2 Corinthians 13:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

May this, however, not happen." "Tell me," someone says, "do you wish to punish them because they seek proof?" "No," he says. "If I were seeking an occasion to punish them, I would have punished those who sinned from the very beginning and would not have delayed." That he truly does not wish to punish. He later showed clearly in the words: "We pray to God that you may do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is good, though we may seem unapproved" (2 Cor 13:7). Thus he says this not as a reason, but rather as an expression of indignation. He wishes to make those who despised him feel this. "I do not wish," he says, "to show such a proof upon you. But if you yourselves provide the occasion and wish to provoke me to it, then you will know in deed." See with what severity he speaks. He did not say, "Since you are trying to test me," but, "whether Christ speaks in me," showing that they had sinned against Him. He did not simply say, "whether Christ dwells in me," but "whether Christ speaks in me," showing that his words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. And if Christ does not reveal His power and does not punish, the Apostle transfers the discourse from himself to Christ in order to make the threats more fearful. This is not from weakness, since He is almighty, but from long-suffering. Therefore let no one consider the Lord's patience to be weakness. Why do you marvel if the Lord does not now pronounce judgment upon sinners or subject them to punishment, but delays and shows long-suffering? He was pleased to be crucified on the cross, and while enduring the sufferings of the cross He did not punish. Therefore the Apostle added, "He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God" (vv. 3-4). These words are very obscure and trouble the weak. Therefore they must be explained more clearly. We must show the true meaning of this expression, which contains obscurity, so that no simple person may be scandalized. Thus we must explain the meaning of what was said, what the word "weakness" (ασθένεια) means, and in what sense it is used. The same word has many meanings. Bodily sickness is called weakness. Therefore it is said in the Gospel about Lazarus: "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick" (ασθενει) (Jn 11:3). Christ Himself said, "This sickness (ασθένεια) is not unto death" (Jn 11:4). Paul said of Epaphroditus, "He was sick (ησθένησε) almost unto death, but God had mercy on him" (Phil 2:27). And of Timothy he said, "Use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities" (ασθενείας) (1 Tim 5:23). In all these passages the word "weakness" means bodily illness. Weakness also means instability, wavering, and imperfection in faith. In this sense Paul said, "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not for disputes over opinions" (Rom 14:1). And in the words, "For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables" (Rom 14:2), he means one weak in faith. These are two meanings of the word "weakness." But something else is also called weakness. What is this? Persecutions, plots, insults, temptations, and afflictions. In this sense Paul said, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord that it might depart from me. But the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Cor 12:8-9). What does "in weakness" mean? In various kinds of death. In the same sense the Apostle said, "Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses" (2 Cor 12:10). Then, showing what weakness he means, he did not mention fever or doubt in faith. What did he say? "That the power of Christ may dwell in me. I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:9-10; 2 Cor 11:23). "When," he says, "I am pursued, persecuted, and plotted against, then I am strong. Then most of all I conquer and prevail over those who plot against me, by the help of the abundant grace dwelling in me." It is in this third sense that Paul used the word "weakness." Here is the meaning of what was said. The Apostle directs the discourse to the same point as before, namely, that the Corinthians regarded him as low and contemptible. Since he did not wish to boast, he did not wish others to know him as he truly was. He did not wish to show the power he had for punishing the disobedient. Therefore they regarded him as one of no account. Since those who thought this way remained in extreme carelessness and insensibility, and did not correct themselves from their sins, the Apostle uses the occasion and speaks of them in very strong terms. He shows that he had done nothing to them, not from weakness, but from long-suffering. Then, as I have already said, he transfers the discourse from himself to Christ. By this he increases the fear and strengthens the threat. His words have this meaning: "If I do anything, if I punish and chastise those who have sinned, will I be the one who chastises and punishes them? Christ, who dwells in me, will punish. If you do not believe this and wish to see proof, you will soon know by the actions of Him who dwells in me. For He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you." Why did the Apostle add "toward you," when Christ is mighty everywhere? Whether He wishes to punish unbelievers, demons, or anyone else, He can do all things. What, then, does this addition mean? Either the Apostle wishes to shame them by what they themselves have already experienced, or he means that Christ now shows His power in you who must be corrected. So also he said elsewhere, "For what have I to do with judging those outside?" (1 Cor 5:12). "Those outside," he says, "God will judge on the day of judgment. But He wishes to punish you even now, in order to deliver you from future punishment." But see how, with all his care arising from fatherly compassion, the Apostle gives place to fear and great anger, saying, "He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God." What do the words mean, "though He was crucified in weakness"? They mean that although Christ was pleased to suffer what had the appearance of weakness, this did not diminish His power at all. His power remains unconquered. What had the appearance of weakness did not harm it in the least. On the contrary, that very thing most clearly displayed His might, because He endured suffering and His power was not thereby lessened. Therefore let the word "weakness" not trouble you. Elsewhere the Apostle also says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor 1:25). There is, of course, nothing foolish and nothing weak in God. But the Apostle so named the Cross while presenting the opinion unbelievers had of it. Listen to how he himself interprets his words: "For the word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." And again: "We preach Christ crucified. To the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:18, 23-24). And elsewhere: "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him" (1 Cor 2:14). See how everywhere he sets forth the opinion of unbelievers, who consider the Cross folly and weakness. So here also he is not speaking of actual weakness, but of what unbelievers imagine. Thus the Apostle does not say that Christ was crucified because of weakness. May this never be. In everything He showed that He could have avoided crucifixion. He did so when He cast down to the ground those who came with Judas (Jn 18:6), darkened the sun, withered the fig tree, blinded the eyes of those who wished to seize Him, and worked countless other miracles. What, then, does the expression "in weakness" mean? Although Christ was crucified and endured afflictions and plots, and we have already shown that plots and afflictions are called weakness, He nevertheless suffered no harm. The Apostle said all this in order to apply it to himself. Since the Corinthians saw that the Apostles were pursued, persecuted, and despised, and that God did not avenge them, and that they did not defend themselves, he points to the example of the Master. He does this to teach them that the Apostles endure all this not from weakness, and not because they cannot avenge themselves. "So," he says, "the Lord Himself was crucified, bound, and endured countless torments, but did not avenge Himself. On the contrary, He bore everything that seemed to be weakness, and in this weakness revealed His power. For He suffered no harm, although He neither avenged nor defended Himself. The Cross did not cut off His life and did not prevent the Resurrection. On the contrary, Christ rose and lives. When you hear of the Cross and life, understand this according to the divine economy of salvation, for the whole discourse concerns it." And when the Apostle says, "by the power of God," he does not mean that Christ could not give life to His own flesh. He only shows that it makes no difference whether one says "by the power of the Father" or "by the power of the Son." Therefore, when he said "by the power of God. " he said the same thing as "by His own power." That Christ truly raised and resurrected His own flesh, listen to how He Himself speaks of it: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2:19). If Christ calls what belongs to Him the Father's, do not be troubled by this. "All things that the Father has are Mine," He says (Jn 16:15). And elsewhere: "All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine" (Jn 17:10). "Therefore," says the Apostle, "as Christ, being crucified, suffered no harm, so also we suffer no harm when we are persecuted and men arm themselves against us." Therefore he adds, "For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." What does "we are weak in Him" mean? We are subjected to persecutions and afflictions, and we endure extreme calamities. And what does "in Him" mean? It means that we endure them for the preaching and for faith in Him. If, then, we endure for His sake everything sorrowful and burdensome, we shall surely receive the joyful things as well.

