Paul, the Emotional Case
(2 Corinthians 7:2-16)
1. I love this old Jewish joke:
During a service at an old synagogue in Eastern Europe, when the Shema prayer was said, half the congregants stood up and half remained sitting.
The half that was seated started yelling at those standing to sit down, and the ones standing yelled at the ones sitting to stand up... The rabbi, educated as he was in the Law and commentaries, didn't know what to do. His congregation suggested that he consult a housebound 98 year old man, who was one of the original founders of their temple.
The rabbi hoped the elderly man would be able to tell him what the actual temple tradition was, so he went to the nursing home with a representative of each faction of the congregation. The one whose followers stood during Shema said to the old man, "Is the tradition to stand during this prayer?"
The old man answered, "No, that is not the tradition."
The one whose followers sat asked, "Is the tradition to sit during Shema?"
The old man answered, "No, that is not the tradition."
"But", the rabbi said to the old man, "the congregants fight all the time, yelling at each other about whether....."
The old man interrupted, exclaiming.... "THAT is the tradition!"
2. Religious conflict is not unique to Christianity; it is an old, Christian tradition. The Apostle Paul had a full dose of it at Corinth. MacArthur writes:
But what really broke Paul’s heart was not what the world did to him but what the church did to him. In 11:28, after listing the trials he had endured, Paul wrote, “Apart from … such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.” And none caused him more trouble than the church in Corinth.
The church in which he had invested nearly two years of his life had repaid him with disloyalty. They had allowed false teachers to come into their assembly and attack Paul’s character and ministry. Even worse, some of the Corinthians believed their lies and joined in a mutiny against him. One of them had apparently verbally assaulted and abused Paul (cf. 2:5–8, 10) during the apostle’s painful, sorrowful visit to Corinth…the majority in the church had not defended him from those attacks which wounded Paul deeply. The visit was so discouraging that he did not want to return to Corinth & expose himself to more pain (2:1).
As a result of the visit, he had written a sternly worded letter, rebuking the Corinthians for their disaffection, disloyalty, and lack of love toward him. Writing that letter was extremely painful for Paul, as he noted in 2:4: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears.” Paul sent the letter to Corinth with Titus, his beloved son in the faith (Titus 1:4), who was also to bring the Corinthians’ response back to him. The apostle left Ephesus (where he had written the severe letter) and went to Troas (a seaport on the west coast of Asia Minor), where he hoped to rendezvous with Titus.
But Paul was so anxious about the situation in Corinth that he could not minister in Troas (2 Cor. 2:13), even though the Lord opened a door for him there (2:12). Restless, unable to wait any longer, the apostle set off for Macedonia, anxious to meet Titus sooner and find out the Corinthians’ response to the severe letter (2:13). At that point (2:13) the narrative broke off, and Paul entered into a prolonged digression about his ministry (2:14–7:4). Here, in 7:5, the apostle returned to the events that followed the sending of the severe letter. MacArthur, John F. (2003-11-01). 2 Corinthians MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Macarthur New Testament Commentary Series) (Kindle Locations 5156-5164). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Main Idea: Neither Paul nor we are meant to be Mr. Spock from Star Trek; Paul was comfortable with emotion, but -- even when he was emotionally intense -- he kept his eyes on Jesus and sought to follow God’s will, not his own.
I. Despite Paul’s Love for and INVESTMENT in Them, the Corinthians Had Allowed Paul’s OPPONENTS Go Unchecked
A. Paul is still unsure if he has their HEARTS (2)
When King David’s son, Absalom, had a successful coup, David experienced similar feelings: rejection, betrayal…Absalom was popular with the people… David God
B. He is now looking at things from the vantage point of RESOLUTION
C. He is EMOTIONAL because he loves them; his scattered thoughts underscore this
D. He alternates between CONFIDENCE in them and DOUBT
E. Application: Have those close to you been PASSIVE when they need to be ACTIVE?
Maybe you have been hurt by passivity; when people should have flocked to your side, they wanted to stay out of it and remain neutral. That’s what Paul felt.
II. As A Result of Paul’s Stern Rebuke, They SOBERED UP and Became Remorseful
A. Paul sent a STRONG letter to confront the Corinthians in his absence
B. Titus relieved Paul’s depression: the Corinthians were now PRO-PAUL (6-7)
1. It is not a sin to be depressed and down
2. But often we are depressed about ourselves, our disappointments
3. Paul was depressed because he cared for others & the Kingdom
C. Paul still sensed a need to DEFEND himself (ch. 10-13)
D. He was BOTH sad and glad about sending this letter (8-9)
E. Application: TOUGH love can give you false guilt
Wikipedia defines tough love: “…an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run.”
1. It begins with young children; comfortable with authority
2. Irresponsible young adults, same sort of need
3. Tough love can be counter-intuitive and can make us feel guilty because we have to hurt someone to help them (Paul had this struggle)
III. Godly Remorse PROMPTED Repentance (10)
A. We presume this meant that Paul’s opponents were CONFRONTED
B. We assume the people AFFIRMED their loyalty to Paul
C. Paul distinguishes between godly repentance and mere GRIEF
Teaching our children about consequences is good, but doing wrong is not just about consequences…guilt…the conscience… and an offended God
We all have to walk this path sometimes…best not to fight it…
D. Application: Sense of GUILT or regret that CAUGHT?
Application: we try to cut short sad feelings, but sometimes we lose out … sadness can be spiritually productive if we allow God to speak to us during those times
IV. Restitution Created A STRONGER BOND than Ever
A. The Corinthians went out of their way to CLEAR the air (11)
B. Paul’s confidence in them was RESTORED (16)
C. On the other hand, Paul still had DOUBTS (13:1-12)
D. Re-establishing CREDIBILITY takes time
E. FORGIVENESS based on repentance is painful but beautiful
When Mary Magdalene washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, Jesus made an amazing statement in Luke 7:47, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
CONCLUSION
What about you? Have you had your sins forgiven?
God is gracious….Jesus didn’t come to rub sin in, but to rub it out.
