Spin doctors
| But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6 I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. (2Corinthians11:5-9) |
Paul had come to Corinth in simple sincerity: explaining simple truths in simple words and doing his best not to be a burden to the fledgling congregation.
The false teachers had been in Corinth
- Bad-mouthing Paul
- Using all the "tricks" of contemporary rhetoric. (Bear in mind that rhetoric - the art of swaying people with words - had become an art form in graeco-roman society.)
- And charging the congregation for their "important" and "superior" message.
The false teachers (aka spin-doctors) turned common-sense upside down:
- "If he uses simple words, he must be a simpleton!"
- "If he doesn't charge for his message, it can't be worth much!"
Society justifies all sorts of excesses with false logic.
When we see someone living lavishly people say "Well, they earned it." Or when someone behaves badly we say "Well, they had a tough upbringing!" But surely someone who earns something will appreciate its value and not squander it and surely someone who had a tough upbringing would have learned lessons about how not to live badly.
But way too often we justify excess with shallow reasoning and half-truths.
Elsewhere Paul talks about the worker being worthy of their wages and so one can never use this passage to argue that all Christians must offer their services for free, but there is a clear sense that the not being a burden fledgling church was important to Paul. And the spin-doctors have made him determined to continue to offer a simple message in a humble way...
(We'll see more of Paul vs the spin-doctors tomorrow!)
