2 Corinthians 8:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"We make known to you, brethren," he says, "the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia." He calls works of mercy grace, so that they might not be puffed up.

By reporting the deeds of the Macedonians, he stirs zeal in the Corinthians through praise of them. He assigns a twofold, or rather threefold, praise to the Macedonians.

He praises them because they patiently endure trial, because they know how to give alms, and because they showed generosity in almsgiving while being poor themselves.

Indeed, their possessions had been plundered. Paul himself pointed to this when he wrote to them: "You, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea.

For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews" (1 Thess 2:14). Listen also to what he later wrote in the epistle to the Hebrews: "You accepted the plundering of your possessions with joy" (Heb 10:34).

He calls almsgiving grace not only to keep them in humility, but also to call them to almsgiving and to keep his word from becoming hateful. For this reason he also called them brethren, to cut off all envy, since he intends to praise the Macedonians exceedingly.

Listen, then, to the praises. Having written, "We make known to you the grace of God," he does not say, "given in this or that city." Rather, he praises the whole people, saying, "in the churches of Macedonia." Then he describes the grace itself.

Read, as in the Armenian and Greek, "that we should receive," and likewise in many minuscules, Gothic, and Slavonic. Other translations do not read this. There the passage sounds thus: "we ask from us the grace and fellowship of the ministry to the saints."

Grace, when it comes, sanctifies them and manifests them in their proper power, fullness, and perfection. The Macedonians were marked by broad generosity.

The grace of God sanctified their compassionate and sociable hearts, a Slavic trait. They were extremely poor, yet so virtuous that it would be fitting for the rich to be so generous.

They forgot themselves and cared only for others. Good courage in sorrows did not constrict their hearts. On the contrary, by joy it widened their hearts, opened their meager treasuries, and brought forth rich giving.

This picture must have appeared very stirring for the not-impoverished Corinthians to imitate. By the word "willing," he expresses this: we did not force them to it.

They do all this of themselves, so gladly, by their own good will. It is good when someone does good by direction and persuasion from another.

Yet certainly far better is the one who himself perceives what must be done. In such a person goodness lies in the depth of the heart.

St. John Chrysostom says: "Since the Apostle's chief aim was to bring the Corinthians to give alms from the free disposition of the heart, he dwells especially on this, saying, 'with much entreaty,' and then, 'they besought us.'

That is, we did not ask them, but they asked us. About what? 'That we should receive the grace and fellowship of the ministry to the saints.'"

"By ministry to the saints the Apostle means the commission given him by the holy Apostles in Jerusalem, to collect alms everywhere among the faithful for the poor Church of Jerusalem" (Theophan).

"See," says St. John Chrysostom, "how by the words, 'they gave themselves to the Lord,' the Apostle shows their extraordinary zeal for God.

They did not submit to God in part while serving the world in another part. Rather, they gave everything, and their whole selves, to Him alone, being united also with us in love.

Having given themselves to us, they did not do so according to human calculations, but according to the will of God. Notice the excellence of the Apostle's love.

When they asked and urged us to accept the alms, we, he says, were concerned for you, lest you fall behind them. For this reason we sent Titus, so that, stirred by him, you might emulate the Macedonians."

Titus had already been in Corinth and had begun the collection of alms among them, according to the first epistle.

Now the Apostle sent him so that his very presence would serve as an impulse for the Corinthians to give alms.

When mentioning almsgiving, the Apostle always calls it grace. Indeed, almsgiving is a great good and a gift of God.

The giving of alms likens us, as far as possible, to God Himself. This, above all, makes a human being truly human.

Therefore someone, presenting the image of a human being, said among other things: a great thing is man, and precious is the merciful man (Prov 20:6).

These motives are as follows: first, that they should not fall behind in this virtue when they possess other good qualities, verses 7-9. Second, that this work is not new, since they had already begun it, verses 10 and 11. Third, that nothing excessive is required, but only what each can give, verses 12-15.

Then he mentions his own arrangement. He is sending Titus and two other brethren to them, indicating the good qualities of each, in 2 Cor 8:16-24. He gives as a motive his desire that everything among the Corinthians be ready for his arrival.

He does not want to be put to shame through them when he comes to them with Macedonians. This again is no small motive toward both prompt and generous collection of the offerings, in 2 Cor 9:1-5.

Finally, he again inspires them toward generous and willing giving. He does this by the promise of God’s blessing, verses 6-11, and by the glory that comes from this to our confession, verses 12-15.

Saint Paul considered it necessary to speak about almsgiving in this epistle also. He was led to speak about it in this very place by the preceding discourse.

Just before this, he had praised the Corinthians for receiving Titus well. He concluded by expressing joy that they were so attentive to what came from him: “I rejoice that in everything I am confident in you.”

That is, I rejoice that whatever I say, you are ready to do it willingly. To this he joins his word about almsgiving. He “in fact shows his confidence toward them by offering an exhortation to have care for the saints,” that is, the poor Christians in Jerusalem (Theodoret).

“He said this beforehand because he intended to speak about almsgiving, so that by praise he might prepare the way for exhortation and awaken zeal for almsgiving. Yet he did not speak of this all at once.

“Observe with what prudence he leads the discourse from afar and from above: ‘We make known to you the grace of God given in the churches of Macedonia.’ By describing the deeds of others, and by praising them, he awakens zeal for similar deeds in the Corinthians” (Chrysostom).

“He called works of mercy, almsgiving, the grace of God” (Chrysostom). “For to be merciful is a gift of God, just as performing healings is” (Oecumenius).

Both intellectual perfections and active virtues are gifts of God, whether to individuals or to whole peoples. Natural dispositions, which also come from all-ordering Providence, are only predispositions.

When grace comes, it sanctifies them, separates them from mixed influences, and manifests them in their proper strength, fullness, and perfection. The Macedonians were distinguished by broad generosity. The grace of God sanctified their compassionate and sociable hearts.

The Apostle says, “in the churches of Macedonia,” meaning not Philippi only, but also Thessalonica and Berea. “He does not say, ‘the grace given in this or that city,’ but he praises a whole people” (Chrysostom).

In the word “we make known” one hears amazement. Witnessing such a movement toward charity among a suffering and not wealthy people, the Apostle could not fail to see in it a special action of God’s grace. Nor could he fail to marvel.

He shares this amazement with the Corinthians, though for particular purposes. He says, I cannot be silent. I cannot refrain from telling you of this marvel that is taking place before my eyes.

This was very instructive for those who were chiefly zealous for spiritual gifts of an intellectual and theoretical kind. It suggested that in Christianity, which sets forth its teaching intelligibly even to children, active gifts must have greater weight.

Such a reminder could naturally come to the Corinthians’ mind. Since it might also produce the thought that Saint Paul counted them as nothing, he deliberately inserted the word “brethren.”

By this he shows that, if he praises some, he does not reject others, but gives each his due. Chrysostom observes, “He called them brethren in order to cut off every envy, for he intends to praise the Macedonians exceedingly.” And truly exceedingly. For what does he say?