2 Corinthians 2:12-3:4

Serving in Jesus’ Triumph

(2:12) “Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord.”

Why does Paul change subjects back to the account of leaving Troas for Macedonia? This anecdote seems to reinforce “his point that his failure to visit them as planned was not because he did not care for them but because he was overwhelmed with sorrow regarding them.”[] His change of plans wasn’t capricious or trivial. He was filled with deep pain during this time.

Troas was a city in the northwest corner of Asia Minor, and God opened a great opportunity in Troas for Paul to spread Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness (cf. 1 Cor. 16:9). Again, Paul explains that he needed to change his place for the sake of lost people in Troas (“a door was opened for me in the Lord”), not out of self-interest or a capricious impulse. Incidentally, this explains why Paul later goes to Troas to teach for a week in Acts 20:7-12. Paul had likely led many to faith there (cf. Acts 16:8-11).

(2:13) “I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.”

Even though Paul had a growing ministry opportunity (Acts 20:6-12), he had no peace of mind. Garland writes, “Again we can see Satan’s designs at work! The conflict with Corinth agitated Paul so much that it sabotaged a mission opportunity. His grief undermined his effectiveness and led him to exit doors that God may have wanted him to enter.”[]

Apparently, Paul and Titus had planned to meet in Troas, but Titus never showed up. It wasn’t like he could check his email or text messages or GPS. His dear brother Titus was missing.

Paul became restless in spirit (i.e. depressed? anxious? lonely?). He had already been concerned with the state of the Corinthian church, and now, he became concerned with his close friend Titus. After all, Titus was collecting large sums of money for the Jerusalem church during this time (2 Cor. 8:6), and this would have made him a target for bandits (2 Cor. 11:26). This troubled Paul to the point of leaving Troas for Macedonia. Even when Paul arrived in Macedonia, he didn’t immediately find Titus there (2 Cor. 7:6).

Full stop.

Paul was in the midst of describing his distressed feelings about the Corinthians and Titus. Then, Paul sharply changes subjects for five full chapters to talk about Christian ministry. Scholars refer to this entire section as the “Great Digression” (2 Cor. 2:14-7:4).[] Paul returns to how he was feeling about Titus later in the letter (2 Cor. 7:5-16). For now, we see insights into how God wants to use believers to reach our dying world and build one another up in the process.

Led in triumph

Up until this point, we might think that Christian ministry is a real drag. Paul has gone on and on about the suffering and the pain he has experienced as a servant of Christ (2 Cor. 1:8-9; 2:4). Paul rarely talks about his own personal agony like this, but he has been opening his heart to show what the dark side of Christian ministry looks like. This is the price of caring for people: Many disappointments, many setbacks, and much heartache. Do you know what this is like?

• Do you know what it’s like to have no rest for your spirit, like Paul?

• Have you ever felt discouragement in trying to make an impact for Christ?

• Do you ever wonder if what you’re doing is really making a difference?

• Have you ever felt anxious that all of your service for Christ is just a house of cards, waiting to crumble?

Here in the “Great Digression,” Paul explains the positives of choosing to serve Christ. Even though Paul was suffering from real discouragement, here we watch as he gets his focus off of his pain and suffering, and puts it back onto Christ’s triumphant power.

(2:14) “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

Paul uses the language of Greco-Roman culture to describe the “triumph” that we have “in Christ.” The words “leads us in triumph” (thriambeuomai) is a borrowed Latin word that describes “the elaborate celebration of victory for the conquering Roman general parading through the streets of Rome.”[] Harris writes, “Paul likens the irresistible advance of the gospel, in spite of temporary frustration, to a Roman triumphus (“triumph”) in which the victorious general, along with his proud soldiers, used to lead in triumphal procession the wretched prisoners of war who were thus exposed to public ridicule.”[] Ancient authors describe these processions in detail:

