2 Korinther 12:13

13 Denn was ist es, worin ihr gegen die anderen Versammlungen verkürzt worden seid, es sei denn, daß ich selbst euch nicht zur Last gefallen bin? Verzeihet mir dieses Unrecht.

2 Korinther 12:13 Meaning and Commentary

2 Corinthians 12:13

For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches,
&c.] The apostle here suggests, and appeals to themselves for the truth of it, that in nothing they came short of other churches; that as he was not behind the very chiefest of the apostles, and so they had no reason to be ashamed of him and despise him; neither were they inferior in gifts, grace, and knowledge, to other churches, all which were through his ministry; wherefore they ought to have spoken well of him, and not to have taken the part of the false apostles against him; since all the honour and credit they were in as a church were owing to him as an instrument. The Gospel was first preached to them by an apostle; they were converted under the ministry of an apostle; they were planted and settled as a church by the means of an apostle; and in which respects no church could go beyond them, or boast of more; they had the same Gospel preached to them, and with as much power and purity as other churches; they had received the same Spirit, the same graces, and the same gifts of the Spirit, both ordinary and extraordinary; so that they came behind others in no gift whatever; see ( 1 Corinthians 1:7 ) , and had the same miraculous works done among them, as were in other places, for the confirmation of the Gospel. There was not one thing the apostle could think of, in which they differed from others, and which he mentions;

except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you?
because he freely preached the Gospel to them, took no wages of them, but chose rather to work with his own hands, and supply his necessities, than to be troublesome to them; in this, indeed, they differed from other churches, who liberally contributed to their ministers, and honourably maintained them:

forgive me this wrong;
not that the apostle seriously desired this, or thought that he had done them any real injury, and so acknowledges it; for if any wrong was done hereby, it was to himself, and not them; but it is an ironical way of speaking, and was a sharp rebuke to them, for their ignorance, ingratitude, and negligence.

2 Korinther 12:13 In-Context

11 Ich bin ein Tor geworden; ihr habt mich dazu gezwungen. Denn ich hätte von euch empfohlen werden sollen, denn ich habe in nichts den ausgezeichnetsten Aposteln nachgestanden, wenn ich auch nichts bin.

12 Die Zeichen des Apostels sind ja unter euch vollbracht worden in allem Ausharren, in Zeichen und Wundern und mächtigen Taten.

13 Denn was ist es, worin ihr gegen die anderen Versammlungen verkürzt worden seid, es sei denn, daß ich selbst euch nicht zur Last gefallen bin? Verzeihet mir dieses Unrecht.

14 Siehe, dieses dritte Mal stehe ich bereit, zu euch zu kommen, und werde nicht zur Last fallen, denn ich suche nicht das Eure, sondern euch. Denn die Kinder sollen nicht für die Eltern Schätze sammeln, sondern die Eltern für die Kinder.

15 Ich will aber sehr gern alles verwenden und völlig verwendet werden für eure Seelen, wenn ich auch, je überschwenglicher ich euch liebe, um so weniger geliebt werde.