafty, I took you by guile.” He is not silent about anything that could be put forward against him, so as to clear himself in everything: that he did nothing with them by circumvention, but in simplicity, providing for himself once, for them in two ways, both providing for them before God and not seeking their wealth here; while for himself what God has promised for the future is enough. For perhaps they suspected that he had disdained what was offered because it was small, so as to obtain greater; so that, considering his merits, he was not refusing money but despising the gift as unworthy of himself.

“Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you?” This is what he says: that those whom he sent did not hint to them that, if they wished to have the Apostle at peace, they should offer an amount worthy of his person, because he had refused to accept for the reason that less was offered than was fitting. Which they might understand as a scheme of the Apostle's cunning, so that what he did might be proved to have been done not out of disdain but out of greed. “I asked Titus, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?” It is clear that, since nothing of the kind was said or done by those he sent, their one mind is proved in good, and the suspicion of greed is excluded.

“Do you think again that we are excusing ourselves to you?” This is what he says: “You have long doubted about us, thinking that we do not deal simply with you.” For they were stirred up by the false apostles, who, wishing to plunder them, asserted that the Apostle did this by evasion, so as to be able to receive more. “We speak before God in Christ; but all things, dearly beloved, are for your building up.” He so desires them to think truly and well of him that he satisfies them both by reason and by testimony; for he proves himself such not to profit himself but to contribute to their building up, so as even in this way to stir their love toward him, while he does not burden their wealth and does not bend the authority of his power in reproving vices. For without doubt it profits the one who is rebuked, so that he may amend, if the leader refuses offerings so as to reprove freely.

“For I fear lest, when I come, I may find you not such as I wish.” Since not all whom he rebuked in the first letter had yet amended themselves in the vices for which they had been reproved, he therefore wants to be seen as one about to come to them with authority, so that, frightened, they may be corrected; so that he may find them such as he wishes. “And I be found by you not such as you wish.” He says this so that they may show themselves such that they agree with the Apostle, so as to rejoice together with one another. For one who makes himself such as to be at variance with him finds him such as he does not wish. “Lest perhaps there be among you quarrels, jealousies, animosities, dissensions, slanders, whisperings, swellings, disorders.” Now he recalls the errors that he rebuked in the earlier letter, when, deferring to persons and setting one above another, they were divided from one another.

“Lest again, when I come, God humble me among you, and I mourn many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and impurity that they committed.” He forewarns this so that he may not find them such as he had found them before, with various vices of unclean works, or rather of names; because every work is without guilt, but the name of disorder makes the crime. For a thing is unlawful when it is done otherwise than is permitted. So he says he is humbled when they sin, because, like a loving father, he begins to weep for his children's sins. For what father does not rejoice when his children act well? So again he must mourn if they behave wickedly. Therefore he admonishes that if any have not repented of past sexual immorality or of other uncleanness or impurity, as he indicates some have not, they should do so now, so that when he comes he may be with them without sorrow. For when he says, “and I mourn many of those who sinned before and have not repented,” he proves that some of them had repented and some had not. This is against Novatian, who says that the sexually immoral cannot perform penance and be received into communion. Here he proves that they had performed it, and therefore had been received into the peace of the church. So he indicates three forms of sins when he names sexual immorality, impurity, and uncleanness.

“This is the third time I am coming to you.” Above he said he was prepared; now he indicates that he is about to come. “On the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.” He said this according to the Law (Deut 19:15): that a person is either cleared or condemned by two or three witnesses; so too at the Apostle's third coming, he admonishes them so that they may be found cleared.

“For I have said before and I say beforehand, as when present on my second visit, so now absent, to those who sinned before and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare.” He indicates that he said before, when present, that they should correct themselves, so that they might not be rebuked with shame; and now he testifies that, absent, he says the same again; so that after a second rebuke, if they have not amended themselves, they ought not to be spared.

“Since you seek a proof of Christ, who speaks in me?” They seek proof of Christ speaking in the Apostle when they do not obey his precepts, wishing to test whether he dares to punish; so that by this he may be understood to be of trustworthy authority, so as to be feared thereafter. For one who despises his teacher seeks to be corrected. “Who is not weak toward you, but is powerful among you.” Christ is powerful among them, because they saw in his name the dead raised, demons put to flight, paralytics recover, the deaf hear, speech restored to the mute, the lame run, the blind see. All these are works of power, not of weakness; and indeed for this reason they were drawn to faith.