Plutarch (AD 46-119, Greek historian): “On the third day, as soon as it was morning, trumpeters led the way, sounding out no marching or processional strain, but such as the Romans use to rouse themselves to battle. After these there were led along a hundred and twenty stall-fed oxen with gilded horns, bedecked with fillets and garlands. Those who led these victims to the sacrifice were young men wearing aprons with handsome borders, and boys attended them carrying gold and silver vessels of libation. [The captured king Perseus was followed by his children] and with them a throng of foster-parents, teachers, and tutors, all in tears, stretching out their own hands to the spectators and teaching the children to beg and supplicate.… Behind the children and their train of attendants walked Perseus himself, clad in a dark robe and wearing the high boots of his country, but the magnitude of his evils made him resemble one who is utterly dumbfounded and bewildered. He, too, was followed by a company of friends and intimates, whose faces were heavy with grief. [Meanwhile, Aemilius was] mounted on a chariot of magnificent adornment wearing ‘marks of power.’ [He wore] a purple robe interwoven in gold, and held in his right hand a spray of laurel. He was followed by his army singing hymns in praise of the achievements of Aemilius.”[]

Dionysius of Halicarnassus (60-7 BC, Greek historian): “He accordingly drove into the city with the spoils, the prisoners, and the army that had fought under him, he himself riding in a chariot drawn by horses with golden bridles and being arrayed in the royal robes, as is the custom of the greater triumphs” (8.67.9-10).

Josephus (AD 30-100): He describes Titus’ entry into Jerusalem after his victory, where Titus had selected “the tallest and most handsome of the youth” to march through the Arch of Titus (Jewish Wars 6.9.2). During the procession, Titus had one of the rebels (Simon, son of Gioras) publicly executed (Jewish Wars 6.9.2). This was so popular that “not a soul among that countless host in the city was left at home” (Jewish Wars 7.5-3-6).

This imagery is indeed graphic. However, it shows the complete and utter victory of the king over the conquered. In a similar way, Jesus won his triumph at the Cross over Satan, sin, and death (Col. 2:13-15). We are part of King Jesus’ procession, who “always leads us in triumph.”[] (We reject Barnett’s view[] that the metaphor refers to believers as Jesus’ “prisoners of war,” which helps to legitimate Paul’s ministry.)

Regarding the “sweet aroma,” Paul is probably referring to the sacrifices that were offered in the Roman triumphus, as the army reached the temple of Jupiter (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 5.6.153). Kruse aptly comments, “The smell of incense burnt to the gods in a Roman triumphal procession would have had different connotations for different people. For the victorious general and his soldiers, and for the welcoming crowds, the aroma would be associated with the joy of victory. But for the prisoners of war the aroma could only have been associated with the fate of slavery or death which awaited them.”[] (We reject Barnett’s view[] that the metaphor switches to the Levitical sacrifices.)

Earlier in his correspondence, Paul used this procession to refer to how the apostles are viewed as the scum of the world and a spectacle to the world (1 Cor. 4:9, 13). Here he describes this picture from another angle: what is scum to the world is honorable before God.

Paul uses universal language (“always… every place”). When we know that God is with us, we can trust that he is working—even when we cannot see it. Sometimes, only months will go by and we will discover that God was working behind the scenes the entire time we were doubting. All of the worry and fret amounted to nothing. During these times of inactivity, we need to cling this promise, knowing that God is “always” leading us in his triumph, even when we can’t see it. We need to learn to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).

(2:15-16) “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; ¹⁶ to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?”

The aroma of the incense would smell like “life” to the victorious soldiers coming home from war. But this same incense would smell like “death” to the POW’s who were being dragged along with them.

How could the same smell (i.e. Christian truth) have such different reactions?

The issue is not with the object itself, but with the subject. Two people can see the object and have two radically different interpretations.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6). Some could take this as the greatest message that they’ve ever heard (i.e. “Truth exists!” “Truth is knowable!” “God has provided a way to know answers to the ultimate questions of life through Jesus!”). Meanwhile, another person could consider this hateful and bigoted (i.e. “You are so arrogant for claiming to know the truth!”).