He does not say this because it was truly so, but because it appeared so to unbelievers.

"But He lives by the power of God," that is, by the power of the Father, or by His own power. For everything that belongs to the Father belongs also to Him, and everything that belongs to Him belongs also to the Father.

Thus power is common to Them. Or rather, He Himself is the power of the Father. So He raised Himself according to His own prediction: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2:19).

Paul says all this because they despised him as one persecuted and enduring afflictions, attributing these things to weakness. He shows that Christ suffered no harm from this supposed weakness.

"And we also, though weak in Him, shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." That is, we endure persecutions and are driven about, for in this weakness consists.

"In Him" means for His sake and for the sake of His word. As He suffered no harm by being plotted against, so neither shall we suffer harm.

We shall live with Him, that is, we shall appear unconquered among you, for the sake of your salvation. It is also possible that in these words he frightens them.

Though you think that we are weak, we are alive among you, that is, in order to punish you if you do not amend.

But let us return to the continuation of the interpretation. "For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

We also share in His sufferings, because we endure this for His sake. We shall also partake of life, because the power of God promises resurrection.

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).

"Rather, this showed His might all the more, because He endured suffering and His power was not diminished by it. Therefore do not be troubled by the word weakness."

"For elsewhere the Apostle says, 'The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men' (1 Cor 1:25). Although in God there is nothing foolish or weak, he gave this name to the Cross, depicting the opinion of unbelievers about it."

"So here also he does not speak of actual weakness, but of weakness imagined by unbelievers. Therefore, as Christ suffered no harm when He was crucified, so we suffer no harm when we are persecuted and attacked."

"For this reason he added: 'For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him.' If we endure for His sake all that is grievous and burdensome, then clearly we shall also receive what is joyful."

