2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Be Still: Jesus, as I enter this time with you, please still my busy brain and help me to focus on you and your presence. Amen
Read: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
'Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. (vv24-30)
Encounter: Today’s passage is a nice and cheery start to the day as we read Paul list his sufferings, and it’s quite the list! He has been beaten with rods, pelted with stones and shipwrecked, and has been in danger from everything from bandits to false believers. AND if that’s not bad enough, he tops it all off with the 'pressure of my concern for all the churches', which I can’t quite believe is worse than being shipwrecked or pelted with stones, but what would I know.
Why does Paul do this? Well firstly he’s going against the ‘super-apostles’ who are 'boasting in the way the world does.' They have boasted of their achievements, success, and status, but Paul takes a different approach. If they, like the rest of the world, are boasting about their strengths, then Paul says, 'If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.' Given the culture of strength and status Paul is writing in, his list would evoke shame and embarrassment. These were not things people mentioned, let alone boasted about.
Spoiler alert for tomorrow’s passage! We’ll read 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul recounts Jesus saying to him, 'My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.' Paul chooses to boast about how weak he is because he has lived experience that in these moments, he has found the love and power of Jesus.
Apply: Are you feeling weak today? Good news! You’re in the perfect conditions for Jesus’ power to move in your life. And it’s OK if it doesn’t’ feel like the perfect conditions - I don’t imagine that Paul’s first thought when he was shipwrecked was 'yay, perfect conditions for the power of Jesus!' But he could look back and write about the strength and power he found in weakness, and I hope we can do the same.
Devote: Jesus, I bring you my weaknesses, my flaws, my failings, and my fragility. I need your strength. I need your power. Please can we do today together.
