Fools for Christ's Sake

Having corrected the Corinthians' view of leaders, Paul defines his role. He is a servant of Christ and a steward of God's mysteries. Faithfulness, not popularity or eloquence, is the measure of a steward. Paul refuses to be anxious about human verdicts, even his own self-assessment, because the Lord is the true judge. When the Lord comes, he will bring to light what is hidden and reveal the motives of hearts, and each person will receive praise from God.

Paul then confronts their arrogance with irony. They act as though they are already filled, rich, and reigning, as if God's kingdom had fully arrived for them. His searching question cuts to the heart of pride: is there anything a person has that was not received from God? If everything is a gift, boasting is absurd.

By contrast, the apostles look like the last act in a public spectacle. They are fools for Christ's sake, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, and homeless, working with their own hands. Yet their response models the way of Jesus: they bless when cursed, endure when persecuted, and answer gently when slandered. Paul closes with a father's tenderness, urging them to imitate him and sending Timothy, his faithful child in the Lord, to remind them of his ways in Christ.