II Corinthians 2:1-17
2:1 Paul's decision not to return to the Corinthians was an expression of faith and hope in their ability to use their relationship with God to iron-out the issues within their churches.
2:2 He wishes to remain friends despite knowing of their shortcomings. Sometimes the hardest part about any relationship, platonic and otherwise, is letting the person or organization learn from their own experiences and mistakes.
2:3 In the time that Paul had been away, his adversaries had disgraced his name; they had tarnished his reputation with lies. Paul's hope is that by the time he reaches the Corinthians again, they will have ironed out their problems and realigned themselves with the original message Paul wrote and taught them.
2:4 Paul had written to them and outlined all of the ways they had veered off of the compassionate path. He wants them to understand that it was not easy for him to acknowledge and reprimand their transgressions. Yet despite its difficulty for him, he knew that they were better off here the truth from him in order to fix and improve themselves as church establishments and individuals.
2:5-7 This is God's compassion at work within Paul: Paul wants the Corinthians to forgive the person (or institution) that came in after he did and tarnished Paul's reputation and lesson. On a broader scale, Paul wants us to understand that sometimes people learn best under the umbrella of forgiveness.
2:8-9 As we have said before, this life is a classroom. The Corinthians had willingly adopted this philosophy of compassion and in doing so, became responsible for upholding it in every moment. If given an opportunity to love and forgive and comfort, the Corinthians needed to take it.
And this philosophy does have and require strong components of forgiveness. Yet it also has strong components of discernment. Our compassion is coupled with wisdom: identifying situations deserving of forgiveness. Forgiveness, rather than a re-gifting of trust, is a letting go of vengeance and noxious anger which prohibit us from learning, growing and moving on.
2:10 Paul wants them to know that he will also grant his forgiveness to whoever muddied his name and his work if the Corinthians should decide that the person is deserving. What I love about the message God brings to the world through His children is that it is a free and unforced message. People are allowed to disagree with it. People are allowed to ignore it. Paul is not entering the Corinthian region with anger or war or a superiority complex.
2:11 Just as Jesus is the representation of such qualities as: compassion, love, hope, comfort, forgiveness, and trust, Satan is representative of his own qualities. When you think of this word "Satan" or "Devil" what should come to mind as the qualities which those words represent rather than an actual horned, evil monster: deception, disruption, greed, injustice, arrogance. Paul does not want us caught in a web of these qualities because sometimes we enter into them without realizing. We should not allow ourselves to be overcome with pessimistic or selfish emotions. Our brains and souls should be healthy enough to be perceptive and calm in all situations, in order that we may never lose control of ourselves.
2:12 As we live through and along our purpose on earth, God opens doors for us to walk through. He creates places for us to enter and do our work and meanwhile, helps us to sort out the details of our lives.
2:13 Paul was like we are... he had a lot on his plate. There were people he cared about living their own lives while he lived his. Although he knew and was focused on the mission of his life, there were things and people in the periphery which needed care and nourishment. God helps us to juggle all of the components of our lives. He helps us to maintain and remain tethered to all things and people we care about even while we a busy working, living our passion and purpose.
2:14 This is the description of how perfectly God's love reaches us. It diffuses around us; we cannot help but be surrounded and coated by it, by Him. He is in every place, within and around us.
2:15 Our mutual effort with God inspires much of His love for us: we diffuse our love and compassion throughout the world when we love and empathize with justice, with people. Remember that we are fellow workers with each other and with God. And He is grateful for our work here, for our participation in His efforts, 1 Corinthians 3:9.
2:16 Our work here gives people life. Enjoyment of life, protection of life, extension of life, promotion of life. In our own way, we are all apostles: living our lives as breathing, moving testimonies of how life should be lived. Through our friendships and smiles and opportunities we create for others, we lead people away from death (metaphorically and literally) and into life. Into color and joy and laughter. Into spirit.
2:17 God's children are authentic and purposeful. What we say and believe and do are all in sync. To each person and experience we give our most authentic and sincere selves and therefore our lives (our work here) is productive. Our constant and consistent and impartial intention of compassion ensures that our purposeful work is also, always, good work.
Our eyes, our minds, our spirits, our bodies are focused. Our eyes, our minds, our spirits, our bodies and our spirits are being focused on. Our journey and our work is guided when we trust our guide. We are in God's line of sight when He is in ours.
