The Fool's Gauntlet
Introduction: The Sucker Punch of Worldly Wisdom
We come now to a portion of Paul's letter to the Corinthians that is dripping with a holy, biting sarcasm. It is a master class in rhetoric, but more than that, it is a pastoral rebuke of the highest order. The Corinthians were a mess. They were a sophisticated, metropolitan people, and they had become enamored with a certain kind of spiritual swagger. They had fallen for the slick presentations of the "super-apostles," these hucksters who came to town with impressive resumes, booming voices, and a theology that was about as deep as a puddle on the asphalt. These men boasted "according to the flesh," which is to say, they measured success by worldly metrics: eloquence, power, personal magnetism, and financial support.
And the Corinthians, in their supposed wisdom, were eating it up. They thought they were being discerning, but they were actually being duped. They had mistaken arrogance for authority and polish for piety. In their pursuit of what looked strong, they had become enslaved to what was truly weak and abusive. They were so "wise" that they were gladly suffering fools, and not just suffering them, but paying them for the privilege of being spiritually fleeced and slapped in the face.
So Paul, backed into a corner, decides to play their game, but with a radical twist. He says, in effect, "You want boasting? You want a fool? Fine. I'll give you a fool. But I am going to show you what true, godly, apostolic foolishness looks like." He is about to throw down the gauntlet, not to prove that he is better than the false apostles by their standards, but to demolish those standards entirely. He is going to engage in a kind of reverse-boasting, a holy one-upmanship in weakness, suffering, and humiliation. This is not Paul losing his temper; this is a calculated, inspired, and devastatingly effective pastoral strategy to wake up a church that has fallen asleep in the arms of the enemy.
The Text
Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. What I am saying, I am not saying according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. For you, being so wise, are bearing the foolish gladly. For you bear it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison.
(2 Corinthians 11:16-21 LSB)
An Apology for Foolishness (vv. 16-18)
Paul begins this section by practically begging them to understand the rhetorical move he is about to make.
"Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. What I am saying, I am not saying according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also." (2 Corinthians 11:16-18)
Paul is deeply uncomfortable with this. He knows that self-promotion is the currency of the world, not the kingdom. The way of Christ is the way of self-effacement. So he puts up warning signs all over the place: "Don't think I'm actually a fool. But if you insist on evaluating ministers by foolish standards, then at least grant me the courtesy of letting me enter the fool's contest." He is stooping to conquer. He is getting down in the mud with them to show them that it is, in fact, mud.
Now, what does he mean when he says, "I am not saying according to the Lord"? This is a verse that makes some people nervous. Is Paul admitting that this section is uninspired? Not at all. The Scriptures are God-breathed, all of them. Paul is not saying that the Holy Spirit has taken a brief holiday. Rather, he is saying that the manner of his speech, this business of boasting, is not the Lord's characteristic way of speaking. Jesus did not go around tooting his own horn. His glory was veiled in humility. Paul is saying, "The method I am about to employ is worldly. I am adopting the categories of my opponents for the sake of argument. I am not speaking in the humble character of the Lord, but in the swaggering character of a fool, which you seem to admire so much."
He is forced into this because "many boast according to the flesh." The super-apostles have set the terms of the debate, and those terms are carnal. They are all about pedigree, speaking ability, visions, and power. They are judging by sight, not by faith. Paul sees that the only way to expose the bankruptcy of their criteria is to meet them on that field and show that, even there, he has them beat, but then to flip the whole game board over by revealing that the things he truly boasts in are the very things they would despise: his weaknesses.
Wise Fools and Foolish Sages (v. 19)
Here, the holy sarcasm is laid on thick.
"For you, being so wise, are bearing the foolish gladly." (2 Corinthians 11:19 LSB)
You can almost hear the drip. "Oh, you Corinthians are so discerning, so intelligent, so spiritually mature. Your wisdom is so profound that you have no problem tolerating absolute charlatans." This is a spiritual slap. They prided themselves on their wisdom and knowledge, but their actions revealed them to be utterSimpletons. A truly wise man does not gladly suffer a fool who is leading him to destruction. A wise sheep does not gladly follow a wolf just because the wolf has a very confident sounding bleat.