“For even if he was crucified out of our weakness, yet he lives by the power of God.” It is true that Christ was crucified because of our sins, so that, destroying death, he might free from it those who believe in him. He allowed himself, then, to be made weak for us, so as to conquer death for us. For descending to the underworld, he who knew no sin at all, and was killed as though a sinner, blotted out the bond of Adam; so that from then on those who die under his name might not be held by death, but might have confidence of going to heaven. Killed, then, because of our weakness, he lived again by the power of the Father, so as to prove to his disciples that what he had taught was true, by the example shown in himself. “For we also are weak in him.” This pertains to the person of the apostles, who, preaching him, that is, Christ, were made weak when they were treated with injuries, shut up, and beaten. “But we live with him by the power of God toward you.” It is plain that if they were made weak by the faithless in the sight of believers, this was not weakness but progress; because from this the faithful become more powerful while they are made weak. The death inflicted by the faithless, then, is life toward believers; for by the power of God they will rise again to live with Christ.

“Test yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves.” He commands the brothers to examine one another; for they become more careful if they compare themselves with one another. He wished this testing to be understood as proving; for every proving is a testing, yet not every testing is a proving. For if God is said to test, it is proving; but if the devil is said to test, it is temptation, because he strives to overthrow. And a man sometimes tests in order to prove, sometimes in order to ensnare. “Or do you not know yourselves, that Christ Jesus is in you, unless you are reprobate?” He says this: if you do not know how to prove one another, you do not know that Jesus Christ is in you; and this is to be reprobate: not to know the faith of one's religion and profession. For one who has the sense of his faith in his heart knows that Christ Jesus is in him.

“But I hope you will know that we are not reprobate.” He provokes them to knowledge of faith and of right living. For when they begin to know the sure authority of their apostle and his merit before God, they will be able to be careful about themselves as well.

“But I pray God that you do nothing evil: not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is good, though we be as reprobate.” With the affection with which he always prays for them, that they may refrain from evils. “Not that we,” he says, “may appear approved,” that is, not that we may be seen in authority because you sin. “But that you may do what is good, though we be as reprobate.” What is this? Does the Apostle pray to be reprobate? Surely not; but he prays this: that, since they do well, and the apostles do not dare to rebuke, they may be as it were humbled, and, humbled, may even appear reprobate. For they are seen to be approved by God when they judge sinners by the authority granted them. If, then, there are none for them to judge, their authority ceasing among them, they seem as it were reprobate.

“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” He says this because power has not been given against the truth, to reprove one who lives well, but for the truth, to punish one who is an enemy of the law. And therefore the power will cease if they do what is good. Hence he also says to the Romans: “Do you wish not to fear the authority? Do good, and you will have praise from it” (Rom 13:3). When, then, one does not fear, because one does good, the power is made void with respect to him; this is to be as it were reprobate, because that by which the power is proved ceases in him.

“For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong.” This is to be weak: not to exercise power; but he wishes them to be strong, so that, doing well, they may conquer vices and keep punishment or rebuke away from themselves. “This we also pray for, your perfecting.” He asks in prayer that they may be perfected in this and not sin, being perfected in the virtue of a good life and an uncorrupted faith.

“Therefore I write these things while absent, so that when present I may not act more harshly.” It is clear that he admonishes while absent so as to find them more corrected, and not, when placed there, rebuke with shame, so that the one who sins would blush in the assembly of the brothers. “According to the authority that the Lord gave me for building up and not for destroying.” This is the authority that above he wishes to be idle when they do well; but if not, he will exercise himself in it, so that those rebuked may be built up, not sinners put to death. For those who are reproved so as to be corrected are not destroyed but built up for life.

“Finally, brothers, rejoice, be perfect, receive consolation, think the same thing, live in peace; and the God of peace and love will be with you.” This joy will come from amendment, from which perfection too can come forth; but consolation will come first, so that in hope of things to come they may abandon present pleasure. “Think the same thing”: he says this because of the old discord, so that they may now be of one mind. “Live in peace.” If they are in concord, they will have peace. “And the God of peace and love,” he says, “will be with you.” The God of peace is Christ, who said: “My peace I give you, peace I leave you” (John 14:27). He is also the God of love, because he says again: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.” “And by this,” he says, “all will know that you are my disciples, if you have for one another the love with which I loved you” (John 13:34–35). Yet the peace of God is one thing, that of the world another; for the malicious and the filthy also have peace, but to their damnation; whereas the peace of Christ is free from sins. It flees unbelief, spurns deceit, resists evil deeds. This peace is pleasing and dear to God, but hostile to the devil. Whoever has it will have love together with God as well, for their everlasting protection. “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” This is the church's greeting; because these kisses are not fleshly but spiritual, uniting minds in the embrace of bodies not by desire of the flesh but of the spirit. “All the saints greet you.” He provokes them to holiness, so that they too may dare to return the greeting to the saints; for they are greeted by the saints so that they may imitate them. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” Here is the embrace of the Trinity and the unity of power, because it is the perfection of complete salvation. For the love of God sent us the Saviour Jesus, by whose grace we have been saved. That we may possess this grace of salvation, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit brings about; for he protects those loved by God and saved by the grace of Christ, so that the perfection of the three is the consummation of man in salvation.