2 Corinthians 11:16-33--Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle

2 Corinthians 11:16-33
English Standard Version

Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle​
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

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Paul uses some of his traditional sarcasm here to first point out that they should not be boasting about anything and not to think themselves wise according to the world's standards, for the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God and the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world.  So we will see here in the fact that Paul "boasts" in things that no normal man would boast about-his sufferings as an apostle.  Paul is upset that the church listened to these deceivers or gave them any kind of audience, and Paul mockingly says, "I must be too foolish and too weak" as they would no longer listen to what Paul had to say.

Typically these "super-apostles" that were fake that Paul was talking bout earlier would look to the good life they had as a sign of God's blessing on their life and ministry, but Paul will say that he knows that he's a true apostle because he has gotten to share in the sufferings of Christ.

Before boasting in his sufferings, Paul lays out all the things that he could boast about--his ethnicity, his salvation, and his zeal for the gospel that led to much persecution.  He then lists out a lot of ways in which he has endured pain and suffering and trial and tribulation for the cause of Christ.  Some things were natural like shipwrecks and storms while many others were at the hands of men--even some men who called themselves friends and collogues (we'll see this more in other letters where co-workers like Demas betrayed Paul and seemingly denied his faith in Christ).

God has brought Paul through much adversity and persecution to this point in his life because the Lord wants Paul to be here in this place at this time to preach this message to these people.  That's how Paul and his ministry are authenticated and validated as being the genuine article.  Not because of flashy titles or eloquent speeches or large crowds or lots of money.  It is by bearing the marks of Christ and His suffering on and in his own body that Paul would point to over and over and over again to show people that he was a legitimate apostle and a legitimate son of God, for He did not deny the faith when it got inconvenient or hard.  These others that were out to abuse the gospel to take advantage of the church were false shepherds that would run and leave the sheep defenseless if they came under attack, but Paul loved the Church because Christ loved them to the point of giving His life for them, and Paul seemed to love them with that same kind of love, both like a parent and like a shepherd that was willing to lay down his life for the sheep.