2 CORINTHIANS 2
For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. – 2 Corinthians 2:1-4
2 CORINTHIANS 2 ON FACING PAIN
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Pain is inescapable in this fallen and corrupt world
The more we avoid it, the more it brings us down
If we face and process the pain, we may understand it
Then we can learn to endure it and let the healing begin.
It seems that there was a change of plan discussed in this letter. Paul was supposed to make another visit to Corinth, but he changed his mind. 2 Corinthians 1:23 mentioned the reason for his aborted visit. He was sparing them of the pain. His last visit there wasn’t pleasant at all but full of conflict and sorrows. So, instead of a visit, he wrote them this letter. From the tone of this letter, it sounded like the Corinthian believers were offended that Paul didn’t come as he planned. Paul had his reasons for not coming. He wrote them a letter to spare them of the rebukes and corrections that he would not be able to stop himself from doing. Like a good father, he will not allow his children to continue their sinful and wayward choices. Clarke comments “Because of the scandals that were among them he could not see them comfortably; and therefore, he determined not to see them at all till he had reason to believe that those evils were put away.”
Correcting or rebuking a brother or sister in Christ could be a source of conflict for some members of the church. According to Wikipedia, ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. You can imagine that Paul planted a church in a Greek city full of many different idols and cultural traditions that do not acknowledge God. It was a hedonistic city, full of materialism.
REFLECTION
- Why do human beings avoid pain instead of facing them?
- Was Paul avoiding pain for himself or for the sake of the church?
