2 Corinthians Part 8 (Titus comes back to you)

Now that the relationship with Corinth seems to have been sorted out, Paul begins to talk about the arrangements for collecting the monetary gift for the church in Jerusalem.

The subject opens indirectly, as he praises the example of the churches of Macedonia. They were already under a severe test of affliction from persecutors. Yet somehow their abundance of joy (glorying in their sufferings) and their extreme poverty have combined into a wealth of liberality (v2). They have given up to their means and beyond their means, begging Paul and Titus to allow them to take part in the giving.

Therefore Paul is now sending Titus back to Corinth (v6) to organise the collection there, completing the task which Titus began on his first visit. Paul now urges the Corinthians to excel in giving, just as they already excel in faith, in knowledge and preaching, in earnestness and in love for himself. He is not giving this as a command, but presenting them with an opportunity to prove their love.

The he adds a greater example of generosity, the example of Christ (v9). Jesus “was rich, but for your sake he became poor”. This is about the Incarnation. It is another way of expressing the point in Philippians, that Christ was “in the form of God” but took on “the form of a servant” (that is, humanity) for the sake of his mission (Philippians ch2 vv6-7).

Another argument is that the Corinthians had already entered into this project more than a year previously, because it was something they were eager to undertake, Since they has started, they ought to finish. It would be fitting for them to carry the work through to completion, in keeping with their initial enthusiasm.

It was not a question of transferring the burden of poverty from other people to themselves. It was more about achieving equality. Their abundance may supply the wants of Jerusalem for the moment, and on other occasions their wants might be supplied by the abundance of Jerusalem. He illustrates the desired equality by quoting a verse from Exodus about the gathering of the quails; “He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

And God can be thanked because Titus accepted the new mission very earnestly and willingly, not just out of obedience. With him Paul is sending a brother who is “famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel”, and who has been appointed by the churches to accompany Paul in this collection journey. This is probably Timothy, who is the only person named as present with Paul in the opening verse of the epistle, and who is listed by Acts as a member of the eventually larger “escort” party. As Paul goes on to explain, this community escort is necessary as a guarantee that the money is being taken to Jerusalem in good faith, ensuring that Paul does not embezzle the money or get robbed as a lone traveller.

But Paul also mentions another brother, “whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters”, and who has great confidence in the Corinthians. Perhaps Erastus, who accompanies Timothy in Acts ch19 v22.

Anyway, Paul distinguishes between Titus, as his personal agent in this matter, and the other members of this party of unknown size, who are emissaries commissioned by the various churches taking part in the project. So it would be good if the Corinthians could demonstrate their love and generosity In the sight of these representatives of the church at large and vindicate his boasting.