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). One person could realize the depth of their own brokenness, and see that God wants to forgive them freely. Others, however, could be offended by the thought that they are considered sinful, and they don’t measure up to God’s flawless standard.

“In those days you were living apart from Christ… You lived in this world without God and without hope” (Eph. 2:12 NLT). Some people feel offended that their lives are meaningless without God, while others hear about the message of Jesus and are grateful that objective meaning exists.

Regarding this phenomenon, Barnett writes, “People encounter (the aroma of) Christ crucified and risen in the one who preaches Christ crucified and risen, and that eternal destinies are determined by that encounter.”[] This is what causes Paul to ask, “Who is adequate?” Only God can make us adequate (2 Cor. 3:5-6).

“Who is adequate for these things?” In the midst of describing himself as God’s representative in the world, Paul blurts out this question. Paul later answers this question: Only those who gain their adequacy from Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:5). In the immediate context, he asks his audience if the false teachers (“peddling the word of God,” v.17) are truly adequate because of their letters.

(2:17) “For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”

The term “peddling” (kapēleuō) was used of “petty traders, who would adulterate their wine with water or use false weights.”[] Others hold that the term simply refers to being in the “business of preaching,”[] without really caring about the content. One ancient sophist explained this approach to public speaking, “The only way [rhetoricians/sophists] will get what they are after is by winning over their audience. It is the same with a tutor of rhetoric. Like a fisherman he has to bait his hook with what he knows the little fishes will rise for; otherwise he’s left on the rocks without a hope of their biting.”[]

Paul refuses such approaches. He wouldn’t “adulterate the word of God” (2 Cor. 4:2). This is in stark contrast to the false teachers who had infiltrated Corinth (2 Cor. 11:20). Harris writes, “As those who dispense the life-giving remedy for sin, preachers must avoid diluting or adulterating the medicine of life, the Word of God.”[]

“We speak in Christ in the sight of God.” NLT states, “We know that the God who sent us is watching us.” Paul knew that he would eventually stand before God (2 Cor. 5:10-11), and this was what motivated his integrity.

The Letter on our Hearts

(3:1) “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?”

The Greek construction of these questions anticipates a negative response (“No”). Later Paul writes, “It is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor. 10:18). The men who were needing letters of commendation are likely the same as those who were “peddling the word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17).

What does Paul mean by “commendation”? This term (synistanein) didn’t refer to boasting. Rather, it referred to having a “friendship and recommendation in the ancient world.”[]

Why is Paul so against “letters of commendation”? After all, Paul wrote some of these letters himself for his disciples. Several examples can be cited:

Paul wrote a letter of commendation for the men who carried the money from Corinth: This was because they were carrying a large sum of money to Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:16-24). So, Paul sent them with “letters” to Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:3).

Paul wrote a letter of commendation for Phoebe: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; ² that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well” (Rom. 16:1-2).

Paul wrote a letter of commendation for Timothy: “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am” (1 Cor. 16:10; cf. Phil. 2:19-23).

Paul wrote a letter of commendation for Tychicus: “Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. ⁸ For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts” (Col. 4:7-8).

Other believers wrote a letter of commendation for Apollos: “When [Apollos] wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27).

Paul’s testimony of seeing Jesus rested on his own word, and he spends time defending this point in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:3; 15:8-11). Paul was constantly being followed by anti-missionaries (e.g. Gal. 2:4, 12; Acts 15:24), and this could be the case here as well. These letters of recommendation can be seen in Paul’s travel from Jerusalem to Damascus (Acts 9:2; 22:5).

