Outline:
Chap. 9
9:1-6 - Support Paul & Barnabas
9:7-11 - Soldiers & Oxen
9:12-18 - My Reward
9:19-23 - For Gospel’s Sake
9:24-27 - Discipline to Win
***
Up to this point, Paul has answered questions about:
- Living harmoniously with other Christians (Ch. 6),
- Marriage (Ch. 7),
- Christian behavior and concern for other believers (Ch. 8).
Next he turns to the validity of his ministry and financial support for him and Barnabas. It seems odd to me that he would need to defend himself to the Corinthian church. On the other hand, he had his own past to live down - starting with the stoning of Stephen and other acts of persecution. See Acts 7:57-8:3, in which the NASB reads “Paul began ravaging the church…” That is quite a reputation to live down. After the Lord accosted Paul on the road to Damascus and he gave himself and his life to Jesus, Paul witnessed for Jesus Christ with the same verve as when he was persecuting believers. Understandably, some Christians were skeptical. Perhaps they were thinking Paul was faking it in order to identify believers. Getting names and addresses of believers would be an easy way to round them up.
Add the confused Jewish leaders to the Christian skeptics. The man who had been vocal and committed to eliminating Christians was now behaving like one of them. They were confounded (Acts 9:22). He was so successful as an apologist, the Jews decided to kill Paul! (Acts 9:24) The church acted, sending Paul away from Jerusalem to Caesarea and Tarsus - which is about 600 miles north of Jerusalem. This is perhaps the actual beginning of Paul’s missionary work. The persecution of the church lessened - a little - since there seemed to be a short period of peaceful co-existence with the Jews. As the gospel spread throughout the region due to the dispersion of believers, more and more Gentiles heard the Gospel and believed. Barnabas goes to Tarsus to get Paul, bringing him back to Antioch, where believers are first called “Christians”. (Acts 11:26) Paul and Barnabas work and learn together in Antioch. They are commissioned to spread the Gospel “throughout the world”, and also go to Jerusalem to received the commission from the other apostles.
This is a head-snapping change in direction! What’s this all about? Paul, who had persecuted Jews when they converted to Christianity, was now taking the Gospel to Gentiles. Gentiles! This caused some consternation among the Jewish believers. Now Paul is asking for money and support for the church in Jerusalem. Reading through verse 18 of this chapter we can deduce that some people in the Corinthian church were objecting to sending money and supplies to support Paul. Most Biblical scholars think Paul wrote this letter during his stay in Ephesus, near the end of his second missionary journey. Two major churches were established on that journey - Corinth and Ephesus. This letter may have been written between two and four years after he left Corinth, and is perhaps the second letter written. (We do not have any copies of that letter, but it is referenced in this letter. I don't think 2 Corinthians is the second letter, but is the third and just the second letter preserved or saved. ).