In like manner, we seem weak to all. They persecute us, inflict wounds upon us, and count us as nothing. Yet the power of God acts everywhere through us. It has been manifested in you, and it will be manifested again in a way you do not expect.

We seem to have grown dead toward you. We shall live by Christ, and you will experience this living divine power of Christ in us.

He means that when he comes to them and finds them uncorrected, he will be compelled to act among them with apostolic authority, which is the power of Christ living in him.

Chrysostom says: "What does 'though He was crucified through weakness' mean? It means that although Christ was pleased to suffer, which had the appearance of weakness, this did not diminish His power. His power remains unconquerable. What had the appearance of weakness did not harm it in the least. Rather, it especially revealed His might, because He endured suffering and His power was not thereby curtailed. Therefore let the word 'weakness' not trouble you. For elsewhere the Apostle says, 'The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men' (1 Cor 1:25). Though there is nothing foolish in God and nothing weak, he thus named the Cross, depicting the opinion of unbelievers concerning it. Listen to how the Apostle himself interprets his words: 'The word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God' (1 Cor 1:18). See how everywhere he sets forth the opinion of unbelievers, who regard the Cross as foolishness and weakness. So here also he does not speak of actual weakness, but of weakness imagined by unbelievers. Therefore the Apostle does not say that Christ was crucified because of weakness. May this never be! For in everything He showed that He could also have not been crucified. He showed this when He cast down upon the ground those who came with Judas (Jn 18:6), when He darkened the sun, when He dried up the fig tree, when He blinded the eyes of those who wished to seize Him, and when He performed countless other miracles. Therefore understand the expression 'through weakness' in this way: though Christ was crucified, enduring distress and plots, He suffered no harm. The Apostle said all this in order to apply it to himself. Since the Apostles were persecuted, pursued, and despised, and God did not avenge them, and they themselves did not defend themselves, he teaches that they endure all this not through weakness and not because they cannot avenge themselves. He points to the example of the Lord. For the Lord Himself was crucified, bound, and endured countless torments, yet did not avenge Himself. On the contrary, He bore everything that seemed weakness, and in this weakness He revealed His power, because He suffered no harm, though He did not avenge or defend Himself. The Cross did not cut off His life and did not hinder the Resurrection. On the contrary, Christ rose and lives. And when you hear of the Cross and of life, understand this concerning the divine economy of salvation, for this is the subject of the discourse. Thus, when the Apostle says, 'by the power of God,' he does not mean that Christ could not Himself give life to His flesh. He shows only that there is no difference between saying 'by the power of the Father' and 'by the power of the Son.' Therefore, having said 'by the power of God. ' he said the same as 'by His own power.' And that Christ truly raised and resurrected His own flesh, hear how He Himself says it: 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (Jn 2:19). If He calls what belongs to Him the Father’s, do not be troubled by this. For He says, 'All things that the Father has are Mine' (Jn 16:15). And elsewhere: 'All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine' (Jn 17:10). Therefore, says the Apostle, just as Christ, having been crucified, suffered no harm, so we also, when we are persecuted and people arm themselves against us, suffer no harm. Therefore he adds: 'For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God.' What does 'we are weak' mean? We are subjected to persecutions and pressures, and endure extreme calamities. And what does 'in Him' mean? It means that we suffer for the preaching and for faith in Him. If we endure everything sorrowful and burdensome for Him, then clearly we shall also receive what is joyful. Therefore the Apostle continues, 'but we shall live with Him by the power of God.'"

Photius, in Oecumenius, and Theophylact explain the last words more fully. The first says: "'We shall live with Him ... toward you.' That is, we shall appear alive among you, not simply, but with Christ Himself, having life from His power. By this power He too trampled down death, destroyed Hades, rose, and lives. This life and power is punitive for those who do the works of the evil one, and saving for those who flee to repentance because of their sins. For this reason, he says, do not despise us when you see us persecuted and enduring countless sorrows. So Christ too was despised when He was crucified, but after rising He did all that He wished. And whatever we endure, we endure for His sake. Therefore, though we suffer, yet as He lives and is mighty, so we also with Him, by His good pleasure, are alive and powerful to do among you what we wish. This is especially so among you, because, on account of the disobedience shown among you, we have many righteous grounds against you."

The second writes: "They persecute and pursue us for Christ and for the preaching about Him. But just as He suffered no harm when plotted against, so we also shall live with Him. That is, we shall prove unconquered among you, for your benefit. Perhaps he also frightens them further, as though saying: although it seems to you that we are weak, yet we are alive toward you, that is, in order to punish you if you do not correct yourselves."