2 Corinthians 12:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Afterward he speaks of this more clearly. He shows that he considers it the greatest humiliation for himself to be brought to the necessity of chastising and punishing.

But why did he not say, "lest, when I come, I be humbled," but, "that again, when I come, my God may humble me among you"? "If this were not for God," he says, "I would not attend to it or be troubled by it. For I do not impose punishment arbitrarily or willfully, but by God's command."

Above he expressed the same thing when he said, "lest you find me as you do not wish." Here, however, he softens his speech and speaks with greater condescension and meekness: "lest I mourn for many who sinned before." He does not simply say "sinned," but "did not repent."

Nor did he say "all," but "many." Even these many he does not name, thereby making their return to repentance easier. He shows that repentance can set right their transgressions.

He mourns only for those who do not repent, who are incurably sick and remain in their wounds.

Consider, then, the Apostle's virtue. Though he knew nothing evil in himself, he weeps over the sins of others and is humbled because of the transgressions of others.

This especially is the duty of a teacher: to suffer with the misfortunes of his disciples, and to weep and lament over the wounds of those subject to him.

Then he enumerates the kinds of sin: "in uncleanness, fornication, and licentiousness which they practiced." Although the Apostle means fornication here, if one examines the matter carefully, every kind of sin may be called by this name.

For although the fornicator and adulterer are especially called unclean, other sins also produce uncleanness in the soul.

For this reason Christ also calls the Jews unclean, accusing them not only of fornication, but of other vices as well. Therefore He says that they cleansed only the outside (Mt 23:26).

He also says, "Not what enters the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a man" (Mt 15:11). Elsewhere it is said, "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination before the Lord" (Prov 16:5).

He did not say “all,” but “many.” Nor did he simply say “who sinned,” but also “and did not repent,” because those who remain in their wound are worthy of compassion. He also does not expose them, giving them an easy path to repentance. For this reason he mentioned repentance, so that they might turn to it, and so that when he comes he would not have to punish them and therefore be crushed, that is, deeply grieved. Notice also that he mentioned repentance for the sake of the Novatians. By sin understand every uncleanness, because every sin defiles. Or understand it in particular as the abominations of fleshly intercourse. For in Corinth there was not one adulterer, but many, and in many forms of sensuality.

Yet even to these stern words he again adds a tender-hearted statement: "We pray for your perfection. For this reason I write these things while absent, that when present I may not use severity, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction" (2 Cor 13:9-10).

"We did not say this by flattering you, nor merely by defending ourselves before you. We speak as before the face of the all-seeing God, in Christ and through Christ. But can one who speaks before the face of God and in Christ speak with flattery merely to cover himself?" (Oecumenius).

He says, "I fear lest I shall not find you such as I wish." He could have said, "lest I myself be found among you as I do not wish," and so have shown his love. But he does not want the hearer to grow slack.

Moreover, his speech is stricter. Yet now he makes them feel it more strongly, while showing himself to be more gentle. "For it belongs to prudence to act so that the wound is deeper and the blow lighter" (Chrysostom).

"What precisely did the Apostle not wish to meet among them?" asks Bishop Theophan. He answers: "Discord and works of desire; rivalry, the effort to have one's own way; envy, a distorted competition; wrath, irritation; strife, eagerness for contest; slander, evil speaking; whispering, timid slander; arrogance, inflation; disorders, lack of order."

In the first epistle the Apostle had also rebuked rivalries and disorders (1:10-11). Having learned from Titus that his rebuke had not been without effect, he wished these deficiencies to be entirely effaced.

Therefore he again urges the Corinthians to live in concord, and also in purity, which the incestuous man had so sharply violated.

"One may suppose," says Bishop Theophan, "that the Apostle knew not only that one sinner, but many. In writing a stern sentence against one, he had in mind to sober the others as well."

At this point he speaks as if saying: "They have sinned; what can be done now? The past cannot be recalled. But it is bitter if I find those who sinned unrepentant and stubbornly remaining in impenitence."

"What is to be done with such people? Though it is grievous, they will have to be cut off from the body of the Church. For stubborn sinners cannot be tolerated in the Church. That is why I shall weep. In this way God will humble me among you."

"Consider, then, the Apostle's virtue," says Chrysostom. "Knowing nothing evil in himself, he weeps over the sins of others and is humbled by the transgressions of others."

"For this especially is the duty of a teacher: to suffer with the misfortunes of his disciples, and to weep and lament over the wounds of those subject to him."

But as with the divisions, so here also the Apostle could reasonably think that some still remained uncorrected. He himself would have to deal with them in order to place them in proper order, and this could not occur without grief for him and for them.

Wishing to avoid this sorrowful necessity, he urges the uncorrected to correct themselves before his coming. He surrounds this exhortation with the most moving representations, saying, "lest my God humble me among you."

By what? By the fact that he would have to mourn those who had sinned by uncleanness, fornication, and shameful lust, and had not repented.

He speaks as though saying: they have sinned, and what can be done now? It cannot be taken back. But the bitter thing will be if I find those who sinned unrepentant and stubbornly remaining in impenitence.

What is to be done with such people? Though it is grievous, they will have to be cut off from the body of the Church. For stubborn sinners cannot be tolerated in the Church.

Then I shall weep. And though I shall weep, it will still be necessary to cut them off, if they do not repent. By this God will humble me among you.

It will be shameful to me before myself, before God, and before men, because I boasted of you before them and within myself. Yet meanwhile I shall be forced to act this way toward you.

In order that I may not be in such shame and such grief, I write all this to you. My desire is that everything among you may come into proper order, and that all may stand in their proper rank.

Then, when I come to you, I shall only rejoice and be glad over your good order and progress.

Chrysostom says on this passage: "Do you see how he displays both indignation and fatherly compassion? What does the word 'humble' mean? To accuse, punish, demand an account, and assume the person of a judge seems to be glory. Yet he calls this humiliation. He not only was not ashamed that his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible. He even wished always to be such, and prayed that he might not come to the opposite condition. He speaks of this more clearly in what follows. He considers it the greatest humiliation for himself to come to the necessity of punishing others. Why did he not say, 'lest, when I come, I be humbled,' but, 'lest, when I come, my God humble me'? If this were not for God, he says, I would not pay attention to it or be concerned about it. For I do not impose punishment arbitrarily or by my own will, but by the command of God. Above he expressed the same thing by saying, 'I shall be found such as you do not wish.' Here he softens the discourse and speaks with greater condescension and meekness: 'and I shall mourn many who have sinned.' Not simply those who have sinned, but those who have not repented. And he did not say 'all,' but 'many.' He does not even declare the names of these many, thereby giving them opportunity to come to repentance. He makes known that repentance can correct their transgressions. He mourns only the unrepentant, the incurably sick, those who remain in their wounds. Therefore consider what the Apostle’s virtue is. Knowing nothing evil in himself, he weeps over others’ sins and is humbled by others’ transgressions. For this is especially the duty of a teacher: to suffer with the misfortunes of his disciples, and to mourn and lament the wounds of those placed under him."