The “some” written of here relates back to the “peddlers of the word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17).[] The false teachers in Corinth were most likely challenging Paul’s apostolic credentials.[] Since the Corinthians had factions around their leaders (especially Apollos), these false teachers may have used this against Paul (i.e. “Why don’t you have letters of recommendation like Apollos?”). Garland paraphrases Paul’s tone: “Has our relationship sunk to such a low that I must now call upon outside parties to vouch for me?”[]

 (3:2-4) “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. ⁴ Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.”

The proof of Paul’s leadership credentials comes from the Corinthians themselves: “You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (1 Cor. 9:2).

People are the proof of leadership—not letters. Paul doesn’t need a letter “from” the Corinthians (2 Cor. 3:1). Rather, they are a letter “of Christ” (NASB, NET) or “from Christ” (NIV, NLT) because the believers in Corinth are the “temple of the living God” (1 Cor. 6:16). This passage doesn’t teach that the institution of the church is great, but that God’s work in people’s lives is great.

God personally gave this “letter” to Paul, placing it on his heart. This “letter” wasn’t given by the Pharisees in Jerusalem, but from God himself (“You are a letter of Christ… written… with the Spirit of the living God”). Paul carried those he led in his heart (Phil. 1:7).

This led to great “confidence” in God’s presence. When Paul looked out at the faces of the people in Corinth, this didn’t lead him to be filled with arrogance or boasting at what a great church planter that he was. Instead, this filled his heart with “confidence… toward God” (v.4). He knew that none of these people would be there if it wasn’t for God’s power, leading Paul in His triumph (2:16). Barnett writes, “The activity of the Spirit in the lives of the Corinthians and others was the basis of his confidence, through Christ, that he was a true minister of God, and that, heaven forbid, he was in any sense a false minister of God.”[] This was in contrast to the false teachers who wanted their confidence to come from letters from men.

The assurance of Paul’s leadership was subjective to Paul. It was written “in our hearts.” God assured Paul that he was always leading in triumph (2:16) by reminding him to look at the people who came to Christ and are being transformed by Christ. Elsewhere, Paul told the Philippians, “I have you in my heart” (Phil. 1:7).

The assurance of Paul’s leadership was also objective for anyone to observe. The Corinthians and anyone else could observe this letter, because it could be “known and read by all men.”

We can all have this sort of assurance from God. Paul uses plural pronouns (“We… our letter…”). God gives this “letter” to groups of people—not just individuals. The use of the word “carved” (NLT) is evocative language. You need to let God “carve” this letter into your heart, believing that he’s with you. We should never look at God’s work with contempt or skepticism. The growth of the church is nothing less than a miraculous work of God, and it is sinful to discount it, look down on it, or marginalize its importance.

Paul is using his “letter” against the false teachers in Corinth. These false teachers were most likely “Judaizers.”[] Paul associates their letters written with “ink” and the letters written in “stone” (i.e. the Law). Thus, Barnett writes, “This verse is explicitly apologetic. Paul can point to a letter of introduction (the Corinthian church) written by a third party (Christ), who is a supernaturally higher authority, in which, however, he (Paul) has played a critical role. At the same time it is implicitly polemical. The intruders’ higher authority is merely that of human signatories on nothing more than a piece of paper.”[]

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-4. What can we learn about this “letter” that Paul describes? Offer ten observations from the text.

Lyle Schaller was an expert in church planting movements. In his research, he states that the factor that correlates with church growth more than any other factor is the attitude that Christians have toward their own fellowship. Schaller writes, “First, are they enthusiastic about their faith as Christians? Are they enthusiastic about this congregation? Are they enthusiastic about their [teachers and leaders]? Are they enthusiastic about what is happening in this congregation today? Such contagious enthusiasm is the most distinctive mark of the rapidly growing church.”[]

Do you agree with Schaller’s assessment? What would you say to a person who said, “If my church was better, then I probably would be more enthusiastic”?

Why do some believers give up (internally or externally) in ministry when they meet rejection? Why do other believers gain stronger resilience in ministry when they meet failure?

How do we develop a resilient faith like we see from Paul’s example?