Five Times - 2 Corinthians 11:23-33

11:23-33 - The false teachers are corrupting the Corinthian saints with false doctrine and quick to point out Paul's personal flaws. They use these critiques as proof that Paul is wrong in his teachings and in his authority. And even though Paul isn't a bragging type of guy, he tells his readers that he is about to "speak as a fool," meaning that he's about to sound like he's bragging on himself, but really, how else is he supposed to get his point across. There are people all over who are ready and willing to reap all the benefits of discipleship, but Paul points out that he's also reaped the wrath of Satan. He reminds the Corinthians,, "of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one." Now this might not seem like a big deal to us because we have a very limited reference point when it comes to whipping. Honestly, the only knowledge I have about whipping comes from what I know about slaves being whipped back during the early 1800's. I don't know much about the differences between ancient whipping and recent historical whipping, but the article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com notes that Jews whipping those they considered to be apostates or teachers of false doctrine were sentenced to be whipped 40 times by the law of Moses. Now when Paul says, "save one," it is because by the time Paul was around, the law had been modified to only be 39 times just in case there was a miscount and someone was accidentally whipped too many times. The article also quotes Farrar, who I don't know who that is, but he describes the process of ancient Jewish whipping as punishment describing the whip or "scourge" and the victim was tied to a stake, their clothes ripped open, then "the prisoner bent to receive the blows, which were inflicted with one hand, but with all the force of the striker, thirteen on the breast, thirteen on the right (shoulder), and thirteen on the left shoulder." That's pretty intense, and knowing how absolutely brutal the procedure is, I can definitely see why "often the victim died under the lashing." If death happened so often just after one whipping, Paul's claim to have been whipped five times is incredible. Surely his skin would have been enough proof of the truthfulness of his claim, but the article points out, "when one contemplates the determination it would take to undergo such a flogging a second time, after suffering it once, one gets some idea of the extent of Paul's commitment to Christ. Little wonder that he is peeved by the empty boasting and petty criticism of the false teachers at Corinth!" Five whippings that would have killed pretty much anyone else, was just a small portion of what Paul endured for Christ's sake. Paul continues, "thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep." Remember that Steven was stoned to death, and Paul held the coats of the throwers, kind of ironic that Paul was also stoned but allowed to live. We went through one shipwreck with Paul and it seemed at a minimum unpleasant. But what about being "in the deep" for a full night and day? I imagine myself being stuck in the middle of the ocean for even ten minutes and I'm not interested in that at all. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps. But wait, there's more. Paul continues that he has been "in perils of" water, robbers, his own countrymen, heathens, the city, the wilderness, the sea, "among false brethren." He's persisted in preaching the gospel "in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." He had to escape from a city once, being let down out of a window in a basket so that he could escape. These are just the afflictions that he's endured physically to continue in his ministry. He continues that he's worked daily, "the care of all the churches." He's personalized his message to each individual, he was "weak" where they were so that they could relate to him and see how the gospel could support their weakness. He was offended for those who were also offended. He took each member personally and was devoted to their individual acceptance of the gospel. This is SO much to endure, it begs the question, why would he go through it all? The article suggests, "Paul's trials and tribulations molded him as clay in the potter's hands, until he became one whose every deed and desire were dedicated to Jesus." The article quotes Alexander B. Morrison as noting, "Though no mortal can even approach Christ's glory and majesty, Saul of Tarsus, known to us by his Latin name Paul, stands for all time as a great example of total consecration to Christ and his cause. Pierced to the heart by the glory of the resurrected Christ, whom he met and accepted under dramatic circumstances on the Damascus road, Paul wore out his days in 'weariness and painfulness,' earing testimony to 'great and small' of the Master whom he loved more than life itself, ever grateful to be in the service of the Savior." This really makes me think what I've endured to be a disciple of Christ, not much comparatively speaking. But what would I endure? At what point would I be like "nope I'm out." It's an interesting concept to consider, and something that I'll have to think about. How can I live a life more consecrated to the Savior and His gospel.