Their problem was a lack of discernment, which is a failure of love. True love for God and His gospel makes a man sharp, keen, and able to smell a theological rat from a hundred paces. But the Corinthians had become spiritually dull. They were tolerant, and their tolerance was not a virtue; it was a vice. They were open-minded, so open-minded that their brains had fallen out. They were so eager to appear sophisticated that they had become suckers for any spiritual fad that blew into town.
The Marks of a False Apostle (v. 20)
Paul now lists the fruit of the ministry of these super-apostles. And it is a bitter harvest indeed.
"For you bear it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face." (2 Corinthians 11:20 LSB)
Look at this catalogue of abuse. This is what their vaunted "wisdom" had earned them. First, enslavement. The false apostles were likely Judaizers, bringing them back under the bondage of the law, loading them down with regulations. Legalism is always a form of slavery. Second, they devour you. This is almost certainly financial exploitation. These men were in it for the money, living high on the hog at the Corinthians' expense. They were spiritual parasites. Third, they take advantage of you. The phrase suggests being caught in a trap. They were cunning and manipulative, snaring the people with their deceptive words.
Fourth, they exalt themselves. Their ministry was all about them. They put themselves on a pedestal, demanding honor and deference. This is the polar opposite of a true shepherd, who humbles himself to serve the flock. And finally, they hit you in the face. This could be literal. In a culture obsessed with honor and shame, a literal slap was the ultimate insult. But even if it is metaphorical, it speaks of a ministry that is arrogant, domineering, and abusive. It shames the sheep instead of cherishing them.
And the Corinthians "bear it." They put up with it. Why? Because the abuse came in a very impressive package. The men who did this to them were eloquent. They were confident. They had "presence." The Corinthians were so mesmerized by the style that they completely missed the satanic substance.
A Shameful Weakness (v. 21)
Paul concludes this introductory section with a final, devastating jab of irony.
"To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison." (2 Corinthians 11:21 LSB)
This is the punchline. Paul says, "I have to confess, to my great shame, that my ministry among you was just too weak to be like that. I was too weak to enslave you with legalism; I insisted on your freedom in Christ. I was too weak to devour your resources; I worked with my own hands so as not to be a burden. I was too weak to take advantage of you; I dealt with you honestly and transparently. I was too weak to exalt myself over you; I became your servant for Jesus' sake. I was too weak to slap you in the face; I came to you as a father with his children."
Do you see what he has done? He has taken their entire value system, their definition of strength and weakness, and turned it completely upside down. The very things the Corinthians despised in Paul, his lack of worldly polish, his refusal to take money, his humble demeanor, were the very marks of his true apostolic authority. And the things they admired in the false apostles, their swagger and their strength, were the dead giveaways of their fraudulence.
The strength of the world is domineering, arrogant, and abusive. The strength of Christ is seen in weakness, humility, and service. God's power is perfected in weakness. The cross, an instrument of ultimate shame and weakness in the eyes of the world, is the very power of God unto salvation. Paul's entire ministry was a living embodiment of this principle. He was weak, so that Christ might be strong in him. He refused to play the world's game of power politics because he served a king whose kingdom is not of this world.
This is a timeless lesson for the church. We are always tempted to be impressed by the world's definition of success. We are tempted to hire the pastor with the MBA and the slick marketing plan. We are drawn to the ministries that are big, flashy, and have celebrity endorsements. But the marks of a true man of God have not changed. Is he a servant? Does he preach the cross? Does he point to Christ or to himself? Is his ministry characterized by humility or by self-exaltation? Does he free the sheep or fleece them?
The Corinthians needed to learn to stop being impressed by the wolves in sheep's clothing and to start appreciating the faithful, if unimpressive, shepherd God had sent them. And by God's grace, so must we.