哥林多后书

Meditative Reflection
Sharing in Sufferings and in Comfort

“And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Co. 1:7)

We often think of 2 Corinthians as a very personal letter from Paul with lots of emotions and sometimes very direct words of rebuke. We sometimes miss the often repeated words about sufferings and his repeated accounts of his own sufferings, past and present.

If we care to take note of what Paul has recently  been suffering and perhaps will continue to suffer, one will come to a greater appreciation of the heart of this Apostle. I think it is more than natural that he worries about how he may face up to these endless sufferings for the sake of the gospel and even Paul has to keep on learning about how he “might not rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.” (1:9) However, his trust in God is not necessarily on His deliverance from death, but rather that even if he should die, he will still trust this God for He is a God of resurrection in the Last Day.

The heart of this Apostle is not focused on his circumstances, but the church of the Lord. It is true that if we can focus away from our sufferings and think of the sufferings or needs of others, it will help us gather strength to face our own. But this is not the reason for the Apostle’s shift of focus. It has nothing to do with any psychological maneuver, but his genuine love and concern for the church he loves so dearly. He wishes to do whatever he can to edify the church, even if through  sufferings; he wishes to turn them to something which can be for their good. And thus, he sees his sufferings as an opportunity to learn how to comfort them in their sufferings. Of course, the most surprising thing about such love and concern is that they are extended to, perhaps, the most undeserving church, the Church in Corinth—a church that causes him so much grief—a church that rejects him and criticizes him at every turn. But what an example he has set for you and me.

In the last little while, three of the churches that I have been privileged to be part of are involved in bitter feuds that have divided the church; some members have left the church as a result; some have simply resigned from the leadership. Maybe, we should put ourselves in Paul’s shoes and see if our situation is worse than what Paul has gone through. Yet instead of harboring bitterness, anger and hatred, Paul grieves with undying love, and in his own sufferings, he thinks of their good. The thought of vindication, of paying back or of ill-wishing never occurs to him, only love, only concern, only prayers—to the point that, as much as some of them might not like him, he is determined to return them with love. Why? Paul understands that irrespective of weaknesses, misunderstandings and hard feelings, he is part of a family, the family of God which can never be separated. And how can we demonstrate such inseparability in God’s family? It is expressed by our determined commitment to the local church where God has put us in.

Meditative Reflection
The Holy Spirit-God’s Guarantee

“He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Co. 1:21b-22)

I share the sentiment of the Apostle Paul as he appeared to be very annoyed at the evil insinuation (or perhaps expressed attack) on his character. Obviously, he did promise the Corinthian believers he would pay them a return visit as soon as possible. But when he seemed to tarry in Macedonia, some seized upon the opportunity to assassinate his character, accusing him of either not being genuine in his early promise or having changed his mind for a selfish or worldly reason.

It is very interesting to read how the Apostle Paul defends his own integrity. After asking them, “Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no'?” in v. 17, he could have jumped to v. 23 and said, “I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth”. However, he chooses to add a very lengthy diatribe on the faithfulness of God in Christ to argue that he has no ulterior motive in his decision not to return to Corinth although he does change his mind.

However, this powerful diatribe on God’s faithfulness is so helpful to us at times of struggle over our faith. Normally, we would not have doubted what we have believed—the very Word of God in the Scriptures. But there are times, when we, at least for a moment, find ourselves doubting if we have believed in vain. There may be a time of going through unbearable loss or suffering, seeing horrific evil which has gone unchecked, or feeling confused by a humanistic challenge to our faith based on the latest scientific hypotheses disguised as truth. It is in such moments that the presence of the Holy Spirit within our hearts serves as a powerful reminder and guarantee of the faithfulness of God in the past, at the present and in the future—the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit that led us to repentance, the clear manifestation of the Word of God just as we needed, the inexplicable comfort and joy that He brought over and over again, not to mention the many prayers that have been miraculously answered in a timely way. All these works of the Holy Spirit continue to act as a seal and as a deposit guaranteeing our ownership by God and the certainty of our faith.

Meditative Reflection
What Kind of Love is This?

“For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?” (2 Co. 2:2)

In defending his decision not to return to Corinth (sooner), Paul bares his soul and his love before the believers in Corinth. For some reason, the last visit he paid them was not a pleasant one; in fact, it was a painful one. Very likely, Paul had to exercise tough love and spoke to them with severe words of rebuke, ever more severe than the words he used in his previous letter, and as he left, he knew he had inflicted wounds in their hearts. As a result, to return too soon would only serve to deepen the wounds—Paul knows what he is capable of under the circumstances. This is the reason why he has decided not to return to them at this point.

But in baring his soul to them, he says, “For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?” (2 Co. 2:2).

We understand that there are many other churches, like the church in Philippi, which can make the heart of Paul glad, but the joy they bring cannot substitute for the grief that Paul feels for the church in Corinth. As much as they do deserve the stern words of rebuke by Paul, the grief inflicted is mutual. Paul feels it as much as they do. And only when such grief is healed can Paul be comforted and made glad. What kind of love is this? This is the love of a father—the heart of a mother, too.

