NOTES for Co2 4:8-9

For Paul, Christian ministry and the Christian path are inseparable from the idea of poverty understood in a Christian sense. The idea of poverty was already connected with the path of righteousness in the preaching of Isaiah of Jerusalem, eight centuries before Christ came. By the time of the Gospel, this connection was already seen as traditional: poverty and righteousness were synonyms.

Naturally, poverty was understood here not as a material condition, but as a spiritual state. Even a person who was materially quite well off could feel poor before God. The issue was not wealth or poverty, but the degree to which a person was ready to rely on God or on his own wealth.

A poor person in the spiritual sense became such when he realized that his life was bound up with God's presence, that the path of righteousness is unthinkable apart from His presence, and that the person himself cannot help himself in this regard by anything of his own. Everything a person has brings him no closer to God, and what does bring him closer is not in his possession; he can only receive what is needed from God, if God wills to give it to him. But what is received from God must be kept, and here much depends on the person himself.

This is exactly how the path of righteousness was understood in some rabbinic schools of Gospel times, as well as in earlier eras. And the Savior's words about the blessedness specifically of the poor confirm the truth of this understanding of righteousness. The Kingdom can be found only in this way, only by this path. It cannot be either earned or obtained by one's own strength, but it can be received and kept. Or lost, if one is spiritually careless.

That is why the apostle speaks of "earthen vessels," which have no value in themselves: only the contents are valuable, not the vessel itself. And poverty carried through to the end is death to the world in Christ. A person has died to this world; in this world he is nothing. But the life of the Kingdom is revealed in him more fully the less he is "alive" from the point of view of the untransformed world. And the more such people there are in the Church, the more fully she reveals herself to the world as the body of Christ - what she is meant to be according to the design of her Founder.

Continuing the discussion of the ministry of a witness, Paul especially emphasizes the need to move the listeners' focus away from the witness's personality and toward God and Christ, so that no one would attribute the power of God and the breath of the Kingdom to the witness himself as a human being (v. 7). It is from this point of view that the apostle considers the persecutions and afflictions that often fell both on him and on his companions (vv. 8-9). Of course, the witness of a true witness would not become false or less significant even if he were surrounded by honor and respect. But in that case there would always be a danger that the minds and hearts of the listeners were being influenced not so much by the witness itself as by additional factors: the force of the witness's personality, the general respect shown to him, and the pressure of public opinion.

Of course, this influence is not dangerous in itself, at least as long as it directs a person in the right direction. But under such conditions a certain kind of self-deception is always possible, when a person considers himself, at times quite sincerely, a Christian not because he seeks the Kingdom and is ready to follow Christ, but because he has fallen under the spell of a famous, respected, and perhaps truly outstanding spiritual leader. It is always psychologically harder to follow a persecuted or at least unpopular preacher, but in that case the chances are noticeably higher that the follower shares the values and convictions of his leader, rather than merely yielding to his charm, though of course there are exceptions.

But another point is important as well: witness to the Kingdom there and then, where and when there appears to be no hope not only for the triumph of the ideas the preacher defends, but even simply for a favorable outcome (vv. 10-12). In such a situation the reality of the Kingdom is either experienced with utmost clarity or, if it remains only an abstraction for the listeners, is not experienced at all. It is no accident that Paul says the death overtaking the apostle and his companions turns into the fullness of the life of Christ and the Kingdom for those to whom they testify, including the Christians of Corinth (v. 12). Nothing is so convincing as the triumph of the Kingdom revealed in the life of a persecuted witness (vv. 13-15). That is what keeps Paul from losing heart: he truly experiences this triumph during persecutions, seeing the Kingdom expand and include ever new inhabitants (vv. 16-18).

The Epistle to the Corinthians speaks not only of the danger of the Christian path but also of suffering and death, without any obvious reward. For the only motive proves to be the desire “that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh,” while “the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” How far this is from our usual ideas about a person's calling, about fulfillment in this life, and, finally, about glory!

What does it mean to be a perfect Christian? In the preceding chapter, Paul speaks of humanity’s new, life-giving relationship with God. What, then, becomes of the person from whose heart the veil has fallen, who gains freedom and great boldness through knowing Christ and is transformed into his image? Perhaps that person becomes a model for many to imitate and enjoys universal admiration and trust? Perhaps that person gains vitality, succeeds in everything, develops, and achieves self-realization? Perhaps that person walks confidently along life’s road, where gifts have been laid out here and there...