So Am I - 2 Corinthians 11:16-22

11:16-22 - There have been a lot of implied accusations against Paul. I say implied because we don’t have the letter that he is responding to in which he gets all this criticism. So, we can only assume what his detractors have said based on his responses to them. They have said Paul is not a credible apostle of Jesus Christ because he is ugly, because he is rude, because he won’t take money for his services. These people really have their priorities wrong, because if someone good looking and smooth talking showed up, they would be out of money real quick. With all these personal attacks, Paul is about to set them straight. But he recognizes that what he’s about to say might seem boastful or “holier than thou.” He basically says, “ok since you guys want to talk about these things, buckle up cause I got you.” Or another way might be, “this is going to make me sound crazy, but just hear me out.” Paul’s asking them, basically, “how is it that you’re willing to listen to someone who puts ‘you into bondage’, ‘devour you,’ ‘take of you,’ ‘exalt himself,’ and ‘smite you on the face,’ but then not me?” This is pretty graphic, did one of these people claiming to be an apostle of Christ punch someone in the face? They’re going with all these arguments or reasons that they are legitimate and Paul is not. Apparently, they believe that their legitimacy lies in their bold speaking, that they are “Hebrews,” “Israelites,” “the seed of Abraham,” “Ministers of Christ.” But Paul’s answer to all of these is “So am I.” All the qualifications that these usurpers have, Paul has too. The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com comments that Paul’s answers here is not just to show that he’s just as qualified as these others, but that they are being ridiculous about what they feel qualifies them for the apostleship. It just occurred to me that these people who are claiming to be apostles without proper authority are probably the ones who pushed the apostasy. Anyway, does it matter what lineage they came from? No, because there are now gentile members in leadership positions in the church.