Meditative Reflection
Triumph over Sufferings

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 Co. 2:14)

As I mentioned in the introductory “Background” section, Paul is writing 2 Corinthians having experienced tremendous sufferings during his 2^nd Missionary Journey. At times he even had to face death. In spite of all these sufferings, Paul has not approached his gospel ministry with a victim-mentality, but with a victor-mentality. It is because everywhere he goes, the power of the gospel has been demonstrated in the conversion of many to follow Christ unto salvation. Therefore, as he mentions about the opened door in Troas, he immediately bursts into a triumphal cry and likens his experience even in sufferings to a victor’s procession.

The dilemma is that, as we know, a growing number of Christians are being thrown into the Coliseum and the like, as a procession of victims, only to fall prey to hungry beasts. But Paul sees Christ’s victory in Christ even in the midst of sufferings like this. As history testifies, it is these triumphal witnesses for Christ that eventually brought down the whole Roman Empire to its knees before Christ. He is always the ultimate victor, even in this life.

Meditative Reflection
Not being Peddler of the Word

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” (2 Co. 2:17)

I am indebted to a mentor of mine in my very early years of ministry who gave me this advice as I considered serving full-time upon leaving the seminary: “Do not negotiate your salary, only ask for a book allowance and enough time for recuperation.”

I have taken his advice seriously in the following ways:

-Wherever I go, I would ask the prospective recruiter on behalf of the church or the organization not to tell me the compensation package: If it was too lucrative, my heart might be enticed to think that it is really the will of God, and if it was too low, my heart would also be inclined to decline it. But the gospel ministry is a ministry of faith and it is important that we learn to discern the will of God without the lure of money.

- Since I do not ask nor negotiate my salary package, it gives me the bargaining power to ask for a decent book allowance. It is not that I cannot not purchase books myself but with a book allowance, I am forced to read books on a regular basis. This will prevent me from preaching and teaching within my own ivory-tower of knowledge and experience.

- Since many churches still operate with a work-mentality, they often overlook the essential need of a pastor to rest and pray often. Any church that allows the pastor to burnout does so to their own detriment.

Meditative Reflection
With Unveiled Faces

“And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Co. 3:18)

I find how the apostle Paul interprets and applies the incident concerning the veiling of Moses’ face in Exodus 34 fascinating.

Firstly, he attributes the glory of Moses’ face to his ministry, the receiving of the Law (2 Co.3:7), while traditionally we understand that his glory came as a result of Moses having spoken to the Lord (Exod. 34:29).

Secondly, while he affirms that the reason for the veil was because the people could not look steadily at Moses’ face, he also reminds us that this glory of Moses was fading.

Thirdly, Paul uses the veil to address the dullness of the minds of the people of Israel because the Law in essence does them no good even when it is read today (2 Co. 3:14).

All these are very gutsy, but true teachings, especially to the Jews of his time, as the Jew revered Moses. But his bold teachings also highlight the tremendous glory of our ministry today as we indeed have been given a ministry of the new covenant—the preaching of a gospel that gives life in Jesus Christ. If Christ has not come, even if we continue to revere Moses and propagate the Law, it can only bring death and condemnation, not only to the hearers, but ourselves. But in Christ, we have gained real freedom from sin and death. The glory of this new covenant indeed surpasses that of the old (2 Cor. 3:10).

But the most glorious part of this new covenant is the fact that as great as Moses was, we do not need him as our intermediary to God. We have gained direct access to God through Jesus Christ, or in Paul's words, we all can approach God with unveiled faces. If Moses came away from his meeting with God with fading glory, shouldn’t we who have gained access to His throne all the time reflect His glory in an “ever- increasing” manner!

So, the big question is, "Do people around us see such an increasing glory in us?".  No, our faces do not necessarily have to shine as Moses’ did, but just the same, a person who spends a lot of time with the Lord should be visible to the people around him or her. Don’t you agree?

Meditative Reflection
Treasure in a Clay jar

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Co. 4:7)

Christian ministry is a marathon, and often does not bear fruit for a long time. We might be tempted to admire the great success of the ministry of the Apostle Paul. But the truth of the matter is, he also faced ups and downs in his ministry. And there are times, many times I believe, that his ministry produced little or no result. He refers to those times that he laments, “And even if our gospel is veiled. It is veiled to those who are perishing” (4:3). Indeed, the god of this age has blinded the minds of these unbelievers, only Christ can open their eyes, when He chooses to. Therefore, the Apostle reminds us and himself, that we are only jars of clay. We, by ourselves, cannot cause people to believe. But Christ can, and it is His very presence in us and in our ministry that will bring about fruits in His time. All He asks of us is our faithfulness.

Anytime we feel frustrated and defeated, we forget that we are only jars of clay, and perhaps, this is the reason why some, not only in Paul’s time but also in ours, resort to “secret and shameful ways”, using deception to distort the word of God (4:2) in order to achieve instant success and boost their sense of self-pride. The preaching of the “Prosperity Gospel” and the preaching of “Positive Thinking” come to mind.