2 Corinthians 11.1-15

2 Corinthians 11.1-15

Paul is about to, forgive the phrase, put the hammer down on the false teachers. In this chapter he will do this in two ways. He will compare the false teachers to himself (in verses 1 through 15), then he will compare himself to the false teachers (in verses 16 through 33). Paul doesn't really want to do this, but this has been forced upon him because of the gravity of the situation. Nothing less than the souls of the Corinthians are at stake. The false teachers are preaching a different gospel, a perversion of the Gospel, which was no gospel at all. The false teachers, apparently, came claiming to be apostles like Paul but as a later, upgraded version. The term in verse 5, “eminent apostles” or “super apostles,” is literally “over” or “beyond” apostles. This is not a reference to the original twelve but a term for these false teachers. It may have been what they called themselves, or it may have been a sarcastic term Paul coined for this occasion. These self-proclaimed uber-apostles had three claims to fame, which were accusations against Paul. First they claimed Paul was not a good Greek orator. Where once the purpose of oratory was to communicate and convince, by this time in history it was nothing more than show and entertainment. The decline of oratory was so pronounced that substance and meaning had been replaced with theatrics and pomp. These uber-apostles produced a great show; Paul did not. He was unskilled as a showman who worked for effect. He was a fantastic preacher but not an entertainer. This was seen by the uber-apostles as a weakness but was in fact a strength.

As theatrical showmen, the uber-apostles were for hire. No actor acted without pay; no orator spoke without compensation. The rule of thumb was the bigger the pay, the greater the speaker. Paul's refusal to accept pay caused the uber-apostles to say or claim that this was proof of the low quality of Paul and his message. Paul knew that “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” The preacher who preaches for money is subject to adjusting his message to suit his paymasters. Paul would never compromise the message and held his heavenly dependence and earthly independence as a matter of core value, or even pride or boasting.

Paul makes a point that these uber-apostles operated with a thin veneer of respectability, but in reality they are false, deceitful, and disguised, just like their dark masters. And their end, like that of their dark masters, will be disastrous. Having compared the false teachers to himself, Paul now turns the tables.

“Lord, give me the wisdom to not be impressed by religious showmanship. AMEN”